Volcano Travel · Tour
São Miguel in Two Days: the Highest Lagoon and the Glass Pineapples
Ratings collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Sao MiguelTwo days built to take in the whole island rather than one corner of it, on a route that connects the volcanic sites in an order that works, with an experienced local guide. Furnas is the centre of it: the geothermal valley, the boiling calderas, and the cozido that cooks in the volcanic soil. Sete Cidades and the Lagoa do Fogo cover the west and the middle, and both are seen from more than one viewpoint, which is what the second day buys you. Along the way there are tea plantations, the pineapple greenhouses, waterfalls, coastal viewpoints and the black sand at Mosteiros. Two booking options. With lunches included, or without them, which leaves more time at each stop to do as you like. The Terra Nostra thermal pool is optional and its entrance is bought on site.
What's included
- An experienced local guide accompanies you throughout the journey, sharing stories and insights as a true Azorean storyteller.
- Two full days exploring São Miguel’s most iconic landscapes.
- Guided visits to traditional pineapple and tea plantations, including tastings.
- Comfortable transport in a modern, air-conditioned vehicle.
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- Scenic stops at Sete Cidades, Furnas Valley, and Lagoa do Fogo.
Itinerary
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Largo 2 de Março, Ponta Delgada
Largo 2 de Março, Ponta Delgada, Portugal
Easy to find because of the blue palace and the small garden opposite it. The waiting point here is by the flower kiosk near the pharmacy.
Lg. do Colégio, Ponta Delgada
Lg. do Colégio, 9500-054 Ponta Delgada, Portugal
In the upper part of Ponta Delgada, easy to find, with a large church behind it and a small garden alongside.
Av. Infante Dom Henrique, Ponta Delgada
Av. Infante Dom Henrique, 9500-769 Ponta Delgada, Portugal
The Tourist Information Office is on the main avenue that runs parallel to the marina and the commercial harbour, about 50 metres from the Portas da Cidade. It is the easiest of the meeting points to find if you are staying in the centre of Ponta Delgada.
Miradouro da Barrosa
The Pico da Barrosa viewpoint sits on the rim of the Fogo crater and looks over the western half of São Miguel. On a clear day both coasts are visible at once, north and south, with the Atlantic beyond them and the volcanic ground that shapes the island in between.
Lagoa do Fogo
The Lagoa do Fogo viewpoint gives one of the most striking views on São Miguel. The area has been a nature reserve since 1974 and is an important refuge for seabirds and migratory species, which nest here undisturbed. Below it is the Lagoa do Fogo itself, a clear lake inside a volcanic crater, and the highest lagoon in the Azores.
Ananas Santo Antonio
The story of the São Miguel pineapple goes back more than a century, and the guided visit goes through the glass greenhouses where it grows, stage by stage from planting to harvest. This is the only place in the world where pineapples are grown under glass, and each fruit takes between 24 and 30 months to ripen. The flavour and the texture are why it is one of the island's best known products.
Vista do Rei Miradouro
The view most people picture when they think of the Azores, and one of the widest in Portugal: the Blue and Green Lakes below, inside the Sete Cidades caldera. Local legend puts their origin in the tears of two lovers who were kept apart. It is the stop that ends up on most people's cameras, and the quiet up here is part of it.
Sete Cidades
Past the bridge that carries the legend of the two lovers, the road reaches the Cerrado das Freiras viewpoint and another angle on the Sete Cidades lakes, with the mountains of the caldera framing them. Lunch is served in the village centre, a traditional buffet of local dishes. Anyone who booked without lunch has that time free to walk the shore of the Blue Lake and take the parish at their own pace.
Miradouro da Ponta do Escalvado
A clifftop viewpoint over the coast, looking out at the Ilhéus dos Mosteiros, the rock islets standing out of the sea.
Ilheus Dos Mosteiros Aka Ponta Dos Mosteiros
On the way down to the village the offshore rocks change character, and they carry the local story of a forbidden love between a priest and a nun. The road passes a black sand beach worth stopping at, and then the natural tidal pools of Mosteiros, which the locals use, and where the sunset over the Atlantic is the reason people stay.
Vila Franca do Campo
A morning stop at the marina of Vila Franca do Campo, once the capital of São Miguel, with the islet offshore and a coffee alongside a queijada da Vila, the convent pastry the town is known for.
Lagoa das Furnas
A walk along the shore of the Furnas lake, past the Chapel of Nossa Senhora das Vitórias, neo-Gothic and unlike anything else here, and sculptures carved out of old tree trunks along the path. Information panels on the way cover the plants and animals of São Miguel.
Furnas
Lunch, or free time if you booked without it, which turns this stop into more time to look around. Furnas sits inside a volcanic valley. The streets are quiet, there are shops and cafés, and the thermal springs and hot pools the village is known for are close by. The cozido das Caldeiras, also called cozido das Furnas, cooks slowly in the heat of the volcanic ground, and that is what brings thousands of people here every year. A vegetarian version is made with local vegetables. Booking a table in advance is strongly advised, and the operator can arrange it on request.
Caldeira das Furnas
The valley they call the mouth of the volcano: a walk between boiling calderas and steaming fumaroles, where the ground makes its own case. The mineral springs here are numerous enough that specialists call it the largest hydropolis in the world, with 22 classified mineral and therapeutic waters. Some of the best known can be tasted, and a local handicraft shop has traditional liqueurs to try.
Parque Natural da Ribeira dos Caldeiroes
Old watermills turned into a natural park, with the waterfalls as the reason to stop. It counts among the best looking corners of the Nordeste, quiet and green with water running through all of it. The local handicraft shop sells corn leaf dolls, still made by the old method.
Plantacoes de Cha Gorreana
On the way back, a stop at the Gorreana tea factory and a tasting of one of the last completely natural teas still in production anywhere. The plantations run in rows over the hills and frame the valleys behind them.
Miradouro de Santa Iria
From here the northern coast of São Miguel opens out, from Sete Cidades across to the Nordeste, with dark cliffs following the edge of the Atlantic. This is the last stop before the return to your accommodation.
Parque Terra Nostra
An optional visit to the Terra Nostra botanical garden and thermal pool, after the lunch break. Anyone who booked without lunch gets longer here. The park covers 12.5 hectares laid out between the 18th and 19th centuries: century-old trees, camellias, ferns, endemic and exotic species, shaded paths, lakes and room to walk. At its centre is the thermal pool, iron-rich volcanic water naturally held between 35°C and 40°C, with the therapeutic reputation that comes with the island's geothermal activity. Entrance is bought on site, €17 per person.
Costo extra
Largo 2 de Março, Ponta Delgada
Largo 2 de Março, Ponta Delgada, Portugal
Lg. do Colégio, Ponta Delgada
Lg. do Colégio, 9500-054 Ponta Delgada, Portugal
Av. Infante Dom Henrique, Ponta Delgada
Av. Infante Dom Henrique, 9500-769 Ponta Delgada, Portugal
Not included
- Lunch (not included unless the lunch option is selected).
- Personal expenses (extra meals, drinks, and souvenirs).
- Terra Nostra entrance fee
Good to know
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
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- IMPORTANT: The tour order shown may not correspond to the actual schedule, as your experience may begin on either the East or West side of the island. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
- Up to 8 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: pt, en.
Reviews
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Ratings collected by Viator and Tripadvisor