São Miguel East Highlights: Furnas, Nordeste & Lunch
Description
Discover the highlights of eastern São Miguel on a small-group tour through volcanic landscapes, waterfalls, lush mountains, and dramatic coastal viewpoints. Explore Furnas, the island's famous geothermal region, where volcanic activity, thermal waters, and local traditions have shaped one of the Azores' most unique destinations. Enjoy a traditional Furnas lunch included in the tour, visit breathtaking viewpoints overlooking the crater lake and surrounding landscapes, and discover the natural beauty of the Nordeste region. Travel in the comfort of a modern 100% electric van and enjoy the personal attention of a local guide in a group limited to just 8 guests. Unlike larger bus tours, you'll enjoy a more relaxed pace, more time at each stop, and a quieter, more comfortable journey through some of São Miguel's most spectacular scenery.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Start the tour at Nossa Senhora da Paz, a hilltop chapel overlooking Vila Franca do Campo. Enjoy panoramic views over the town, the Atlantic Ocean, and the iconic Ilhéu de Vila Franca do Campo, a volcanic islet just offshore.
Explore the geothermal fields of Furnas, where volcanic activity is visible through steaming fumaroles, bubbling mud pools, and hot springs. Taste naturally carbonated mineral waters and experience the island’s volcanic energy up close.
Alternatively to Furnas geothermal fields, visit Terra Nostra Park to bathe in its famous iron-rich thermal pool. Guests choosing this option will have time to relax in the hot springs and enjoy the surroundings (entrance fee not included).
Enjoy sweeping views over the Furnas Volcano caldera from Pico do Ferro, one of the best panoramic viewpoints in the area, overlooking the lake, village, and surrounding volcanic landscape.
Visit Salto do Cavalo, a dramatic mountain viewpoint offering impressive views over the eastern part of São Miguel and, on clear days, both the north and south coasts.
Explore Ribeira dos Caldeirões Natural Park, known for its waterfalls, lush vegetation, and well-maintained walking paths set within a peaceful natural environment.
Travel through the Nordeste region and stop at an old whale lookout. From here, enjoy views over the rugged coastline, green pastures, and small villages that characterize this part of the island.
Finish the tour at Miradouro de Santa Iria, one of São Miguel’s most scenic coastal viewpoints, offering stunning views over the island’s north coast and the Atlantic Ocean.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick-up is available from main hotels and designated meeting points in Ponta Delgada. If you are staying outside Ponta Delgada, a transfer to our office can be arranged for an additional cost. Please be ready at the front entrance by 9:00 am. Pick-ups may take up to 20 minutes to be completed.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(1,287)
It was fantastic! Daniel (Danny) our tour guide was awesome, very knowledgeable and great sense of humor. Went over and above to make sure we had a good time, and saw all the sites comfortably. Spoke very good english and portuguese (of course 😂) I would highly recommend this tour, worth every penny!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear you had such a fantastic day with Daniel. His knowledge, sense of humour, and dedication to making every guest feel comfortable are qualities we're very proud of. Thank you for your recommendation, and we hope to welcome you back to São Miguel for another adventure in the future!
First of all, we had great communication with Julia from Pure Azores prior to the tour. The EV van is comfortable and pick up from our hotel was prompt. Besides being a competent driver, our tour guide Clara is also very friendly, knowledgeable and attentive to the group. We had plenty of time to enjoy all the sights. One of the best tour we had in our 40+ years of travel and we highly recommend it.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear that everything, from your communication with the BackOffice before the tour to your day with Clara, met your expectations. It means a lot to us that you consider this one of the best tours from your many years of travel. Thank you for your recommendation, we hope to welcome you back to São Miguel again in the future!
The tour was so great! The locations had the best view points. It was so beautiful. There were so many blue hydrangeas. Our guide João was very great! He did the best instagram pictures of me. I can only recommend the tour :)
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed the stunning viewpoints and the beautiful blue hydrangeas along the way. It’s great to know João helped make the day even more memorable, and captured some great photos for you too! Thank you for your recommendation, and we hope to welcome you back to the Azores again soon!
It's a nice day, a little cloudy, and it's believed to be the norm here. Without overexposure, each photo is more three-dimensional. The different green fields on the island are like oil paintings, at least I personally love them. Volcanic Lake is like a painting that never tires of looking for long. I saw it for the first time, but guide Menual still feels the same way after all these years. The hot spring town is also quite attractive, people live on a hot ground, the steam is dense, the air l don't smell much of taurine, maybe the reason villagers have stayed for generations. Try the local geothermal stew, not to be missed. The extra trip to the hot springs will be another wonderful experience, that yellow mineral spring, and in the park watch its flowing stream. A day with the ascent of Notre Dame Cathedral and the northeast corner of the cliffside scenery, accompanied by romantic purple mountain flowers, was a very thankful day for me. Recommended. Sao Miguel water, drink more, refreshing. Love!
Thank you so much for your beautiful review! We’re delighted to hear that you had such a memorable day exploring São Miguel with Manuel. It’s wonderful that you enjoyed the lush green landscapes, the breathtaking crater lakes, the geothermal village, the traditional cozido, and the relaxing hot springs. We’re especially happy that the island’s natural beauty and peaceful atmosphere left such a lasting impression on you. Thank you for your kind recommendation, we hope to welcome you back to the Azores again one day!
Great trip with Joao. Recommend the east and west tours.
Thank you for your kind review! We’re delighted to hear you had a great trip with João and that you enjoyed both our East and West tours. Thank you for your recommendation, we hope to welcome you back to the Azores again soon!
Joao was very knowledgeable and interesting. Visited some great places. Brilliant way to see the island
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed exploring the island with João and appreciated his knowledge and insights. It’s great to know you visited some amazing places and had such a positive experience. Thank you for your kind words!
We really enjoyed this tour and a brilliant way to see all the main sights of interest on the east of the island. This part of the island is interesting as you get to see the geothermal park and the stunning coastline, not to mention beautiful waterfalls and landscape. Our guide Marcio was so knowledgeable and he made the day fun and enjoyable. The vehicle was new and very comfortable and we liked that the group was small with only 8 of us. Well worth it and we would definitely recommend.
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed exploring the east side of São Miguel and that you appreciated the geothermal area, waterfalls, coastline, and beautiful landscapes. It’s fantastic to know Márcio’s knowledge and enthusiasm made the day even more enjoyable. Thank you for your recommendation, we truly appreciate it!
I had a great day with Daniel! It’s great that this company offer a pick up! The day was well organised and Daniel was friendly and gave us a lot of information about the culture etc. It was also great that lunch was included and so much of it! One thing that I would suggest is to order less food! We were a group of 6 and we didn’t even get through half of the food! I hate to see food go to waste! So order less and if required you can order a bit more! Let’s save the planet! But other than that I had an amazing day!
Thank you for your wonderful review and for your thoughtful feedback! We’re delighted to hear you had such a great day with Daniel and enjoyed the organization, the included pick-up, and learning more about the local culture. We also appreciate your suggestion regarding the lunch. We completely understand your concern about food waste and will certainly take your feedback into consideration as we work with our restaurant partners. Thank you for helping us improve, and we’re so happy you had an amazing day overall!
Just had an amazing adventure with Joao and pure azores. The trip was in a small van, we went to numerous locations which were all gorgeous! Joao was super knowledgeable and was great with my children. We loved the hot springs (a super highlight) and the lunch was delicious. A five star trip my kids said it was a super experience.
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear you and your family had such an amazing day with João. It’s fantastic that you enjoyed the beautiful locations, the hot springs, and the traditional lunch, and that João helped make the experience so enjoyable for your children. We’re especially happy to hear they called it a “super experience”!
Catia provided an incredible day of exploring the eastern side of Sao Miguel. She made this experience even more special because of her personal touch. We loved visiting the furnas and sharing the traditional Portuguese meal of Cozida. This was a great day - thank you, Catia!
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear you had such a special day exploring the east side of São Miguel with Katia. It’s great that you enjoyed visiting Furnas and sharing the traditional cozido. We’ll be sure to pass your kind words on to Katia. Thank you for choosing Pure Azores!
