Private Tour - Grand Circle of the Island
Description
This is definitely the best way to see as much as possible of São Miguel in a day. The way to go on your short stay, or if you want a throughout introduction to the island before exploring it on your own. Bathing on hot springs or stopping for lunch is possible although expenses are not included. Please note these activities take about 1h30 of the itinerary, you might have to take shorter time or skip other locations.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This is the most famous view over the lakes, with the old abandoned hotel on the background.
See the amazing views over all of Sete Cidades lakes: Canário Lake, Santiago Lake, Blue and Green Lake.
Get the best view up the volcano mountain from impressive Lagoa do Fogo
Visit the Tea Plantation slopes and vintage Factory. Take the time to have a coffee break, taste our local unique tea and explore the factory shop.
Best view overlooking the Furnas Valley
Drive through the scenic views of the lake margins.
Explore the village or spend your time at Terra Nostra Park and hot springs (ticket not included, you can purchase at the entrance of the park).
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We pick up at any location on Ponta Delgada (including Cruise Ships and Airport), Lagoa, Ribeira Grande, Capelas areas. Other locations are subject to request, you might need to meet us at a meeting point, or pay an extra fee. Pick-up time: 9:30 AM (if you need a different pick up time please advise) Please note we drive a 5 seat vehicles SUV type, we can take up to 4 participants per vehicle if it suits your group.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(32)
Good with kids. It was like a tour with a family member around the island. It was a little bit of everything. Open tour to do what you want
A wonderful day in Ponta Delgada touring with Carlos. We were in Sao Miguel in May 2025 touring the west side of the island, and had such a wonderful time we re-booked with Carlos for May 2026 to tour the East side of the Island. Carlos was on-time, professional, a great tour guide who kept us engaged the entire time, was a great representative for his home island. We were clean and comfortable. Carlos went well above and beyond for our tour including towns we didn't originally plan on touring. He managed the time very effectively delivering us back to our cruise ship ontime. Overall, a green, beautiful island. Touring with Carlos was amazing! Thank You. Best Rick B
great overview of the island highly recommend for first time visitors . It is a beautiful place and this is a great way to see ut
Really enjoyed our great shore excursion on Sao Miguel with our guide and driver, Rita. She's very knowledgeable, a skilled driver, and exceptionally articulate in English. Her love for her island was apparent throughout the day, and she made us feel welcome as though we were family. Our ship's schedule didn't allow us time to visit all the stops on the itinerary, but Rita was flexible in getting us to the ones we really wanted to visit.
My partner and I had an amazing private tour with Carlos, and we couldn’t have asked for a better guide. He has such a deep knowledge of history and shared it in a way that was both engaging and fun — we learned so much without ever feeling overwhelmed. Carlos was also incredibly patient and made us feel completely safe the entire time. On top of that, he turned out to be a fantastic photographer, capturing some of our favorite memories from the trip. He was funny, kind, and truly went above and beyond — the best tour guide we’ve ever had!
Wonderful day touring the island with the extremely articulate and knowledgeable Carlos. Perfect way to see many beautiful locations while being able to relax as he drove expertly on the roads. I’d highly recommend him to anyone visiting the island.
Fantastic tour. We saw all of the major attractions in one day. Carlos was absolutely fantastic. His knowledge is second to none, and his general knowledge about the Azores is brilliant. I would certainly recommend.
Carlos was great, it was like he had an encyclopedia in his head regarding the attractions on Sao Miguel and the history of Portugal. He had a great personality, perfect English and made sure we saw everything we wanted to see without rushing us through anything. We would 100% recommend this tour.
We did a full circle tour of the island with Carlos, and it was absolutely amazing! He picked us up promptly from the airport we were impressed by his deep knowledge and passion for the island. Carlos knows the history, the hidden gems, and the best spots for breathtaking views.He was incredibly engaging throughout the tour not just with the adults, but with the kids too! They loved him, and he kept them involved and entertained the whole time. If you're short on time and want to make the most of your visit, Carlos is the person. We HIGHLY recommend him! Don’t look any further—you won’t regret it!
Carlos is an extremely knowledgeable guide, a gentleman and a provider of world class customer service. We thoroughly enjoyed his tour and highly recommend him for a tour of the entire island. Well spoken and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
