São Miguel East tour: Furnas, Nordeste & thermal lunch

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/11

Duration8h

GroupUp to 56

LanguagesEN · PT

PickupAt your hotel

Volcanic mud pools and geothermal fields you can taste and touch.

A small-group tour of eastern São Miguel visiting Furnas, Nordeste and Ribeira dos Caldeirões Natural Park with a local guide, hotel pickup and a traditional cozido lunch included. The group stays under eight travelers and moves in a modern electric van, which means more time at each stop and a quieter ride than larger bus tours. You can choose to bathe in Terra Nostra Park's thermal pool instead of exploring the geothermal fields (entrance fee separate).

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore eastern São Miguel highlights

Start at Nossa Senhora da Paz chapel
Explore Furnas geothermal fields
Optionally bathe in Terra Nostra Park pool
View Furnas Volcano caldera from Pico do Ferro
Visit Salto do Cavalo mountain viewpoint
Explore Ribeira dos Caldeirões Natural Park
Stop at old whale lookout in Nordeste
Finish at Miradouro de Santa Iria viewpoint

The Experience

The tour starts at Nossa Senhora da Paz, a hilltop chapel overlooking Vila Franca do Campo and the Atlantic, then moves into Furnas—the island's geothermal heart. Here you walk through steaming fumaroles and bubbling mud pools, taste naturally carbonated mineral waters straight from the ground, and stand in the visible heat of active volcanic energy. From Pico do Ferro, a panoramic viewpoint above the Furnas caldera, you look down over the crater lake and the village nested in the volcanic landscape below.

Lunch is a traditional cozido stew cooked using geothermal heat, served with a drink of your choice and dessert. The meal happens in Furnas itself, so the geothermal region is not just something you pass through—it shapes what you eat. After lunch, the tour moves north through Ribeira dos Caldeirões Natural Park, where walking paths wind through waterfalls and lush vegetation, then continues to the Nordeste region. An old whale lookout offers views over the rugged coastline and green pastures, and the tour finishes at Miradouro de Santa Iria, one of São Miguel's most scenic coastal viewpoints facing the island's north coast.

The eight-person limit and electric van mean the pace stays relaxed and the ride stays quiet—no engine noise, no crowded seats. Your guide is local and speaks English or Portuguese, and hotel pickup and drop-off from centrally located Ponta Delgada hotels or Lagoa Town are included. The whole day runs eight hours.

What’s included

Hotel pickup and drop-off from Ponta Delgada or Lagoa Town.
a local guide speaking English or Portuguese.
eight hours in a modern electric van with a maximum of eight guests.
a traditional cozido lunch with a drink and dessert.
stops at Nossa Senhora da Paz chapel, the geothermal fields of Furnas, Pico do Ferro viewpoint, Salto do Cavalo, Ribeira dos Caldeirões Natural Park, a whale lookout in Nordeste, and Miradouro de Santa Iria coastal viewpoint.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Pure Azores

Is this one for you?A small group of up to eight suits this tour if you want to move at a relaxed pace and spend real time at each stop without the noise and crowds of a larger bus. The eight-hour day and electric van make it work for families with young children, and the traditional lunch cooked in geothermal heat is something you cannot arrange on your own.