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Discover the Azores Islands: Self-Guided Tour

By CloudGuide S.L
Free cancellation available
Price is NZ$14 per adult
See tickets

Features

  • Free cancellation available
  • 8h 30m
  • Mobile voucher
  • Instant confirmation

Overview

Discover the Azores with self guided tour, allowing you to explore Europe's most spectacular volcanic archipelago at your own pace. Stand on the rim of Sete Cidades, a massive volcanic crater cradling twin lakes of emerald green and sapphire blue on the island of São Miguel, one of the most breathtaking natural landscapes in all of Europe. Soak in golden hued thermal pools heated by the earth itself at Terra Nostra in Furnas, where locals slow-cook traditional cozido stew by burying pots underground in volcanic steam for six hours. Walk through ancient laurel forests draped in moss and swim in natural lava rock pools carved by centuries of ocean waves at Mosteiros beneath towering sea stacks. Discover nine islands where Azulejo tiled churches, cobblestone harbour villages, and Europe's only tea plantations dot a landscape of dramatic calderas, hydrangea lined roads, and mist-shrouded peaks rising from the mid Atlantic.

Activity location

  • Portas da Cidade
    • Praca de Goncalo Velho
    • 9500-063, Ponta Delgada, Portugal

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • Marina Ponta Delgada
    • 71 Avenida Infante Dom Henrique
    • 9500-764, Ponta Delgada, Portugal

Check availability

Discover the Azores Islands: Self-Guided Tour

  • Activity duration is 8 hours and 30 minutes8h 30m
    8h 30m
  • English
Language options: English
Price details
NZ$13.87 x 1 AdultNZ$13.87
Total
Price is NZ$13.87

What's included, what's not

  • What's includedWhat's included
    Self-guided walking tour (app)
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Enjoy audio guide access for more than 50 sites across the Azores Islands
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Digital Map
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    Private transport

Know before you book

  • Not recommended for travellers with spinal injuries
  • Not recommended for travellers with poor cardiovascular health
  • Public transport options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Activity itinerary

Portas da Cidade

  • 1h
The Azores' charming capital — enter through the iconic 18th-century Portas da Cidade gates onto the waterfront promenade and explore the cobblestone old town with its black-and-white basalt churches, the ornate Matriz church, the Conceição Palace, lush botanical gardens, and the lively marina lined with seafood restaurants.

Caldeira das Sete Cidades

  • 1h
The Azores' most iconic landscape — a vast volcanic caldera cradling two lakes side by side, one emerald green and one sapphire blue, ringed by lush crater walls. The viewpoint at Vista do Rei offers one of Europe's most breathtaking panoramas, while trails descend to the lakeshores through hydrangea-lined paths.

Furnas Valley (Pass by)

A geothermal wonderland in the heart of São Miguel — bubbling fumaroles, boiling mud pools, and natural iron-rich hot spring pools surrounded by lush botanical gardens. Locals cook cozido das Furnas — a traditional meat-and-vegetable stew — by burying pots in the volcanic earth for six hours at Lagoa das Furnas.

Lagoa do Fogo

  • 1h
The 'Lake of Fire' — a pristine crater lake perched at 575 metres in the centre of São Miguel, surrounded by untouched native vegetation and often partially shrouded in atmospheric mist. The steep trail descending to the white-sand beach at the lake's edge rewards with one of the most remote and beautiful spots in the entire archipelago.

Gorreana Tea Plantation

  • 30m
Europe's only commercial tea plantation — the Gorreana family has been growing and processing green and black tea on the misty hillsides of São Miguel since 1883. Walk through the emerald rows of tea bushes stretching down to the Atlantic, tour the original Victorian-era processing factory, and taste freshly brewed Azorean tea.

Mosteiros

  • 1h
A dramatic coastal village on São Miguel's western tip — famous for its black volcanic beach with towering sea stacks rising from the surf, and natural rock pools carved from lava where locals swim in crystal-clear Atlantic water. The sunset views towards the distant island silhouettes are among the finest in the Azores.

Miradouro da Ponta da Madrugada

  • 30m
The wild, unspoiled northeast corner of São Miguel — dramatic sea cliffs, cascading waterfalls, ancient laurel forests, and the stunning viewpoints of Ponta da Madrugada and Ponta do Sossego. The remote village of Nordeste and its botanical park offer a glimpse of traditional Azorean life far from the tourist trail.

Centro de Interpretação Ambiental da Caldeira Velha (Pass by)

A hidden hot spring waterfall in the heart of São Miguel's laurel forest — warm iron-rich waters cascade down a fern-covered cliff face into a natural swimming pool surrounded by lush tropical vegetation. The site sits on the volcanic slopes between Lagoa do Fogo and Ribeira Grande, with boardwalks through steaming fumaroles and dense forest.

Islet of Vila Franca do Campo (Pass by)

A volcanic crater islet just offshore from Vila Franca do Campo — the collapsed cone forms a near-perfect natural swimming pool of calm turquoise water connected to the Atlantic by a narrow channel. Accessible by boat in summer, this protected nature reserve is one of the most unique swimming spots in Europe.

Plantação Ananases A Arruda

  • 30m
A traditional Azorean pineapple plantation in Ponta Delgada where the fruit has been grown in Victorian-era greenhouses since the 19th century — using a unique smoke-based technique to force flowering. Walk through rows of glass hothouses filled with thousands of pineapple plants at every stage of growth and taste the exceptionally sweet local fruit.

Ponta da Ferraria

  • 30m
A natural ocean hot spring on São Miguel's western coast — where volcanic thermal water mixes with Atlantic waves in a rocky cove, creating a unique geothermal swimming experience in the open sea. The water temperature varies with the tides, warmest at low tide when the volcanic vents dominate. The dramatic clifftop setting with crashing waves completes one of the Azores' most extraordinary natural phenomena.

Location

Activity location

  • LOB_ACTIVITIESLOB_ACTIVITIES
    Portas da Cidade
    • Praca de Goncalo Velho
    • 9500-063, Ponta Delgada, Portugal

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • PEOPLEPEOPLE
    Marina Ponta Delgada
    • 71 Avenida Infante Dom Henrique
    • 9500-764, Ponta Delgada, Portugal

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