Ponta Delgada Courtyard
Hotel
Days 1, 2, 4, 5
Sao Miguel: Craters & Whales - 6 Days (Ponta Delgada, Sete Cidades, Furnas, Lagoa do Fogo & Nordeste)
Six days of crater lakes, thermal pools and whales. Six days with a private vehicle, guided walks and a whale boat with a marine biologist aboard rather than a spotter.
Cypress & Stone
Runs this trip
Trekking
Six days of crater lakes, thermal pools and whales
Group Tour
Join a fixed-date departure with other travellers
Top Highlights
Ponta DelgadaThe Azores are fifteen hundred kilometres from Lisbon, which is why they feel like nowhere else in Portugal. Sete CidadesThe two lakes sit in one caldera and are different colours because of depth and algae. Furnas caldeirasCozido das Furnas is buried in the ground beside the fumaroles at dawn and dug out at midday, cooked entirely by geothermal heat.
Itinerary
The Azores are fifteen hundred kilometres from Lisbon, which is why they feel like nowhere else in Portugal.
Ponta DelgadaHow the day runs
- 0 hrsTransfer into town
- MealsDinner
- AccommodationPonta Delgada Courtyard
Included Activities
- Airport transfer
- Guesthouse night
LANDMARKS Ponta Delgada Portas da Cidade Pineapple plantations Start point Ponta Delgada, Joao Paulo II Airport (PDL), Sao Miguel 00:00 - 23:59The two lakes sit in one caldera and are different colours because of depth and algae. The rim is in cloud about half the time.
Ponta Delgada, Sete CidadesHow the day runs
- 1 hrs8:00 AM — west to the caldera
- 5 hrs9:00 AM — the crater rim circuit
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationPonta Delgada Courtyard
Included Activities
- Guided rim walk
- Guesthouse night
LANDMARKS Sete Cidades Lagoa Azul Lagoa Verde Vista do Rei Cozido das Furnas is buried in the ground beside the fumaroles at dawn and dug out at midday, cooked entirely by geothermal heat.
Ponta Delgada, FurnasHow the day runs
- 1 hrs9:00 AM — east to the geothermal valley
- 12:30 PM — cozido lifted out of the ground, then the thermal pools
- MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- AccommodationFurnas Residency
Included Activities
- Cozido lunch
- Terra Nostra thermal pool entry
- Guesthouse night at Furnas
LANDMARKS Furnas caldeiras Terra Nostra garden Cozido das Furnas Lagoa do Fogo is a protected reserve with no development at all on its shore — you walk down or you look at it from the rim.
Furnas, Lagoa do Fogo, NordesteHow the day runs
- 4 hrs8:30 AM — the walk down to the lake and back
- 2 hrs2:30 PM — round to the north-east coast
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationPonta Delgada Courtyard
Included Activities
- Guided walk
- Guesthouse night at Nordeste
LANDMARKS Lagoa do Fogo Nordeste Ponta da Madrugada The Azores have resident sperm whales year-round, plus blue and fin whales passing in spring. The islet is a flooded crater you can swim inside.
Ponta Delgada, Vila FrancaHow the day runs
- 4 hrs9:00 AM — out for whales, then the islet
- 2:00 PM — the flooded crater, if the boat quota allows
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationPonta Delgada Courtyard
Included Activities
- Whale-watching boat with a marine biologist
- Islet landing if permitted
- Guesthouse night
LANDMARKS Sperm whales Vila Franca islet Atlantic Gorreana has grown tea on Sao Miguel since 1883 and is the only commercial tea estate in Europe.
Ponta DelgadaHow the day runs
- 0 hrsAirport transfer
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationNot included — onward travel
Included Activities
- Airport drop
Optional Activities
- Gorreana, the only tea plantation in Europe, still working since 1883
LANDMARKS Ponta Delgada market Gorreana tea plantation
- Day 1Airport transfer
- Day 1Guesthouse night
- Day 2Guided rim walk
- Day 3Cozido lunch
- Day 3Terra Nostra thermal pool entry
- Day 3Guesthouse night at Furnas
- Day 4Guided walk
- Day 4Guesthouse night at Nordeste
- Day 5Whale-watching boat with a marine biologist
- Day 5Islet landing if permitted
- Day 6Airport drop
- Day 6Gorreana, the only tea plantation in Europe, still working since 1883Costs extra
- Day 1 · 2 nightsPonta Delgada Courtyard
- Day 3 · 1 nightFurnas Residency
- Day 4 · 2 nightsPonta Delgada Courtyard
- Day 1Ponta Delgada to Ponta DelgadaTransfer into town
- Day 2Ponta Delgada to Sete Cidades8:00 AM — west to the caldera
- Day 3Ponta Delgada to Furnas9:00 AM — east to the geothermal valley
- Day 4Lagoa do Fogo to Nordeste2:30 PM — round to the north-east coast
- Day 6Ponta Delgada to Ponta DelgadaAirport transfer
Where you'll stay
All accommodations are subject to change
Furnas Residency
Hotel
Day 3
What you'll eat
5 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 3 dinners across 6 days, at camp. It opens with dinner on day 1 and closes with breakfast on day 6.
- DinnerServed on days 1, 3, 4
- BreakfastServed on days 2–6
- LunchServed on day 3
9 meal services named in the itinerary. Vegetarian and vegan covered; Jain, gluten-free and allergies on notice at booking
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Customer reviews
Overall rating
4.6/5
Based on 20 reviews
Review summary
Food4.2/5
Guide4.3/5
Itinerary4.3/5
Transport4.2/5
Accommodation4.4/5
Tour operator4.6/5
Sort by:Recommended
4
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Dev Chatterjee – Jaipur2026-02-11 · Verified booking
Second trek with this operator and they've kept the standard up. Would send friends their way.
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4
S
Sneha Kulkarni – Nagpur2026-02-11 · Verified booking
Sao Miguel in the right season is something else, and the team knew exactly where to camp. No hesitation recommending them.
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5
I
Ishita Ghosh – Hyderabad2026-02-11 · Verified booking
Well organised from the pickup onwards. The daily distances were honest about what they'd be. No complaints about any of the hotels — all of them well placed. Guides answered every question, including the daft ones. No hesitation recommending them.
Reply from Cypress & Stone
Thank you. We've taken the point about the transfer and are reviewing it.
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4
R
Rohit Verma – Mumbai2026-02-11 · Verified booking
Did this over 6 days and it was the best walking I've done in years. Would book with them again.
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4
R
Rohit Verma – Jaipur2025-12-01 · Verified booking
Second trek with this operator and they've kept the standard up. Good value for what's included.
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5
M
Marc Dubois – Zurich2025-12-01 · Verified booking
The route is beautiful and the pacing was sensible — nobody was rushed on the climb. Accommodation was a notch better than the price suggested. Solid operator.
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4
A
Arjun Pillai – Kochi2025-12-01 · Verified booking
Well organised from the pickup onwards. The daily distances were honest about what they'd be. Would send friends their way.
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4
A
Aditi Rao – Chandigarh2025-12-01 · Verified booking
Second trek with this operator and they've kept the standard up. No hesitation recommending them.
Reply from Cypress & Stone
Appreciate the honest feedback; we're looking at the pacing on that section.
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Questions people ask
One other operator runs this trail. See all 2 side by side →