Caldeira do Faial Descent - privat vandretur

We did two day trips with Luis and Pedro: the Caldeira descent and the Pico banana tour. They are both incredibly knowledgeable and passionate in their own way about their islands. We had a great time and both private tours were memorable and definite highlights of our stay. Highly recommend!

Fantastic Experience. The whole family was impressed of the views, nature and the hike itself. We were guided by a great guide who helped us very well along the Descent. As bonus we had a total clear view, with no clouds. Just for reference, when the description says "small trail", it's really small at some sections: you can only place one foot after the other (not next to eachother).

We had an amazing morning descending the Faial Caldeira with Luís as our guide. It was a welcome surprise to have such a unique experience, and Luís was incredibly knowledgable in the geology and plant species as we went down so we felt totally immersed and connected to the natural surroundings. We felt that Luís was attentive to our fitness level and gave us plenty of advice for the trail so we felt safe and comfortable. It was a completely unique experience to have in the Azores, thank you Our Island!

That was the second tour with Azores Experiences. My guide was Rui. The tour was conducted very well. I was very satisfied. Rui was very nice and funny. I had a very nice time! Thank you!!!!

We had the best day. The weather wasn’t the best but it didn’t matter at all - being immersed in such rich nature isn’t defined by the weather, if anything, it made it look better!! We had the best time with our guide pedro, we were friends by the end the day and shared so many great stories and passions. Pedro has superb knowledge of the island, nature and plant species - we loved hearing everything he had to say. A magical day!

+10

The hike was fantastic and we were safely escorted by our guide Pedro. Nature was beautiful and Pedro had great knowledge about the nature and the volcano.

A Caldeira is a remarkable natural phenomenon, difficult to capture in photographs and hard to describe adequately, at least for this first time visitor. It’s a window into the pre-ice age Azores and Europe more generally. It’s also one of those experiences that is not available unless you earn it. Our descent and return with Luís was remarkably rewarding. He tailored the experience to our interests, sharing his extensive knowledge of the natural history of the place, and his well-considered insights into the culture and history of Faial and the Azores. He has an appreciation and respect for the specialness of the place and the privilege of visiting it that is contagious. My son and I could not recommend this experience or Our Island tours more highly.

The tour was actually supposed to be a morning on top of the rim of the Caldeira do Faial. Our guide was Fred, as the main crew was hosting a running event that day. Fred was excellent in coming up with a plan B, as the Caldeira was completely enveloped in fog. We Hiked around the furthest volcanic western area by Ponta dos Capelinhos and checked out the museum and small port below. We also headed over to a beautiful Beach I believe was Praia da Faja. It was a very informative tour as Fred's knowledge of flora, fauna, volcanic activity and history kept us captivated by the areas we visited. My wife and I eventually went up to the Caldeira later that day on our own. The clouds and fog were still completely covering any possible view into the volcano. Good call Fred, we knew you had a good plan that morning.

First off, I have never done a hike of this kind. I am pushing 50 but exercise regularly to keep in shape. If you are past your best years, you may want to consider if this is for you as it was definitely a challenge for me. The descent into the caldera was amazing as it was at times grueling. Our guide, Pedro, was fantastic and he was very patient in safely guiding my family of 5 down and up again. I don't think I could have done it without him as he made sure everyone was well paced, stopped at regular intervals for breaks, water and/or snacks, and kept things very orderly and safe. Along the way he described the various flora of the landscape and how the conditions can vary. He demonstrated exactly how to handle some of the more challenging terrain as some parts of the trail require you to carefully traverse down/up and over crevices and stones. When we reached the bottom, we made our way to a beautiful clearing which was dry at this time to have a nice break, catch our breath, and hydrate. We took some great pictures and then made our way up. It was not easy but it was very rewarding to make it back to the top. If you are up for the challenge, I highly recommend it. Be sure to train for it if you have any doubts about your fitness level. The tour company did a great job telling us ahead of time what to bring so we were prepared for the conditions. Thank you again to Pedro who made this a very memorable experience.

The Caldeira Descent hike was one of our favorite hikes on our whole trip. It is a very unique location and it was so special to be one of the few hikers to be able to travel all the way to the bottom. We loved learning about local flora and fauna as well as the history of the volcanoes of the island. Our guide set the pace perfectly and even surprised us with some local tea once we got to the bottom. We would definitely recommend this hike and this company and hope to return to Faial in the future!