dossier

Azores Island Adventure

Day 1 - Arrive in the Azores
We meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel in São Miguel (15 mins) in time for dinner.

Day 2 - Sete Cidades 14km/9mi/4.5hr
Climbing gently through Japanese cedars we ascend to Pico da Cruz (856m) for our first views over Sete Cidades’ Green and Blue Lakes.  Hugging the rim of the crater, we walk through hydrangeas and morning glories to a panoramic picnic spot - it’s then downhill to the lakeshore.

Day 3 - Faial da Terra  5km/3mi/2hr
A fig-lined cobbled path climbs through terraces of vines and banana plantations with stunning coastal views. Onwards past renovated farmhouses and down into thick forest, to reach a hidden waterfall where we may bathe and enjoy a picnic. Our return contours through a lush gorge.

Day 4 - Lago do Fogo(The Fire Lake) 11km/6mi/3.5hr
Santa Maria island frames the horizon, as we walk through laurels and Mauritian nightshade to the fire lake (volcanic crater) fringed with green mountains. After a picnic, we leave its limpid shores, descending seawards once more through meadows bright with blue hydrangea.

Day 5 - Lake Furnas  8km/5mi/2.5hr
Today’s walk starts with a gentle climb through ginger lillies and candleberry trees. Then on to the summit for greta views to the the sea and Lake Furnas and its thermal bubbling mud shore where locals cook us casseroles (cozidos) by burning their pots in the soil. Option to swim in the thermal pools here.

Day 6 - To São Jorge - Faja São Joao Walk  6km/4mi/2hr
It’s a 1 hour flight to São Jorge. In the afternoon, we descend through meadows “fenced” with rows of blue hydrangea for our first views over Pico Island to follow a coastal path past waterfalls and terraces of vines, figs and sweetcorn, to Faja São Joao.

Day 7 - São Jorge Ridge Walk  17km/11mi/5hr
With buzzards cruising the thermals, we traverse São Jorge’s spine to the north coast where Graciosa and Terceira islands hove into view. A brief climb to Pico do Esperança (1053m) then down through Azorean heathers to Faja do Ouvidor and its natural lava pools.

Day 8 - Faja dos Cubres  9km/6mi/3.5hr
The verdant slopes of the north coast open up to us as we pass vine terraces, banana plants and bamboo groves to Faja dos Tijolos village, set in the cliffs. Skirting around Caldeira Lake, we end our walk with a dip at Faja dos Cubres. After dinner, we go by ferry to Faial where we spend our final three nights in a **** hotel in Horta.

Day 9 - Whale Watching and Capelinhos 10km/6mi/3hr
We start the day with whale watching – fin, sperm and blue whale have all been spotted here as well as striped dolphins. Then, in the afternoon, verdant craters give way to a lunar landscape as we explore the swirling ash dunes of Capelinhos, the newest square of land formed by the 1958 eruption.

Day 10 - Pico 12km/7.5mi/3.5hr
By ferry to Pico (30 mins), then along a cobbled trail through coastal headlands bright with white campanula to Lajes harbour. After lunch we drive to Calhau to pick up our path through the Verdelho vineyards. We catch the ferry back to Faial for dinner at a local restaurant in Horta’s pretty old centre.

Day 11 - Return home