Included: 8-day self-guided hiking tour on São Miguel, Azores (6 days of hiking) Accommodation for 7 nights at hotels with private facilities in Ponta Delgada and Furnas (double occupancy standard rooms) 7 breakfasts All transfers to and from the trailheads mentioned in the itinerary Private taxi transfer from Ponta Delgada airport to your hotel on arrival, and back to the airport on departure day Digital roadbook with detailed maps, vouchers, and contacts 24/7 emergency assistance Add-ons (pricing shown at checkout): Single occupancy room (mandatory for solo travelers and groups of 3 or 5) Whale watching from Ponta Delgada (Day 3, 3 hours) — a biologist briefing followed by a boat trip on a zodiac or catamaran Food tour in Ponta Delgada (Day 3) — a guided walk with 6 tastings and 2 traditional drinks Not included: Transportation to Portugal (international flights) All lunches and dinners Drinks Entrance fees to the Terra Nostra Garden thermal baths in Furnas City taxes, payable per person per night at the hotels Personal purchases Tips to drivers and restaurants Anything not mentioned in the ‘Included’ section above Insurance — recommended, available at checkout

How fit do I need to be?

In order to join this self-guided hiking tours in São Miguel, good fitness is required as well as previous hiking experience on uneven mountain and coastal trails . The most you’ll hike within a day is up to 16 km (10 mi) , with up to 540 m (1,772 ft) of elevation gain . No technical skills are needed, but you should be comfortable walking for up to five hours on several days in a row, often on volcanic terrain that can be muddy or slippery after rain. Your luggage stays at the hotel, so you only carry a light day pack, and shorter days such as the 4.2 km (2.6 mi) walk at Faial da Terra give your legs a break. Days start with a transfer to the trailhead, so you set your own pace once you’re out there.

What do I need to bring?

Gear: Day pack (25-40L) Water bottle or hydration bladder (2L) Hiking boots or sturdy hiking shoes with good grip, trails can be muddy and slippery Hiking poles (optional) Headlamp Phone or GPS device for following the digital roadbook, plus a power bank Clothing & footwear: Waterproof rain jacket, showers are common on the island Layers: base layer, fleece or light insulated jacket Hiking trousers or shorts Sunhat and sunglasses Swimwear and a towel for the warm thermal waters in Furnas Comfortable shoes and casual clothes for evenings in Ponta Delgada and Furnas Other: Toiletries, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, and bug spray Small first-aid kit and any personal medication Snacks and lunch for the trail, as lunches are not included Camera (optional but recommended) Cash for city taxes, entrance fees, meals, and tips Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.

What is a self-guided tour?

Self-guided tours are perfect for those who enjoy exploring on their own terms—at their own pace, and with the company they choose. By joining this self-guided hiking tour on São Miguel, we take care of: Accommodation for 7 nights 7 breakfasts All transfers to and from the trailheads mentioned in the itinerary Private taxi transfer from Ponta Delgada airport to your hotel on arrival, and back to the airport on departure day Digital roadbook with detailed maps, vouchers, and contacts 24/7 emergency assistance Rather than joining a guided group, you’ll navigate the tour yourself, using resources provided by the tour operator. For a hassle-free journey with everything arranged for you in advance, there’s no better option! As a self-guided tour is built around your preferred travel dates, your guide will take care of arranging accommodations and details after you book. Note that exact accommodations and dates might shift slightly, so don’t make any travel arrangements until the details of your adventure are confirmed.

Is a single occupancy room available?

The price for this self-guided hiking tours in São Miguel is based on twin-share rooms, but a single occupancy room can be arranged at an additional fee . You can add it to your booking at checkout. Solo travelers are welcome to join , but securing a single occupancy room for themselves is required—you’ll be able to add it to your booking at checkout. Also, if your group has an odd number of people (e.g., 3 or 5 people), adding the single occupancy option is mandatory as well.

Group sizes and age requirements

Group sizes and pricing: This is a self-guided tour, so you hike with your own party rather than joining a group of strangers. The maximum group size is set at 6 participants. Self-guided hiking tours in São Miguel can be arranged for larger groups — contact us to make arrangements. Min. age requirements: If you are older than 18 , you’re good to go. Minors younger than 18 may be permitted to join the hiking tour on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian. If your group has participants under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

Getting there and meeting location

The starting point of your self-guided hiking tours in São Miguel is Ponta Delgada , the capital of the Azores on the island of São Miguel. To get there, most people fly into João Paulo II Airport, Ponta Delgada (PDL) . From there, you can take a shuttle service, public transport, or rent a car to reach Ponta Delgada. Airport transfers are included: a private taxi takes you from the airport to your hotel in Ponta Delgada on arrival, and on the final day a private taxi picks you up roughly 2 hours and 30 minutes before your flight for the ride back to the airport.

Safety measures and insurance

We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with insurance. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, you’ll be offered to simply insure your trip with Redpoint at checkout. Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner—tailors protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations! Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.

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São Miguel | Azores, Portugal

São Miguel Self-Guided Hiking Tour: 8 Days in the Azores

Name: Self-Guided Hiking Tour in São Miguel, Azores
Brand: 57hours
Availability: InStock

8 days | Moderate

From $1,263 ()

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São Miguel is the big green one in the middle of the Atlantic, an island built from three volcanic craters and stitched together by hydrangea-lined pastures, fishing villages, and ground that still steams. Over eight days of self-guided hiking, you walk the rim of Sete Cidades above its twin blue and green lakes, climb to the wild Lagoa do Fogo, and follow old aqueducts, tea rows, and waterfalls down to the coast. Evenings end in Furnas, where the earth hisses, the stew cooks underground, and the hot springs are just right for tired legs. Hotels, transfers, and GPS tracks are all arranged, so all you have to do is walk.

Adventure Highlights

Three crater lakes: Hike the rims of Sete Cidades, Lagoa do Fogo, and Furnas, the three volcanic craters that shape the island
Furnas and its hot water: Walk among fumaroles and sulfur springs, then soak in the warm waters of the famous Terra Nostra Garden
Self-guided, fully sorted: Hike through one of Europe’s only tea plantations and follow the north coast to a wild beach beneath waterfalls

Duration

8 days

Season

April through October

Group size

Up to 6 people

The adventure, day by day

Download itineraries

You start and finish in Ponta Delgada, with three nights in the capital and four in Furnas, so you unpack twice and nothing more. Taxis drop you at each trailhead and collect you afterwards, leaving the walking to you: the Sete Cidades crater rim, the Rota de Agua aqueducts and Janela do Inferno, the climb to Lagoa do Fogo, the Furnas valley, the Gorreana tea plantation and the coast down to Praia da Viola, and the waterfalls above Faial da Terra. Day 3 has room for an optional food walk or whale watching. Breakfasts are included; lunches and dinners are yours to choose.

Day 1: Welcome to São Miguel

Land on São Miguel, the largest island in the archipelago and home to Ponta Delgada, the capital of the Azores. A private taxi takes you from the airport to your hotel in the city. Baroque facades, narrow streets, churches built partly of black lava stone, and a big, busy marina set the tone for the week ahead. Depending on when you arrive, there’s time to wander the old centre and get your bearings before the hiking starts. Three crater lakes are waiting for you over the coming days.

Accommodation: Hotel in Ponta Delgada

Day 2: The Sete Cidades crater

A transfer brings you to the Sete Cidades region, and the walk begins at Lagoa do Canário with a grandstand view over the Azul and Santiago lakes. From there you follow the rim of the crater, circling the water as viewpoint after viewpoint opens up over the blue and green lakes. The path then drops down to the village of Sete Cidades, tucked at the bottom of the caldera. Take your time here and go look at the seven-arched bridge, named for the seven cities of Atlantis said to lie beneath these lakes. A transfer returns you to Ponta Delgada.

Meals: Breakfast
Distance: 16 km (10 mi), about 5 hours
Elevation: +260 m (+853 ft) / -755 m (-2,477 ft)
Accommodation: Hotel in Ponta Delgada

Day 3: Ponta Delgada options and the Rota de Agua

Today’s walk is the Rota de Agua, the “water road”. The trail leads you to Janela do Inferno, a vertical wall fed by springs where erosion has carved out a cavity in the rock. It’s a good spot to stop, look around, and catch your breath. Further on you cross a run of grand old aqueducts that once supplied the alcohol factory of Lagoa, then a transfer takes you back to Ponta Delgada. Two optional morning activities can be added: a guided gourmet and cultural walk through the capital’s cobbled streets, with six tastings and two traditional drinks, or a three-hour whale watching boat trip from Ponta Delgada harbour with a biologist briefing beforehand. Either way, the hike moves to the afternoon.

Meals: Breakfast
Distance: 8.5 km (5.3 mi), about 2.5 hours
Elevation: +260 m (+853 ft) / -260 m (-853 ft)
Accommodation: Hotel in Ponta Delgada

Day 4: Lagoa do Fogo

A transfer drops you at the trailhead for the wildest lake on the island, the famous Lagoa do Fogo. You follow a levada and cross a geothermally active area as the path climbs to the crests, where the vantage points over the surrounding landscape keep coming. The way back takes a wide mountain pass down to the coast, and from there you transfer to Furnas for the next three nights.

Meals: Breakfast
Distance: 11 km (6.8 mi)
Duration: 3 hours
Elevation: +540 m (+1,772 ft) / -540 m (-1,772 ft)
Accommodation: Hotel in Furnas

Day 5: Discovering the Furnas valley

Today you walk straight into the crater of Furnas. Lush vegetation, fumaroles, and sulfur springs line the way, and down by the lake you can see the famous cozido cooking in the ground, the stew that gives this valley its culinary reputation. Back in Furnas village, you can soak in the warm waters of the Terra Nostra Garden if you fancy it (entrance fees are not included).

Meals: Breakfast
Distance: 14 km (8.7 mi)
Duration: 4 hours
Elevation: +410 m (+1,345 ft) / -410 m (-1,345 ft)
Accommodation: Hotel in Furnas

Day 6: Gorreana tea plantation and Praia da Viola

The taxi drops you at the Gorreana tea plantation, one of only two in Europe, where tea is still grown, picked, and made the old way. Then it’s on to the walk: the trail threads between the neatly pruned green shrubs, and the higher sections open up big views of the north coast. A country lane leads into the village of Maia, where the coastal stretch begins, past the basins the village women once used to wash clothes and on to a cluster of old water mills from the island’s wheat-farming days. You finish at the wild beach of Praia da Viola, below the waterfalls, before transferring back to Furnas.

Meals: Breakfast
Distance: 8.6 km (5.3 mi)
Duration: 3.5 hours
Elevation: +260 m (+853 ft) / -450 m (-1,476 ft)
Accommodation: Hotel in Furnas

Day 7: Waterfalls of Faial da Terra

A transfer takes you this morning to Faial da Terra, down at the southeastern tip of the island, a village that lived off whaling and farming for generations. From there the trail follows the river into the forest, where the vegetation turns thick and green and many of the plants grow nowhere else. Old mills and waterfalls break up the walk, and the path eventually brings you to tiny Sanguinho and its stone houses before looping back to Faial da Terra. It’s the shortest walk of the week, so there’s plenty of time left to enjoy Furnas at your own pace in the afternoon.

Meals: Breakfast
Distance: 4.2 km (2.6 mi), about 1 hour 30 minutes
Elevation: +265 m (+869 ft) / -265 m (-869 ft)
Accommodation: Hotel in Furnas

Day 8: Departure

Enjoy a last breakfast before a private taxi collects you roughly 2 hours 30 minutes before your flight and drives you to Ponta Delgada airport, so your departure stays smooth and stress-free.

Meals: Breakfast

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Lodging

Comfortable hotels

You spend the first three nights in Ponta Delgada, within easy reach of the marina, the cobbled streets, and the lava-stone churches of the Azorean capital. For the last four nights you move to Furnas, the steamy volcanic valley where fumaroles bubble away at the edge of the village and the thermal baths are a short stroll from your door.

Both hotels put you in double occupancy standard rooms with private facilities, so you can kick off your boots, shower, and stretch out after a day on the trails. Breakfast is included every morning, which means you can fuel up before the taxi arrives to drop you at the trailhead.

Note that exact accommodations may vary depending on availability, but will always be of the same standard and comfort.

Adventure, packed to go

São Miguel Self-Guided Hiking Tour: 8 Days in the Azores

Adventure Brochure

Adventure brochure

Download to share and explore full itineraries, key info, FAQs, and guide details.

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Things to know

Included:
- - 8-day self-guided hiking tour on São Miguel, Azores (6 days of hiking)
  - Accommodation for 7 nights at hotels with private facilities in Ponta Delgada and Furnas (double occupancy standard rooms)
  - 7 breakfasts
  - All transfers to and from the trailheads mentioned in the itinerary
  - Private taxi transfer from Ponta Delgada airport to your hotel on arrival, and back to the airport on departure day
  - Digital roadbook with detailed maps, vouchers, and contacts
  - 24/7 emergency assistance
Add-ons (pricing shown at checkout):
- - Single occupancy room (mandatory for solo travelers and groups of 3 or 5)
  - Whale watching from Ponta Delgada (Day 3, 3 hours) — a biologist briefing followed by a boat trip on a zodiac or catamaran
  - Food tour in Ponta Delgada (Day 3) — a guided walk with 6 tastings and 2 traditional drinks
Not included:
- - Transportation to Portugal (international flights)
  - All lunches and dinners
  - Drinks
  - Entrance fees to the Terra Nostra Garden thermal baths in Furnas
  - City taxes, payable per person per night at the hotels
  - Personal purchases
  - Tips to drivers and restaurants
  - Anything not mentioned in the ‘Included’ section above
  - Insurance — recommended, available at checkout
In order to join this self-guided hiking tours in São Miguel, good fitness is required as well as previous hiking experience on uneven mountain and coastal trails. The most you’ll hike within a day is up to 16 km (10 mi), with up to 540 m (1,772 ft) of elevation gain.

No technical skills are needed, but you should be comfortable walking for up to five hours on several days in a row, often on volcanic terrain that can be muddy or slippery after rain. Your luggage stays at the hotel, so you only carry a light day pack, and shorter days such as the 4.2 km (2.6 mi) walk at Faial da Terra give your legs a break. Days start with a transfer to the trailhead, so you set your own pace once you’re out there.
Gear:
- - Day pack (25-40L)
  - Water bottle or hydration bladder (2L)
  - Hiking boots or sturdy hiking shoes with good grip, trails can be muddy and slippery
  - Hiking poles (optional)
  - Headlamp
  - Phone or GPS device for following the digital roadbook, plus a power bank
Clothing & footwear:
- - Waterproof rain jacket, showers are common on the island
  - Layers: base layer, fleece or light insulated jacket
  - Hiking trousers or shorts
  - Sunhat and sunglasses
  - Swimwear and a towel for the warm thermal waters in Furnas
  - Comfortable shoes and casual clothes for evenings in Ponta Delgada and Furnas
Other:
- - Toiletries, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, and bug spray
  - Small first-aid kit and any personal medication
  - Snacks and lunch for the trail, as lunches are not included
  - Camera (optional but recommended)
  - Cash for city taxes, entrance fees, meals, and tips
Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.

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Self-guided tours are perfect for those who enjoy exploring on their own terms—at their own pace, and with the company they choose. By joining this self-guided hiking tour on São Miguel, we take care of:
- - Accommodation for 7 nights
  - 7 breakfasts
  - All transfers to and from the trailheads mentioned in the itinerary
  - Private taxi transfer from Ponta Delgada airport to your hotel on arrival, and back to the airport on departure day
  - Digital roadbook with detailed maps, vouchers, and contacts
  - 24/7 emergency assistance
Rather than joining a guided group, you’ll navigate the tour yourself, using resources provided by the tour operator. For a hassle-free journey with everything arranged for you in advance, there’s no better option!

As a self-guided tour is built around your preferred travel dates, your guide will take care of arranging accommodations and details after you book. Note that exact accommodations and dates might shift slightly, so don’t make any travel arrangements until the details of your adventure are confirmed.
The price for this self-guided hiking tours in São Miguel is based on twin-share rooms, but a single occupancy room can be arranged at an additional fee. You can add it to your booking at checkout.

Solo travelers are welcome to join, but securing a single occupancy room for themselves is required—you’ll be able to add it to your booking at checkout. Also, if your group has an odd number of people (e.g., 3 or 5 people), adding the single occupancy option is mandatory as well.
Group sizes and pricing:
- - This is a self-guided tour, so you hike with your own party rather than joining a group of strangers. The maximum group size is set at 6 participants.
  - Self-guided hiking tours in São Miguel can be arranged for larger groups — contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements:
- - If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
  - Minors younger than 18 may be permitted to join the hiking tour on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian.
  - If your group has participants under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
The starting point of your self-guided hiking tours in São Miguel is Ponta Delgada, the capital of the Azores on the island of São Miguel. To get there, most people fly into João Paulo II Airport, Ponta Delgada (PDL). From there, you can take a shuttle service, public transport, or rent a car to reach Ponta Delgada.

Airport transfers are included: a private taxi takes you from the airport to your hotel in Ponta Delgada on arrival, and on the final day a private taxi picks you up roughly 2 hours and 30 minutes before your flight for the ride back to the airport.
We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with insurance. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, you’ll be offered to simply insure your trip with Redpoint at checkout.

Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner—tailors protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations! Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.
Secure your spot with a 30% deposit upon booking! The remaining 70% of the trip price must be paid 90 days prior to departure at the latest. If booking within 90 days of departure, the full amount is required at the time of booking.
- If canceled within 48 hours of booking, a full refund will be issued.
- If canceled 60 or more days before departure, a 70% refund of the total trip price will be issued.
- If canceled within 59 days of departure, no refund will be issued.
- Booking fees are non-refundable after a 48 hours grace period.

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