São Miguel West Highlights: Sete Cidades, Lagoa do Fogo & Lunch
Description
Discover the best of western São Miguel on a small-group tour that combines volcanic landscapes, crater lakes, dramatic coastlines, and breathtaking viewpoints. Visit the island's most iconic attractions, including Sete Cidades and Lagoa do Fogo, while also exploring lesser-known viewpoints and scenic coastal areas that many visitors miss. Enjoy a traditional Azorean lunch included in the tour, travel in the comfort of a modern 100% electric van, and benefit from the personal attention of a local guide in a group limited to just 8 guests. With a relaxed pace, stunning scenery, and a carefully designed itinerary, this tour offers one of the most complete ways to experience the highlights of western São Miguel in a single day. Unlike larger bus tours, you'll enjoy more time at each stop, a quieter and more comfortable journey, and the flexibility that comes with a genuinely small-group experience.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Stop at Pico do Carvão, a volcanic viewpoint offering wide panoramic views over São Miguel’s central area. From here, it’s possible to see both the north and south coasts of the island, as well as surrounding volcanic formations.
Visit Lagoa do Canário, a small and peaceful crater lake surrounded by dense vegetation. This lesser-known lake is a great example of São Miguel’s volcanic origin and natural beauty.
Walk to the Boca do Inferno viewpoint, one of the most impressive panoramic viewpoints in the Azores. From here, enjoy sweeping views over the Sete Cidades crater and its famous twin lakes.
Stop at Vista do Rei viewpoint, known for its iconic view over the blue and green lakes of Sete Cidades. This is one of the most photographed locations on the island.
Enjoy different perspectives over Sete Cidades volcano caldera, one of the most stunning locations in the Azores and Portugal.
Stop at Miradouro do Escalvado to admire dramatic coastal cliffs and open views over the Atlantic Ocean, showcasing the rugged beauty of São Miguel’s west coast.
Visit Mosteiros, known for its impressive lava rock pools and volcanic formations. Enjoy a short walk along the coastline while taking in views of the Atlantic Ocean.
Stop at Miradouro das Pedras Negras, a lesser-known viewpoint offering beautiful ocean views and insight into the island’s volcanic coastline.
Visit the center of Ribeira Grande, the second main town of the island and one of the most picturesque and beautiful towns in the Azores!
Disvoer this little-known but gorgeous coastal view, the most beautiful cliffs of São Miguel Island
End the tour at Lagoa do Fogo, one of São Miguel’s most iconic crater lakes, located in the island’s central highlands. Surrounded by protected natural landscape, it is considered one of the island’s highlights.
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 from your accommodation 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 complete, depending on the number of guests and locations.
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
- This tour includes a moderate walk of approximately 20 minutes each way to reach the Boca do Inferno viewpoint. It may not be suitable for guests with limited mobility.
Reviews(1,765)
Our guide João was knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive! My family and I had a great time. It was a wonderful introduction to São Miguel. Would do this west side tour again on a clear weather day!
Our guide Joao made our trip wonderfully informative! He was attentive and friendly - we had a great first time exploring the island!
Thank you so much for your kind review! We're delighted to hear João made your first experience exploring São Miguel so informative and enjoyable. It's wonderful to know his attentiveness and friendly approach helped make your day special. We'll be sure to share your kind words with him!
From beginning to end, we saw the most incredible views of the west side of the island! Hard to describe the beauty. Frago was an amazing tour guide. A must-do!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear you enjoyed the incredible views of São Miguel's west side and that Fraga made the day even more special. It's wonderful to know you found the experience worthy of a must-do. We'll be sure to share your kind words with Fraga!
Amazing day. Guide Manuel very communicative and knew his stuff. Took good care of us and really seemed to love his island.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear you had such an amazing day with Manuel and appreciated his knowledge, care, and genuine love for São Miguel. It's always special to have a guide who is so passionate about sharing the island with our guests. We'll be sure to share your kind words with Manuel!
Great tour of west side and sete cidades, great lunch, authentic food. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly.
Thank you so much for your kind review! We're delighted to hear you enjoyed exploring the west side and Sete Cidades, as well as the authentic local lunch. It's wonderful to know your guide made the day even more enjoyable with their knowledge and friendly approach. We hope to welcome you back to the Azores again soon!
Had a wonderful day with Elton. The van is comfortable and has AC, Elton uses a microphone so everyone can hear what he has to say regardless of where you sit. The buffet lunch was a highlight, we thought it was a wonderful experience to have some local food. Had some spectacular view point stops, as well as a couple short hikes. The only thing I would have changed was wearing different shoes, I had ON cloud tennis shoes on but they did not offer traction during the hikes.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear you enjoyed the comfortable van, local buffet lunch, viewpoints, and short hikes with Elton. Your note about footwear is also very helpful, we always recommend comfortable shoes with good grip for the trails.
We had an excellent tour today with João visiting so many beautiful sights around the west side of Sao Miguel. He was very knowledgeable and we really enjoyed the day!
Thank you so much for your kind review! We're delighted to hear you had an excellent day exploring the west side of São Miguel with João. It's wonderful to know you enjoyed the beautiful sights and his knowledge throughout the tour. We'll be sure to share your kind words with him!
Even if the weather was not on our side, our tour guide Joao helped us have a good time. Very nice view points and mostly beat the rush at every spot. The food was very good as well.
Thank you so much for your kind review! We're delighted to hear João helped make the most of the day despite the weather. It's great to know you enjoyed the viewpoints, avoided the crowds, and had a good lunch along the way. We'll be sure to share your kind words with João!
We took the west island highlights trip amazing sights! Beautiful island the small tracks where refreshing and the lunch at set cidades was really great
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear you enjoyed exploring the west side of São Miguel, from the stunning viewpoints to the refreshing walks and the lunch in Sete Cidades. We hope to welcome you back to the Azores again soon!
We were super lucky on our tour to have incredibly clear views of the west coast of the island and Sao Miguel is incredibly beautiful. I could stand there all day admiring the view! What I appreciated about the tour is that they take you around a couple of different viewpoints of Sete Cidades so that you're not always fighting the crowds for the best photos. Lunch was good too. Highly recommend this tour. Also, shoutout to Manuel our guide. He was a wealth of knowledge, super helpful, and helped me rebook my other tours I had booked with Pure Azores due to the weather not looking great the rest of the week. Above and beyond!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear you were lucky with the weather and enjoyed the stunning views of Sete Cidades. It's also great to know Manuel's knowledge and willingness to help made such a positive difference to your trip. We'll be sure to share your kind words with him. We hope to welcome you back to the Azores again soon!
