The Furnas Stew, Gorreana Tea and the Chapel Above Vila Franca

Av. Infante Dom Henrique, Ponta Delgada

Miradouro de Santa Iria

The viewpoint sits on the north shore of São Miguel. From it the whole north coast is visible, green land running into the deep blue of the Atlantic, with the Gorreana tea plantations on the horizon.

Plantacoes de Cha Gorreana

The oldest tea plantation and factory in Europe. You see how the tea is grown, what conditions it needs, and how the workers pick and process the leaves. The teas made here are tasted at the end, and they taste of the island rather than of anywhere else.

Miradouro Pico Do Ferro

From 570 metres up, the whole Furnas caldera is below: the lagoon, the hot springs and the village.

Lagoa das Furnas

In the Furnas valley the stew is cooking underground, left for hours in heat that comes straight from the volcano. Around the holes the ground steams, with fumaroles giving off plumes and hot springs bubbling beside them.

we will take a break

A break, and the dish you watched being lifted out of the ground is served at a local restaurant. Fresh ingredients, cooked by the heat of the earth and nothing else.

Caldeira das Furnas

The afternoon is spent in the village of Furnas, with its fumaroles and its mineral waters, which are drunk for their properties. More than twenty different kinds come out of the ground here, which is what the Furnas volcano is known for.

Parque Terra Nostra

Terra Nostra Park, a botanical garden with exotic trees and flowers all through it. The thermal pool at its centre is heated by the volcano and holds between 37 and 40 degrees Celsius. (Entry is optional and costs an extra €17 per person.)

Costo extra

Nossa Senhora da Paz

The road back runs along the south coast and finishes at Vila Franca do Campo, the original capital of São Miguel. Above the town stands the Chapel of Our Lady of Peace, reached through greenery, with the town below it and the islet of Vila Franca do Campo out in the water.