Arrival at Ponta Delgada airport and transfer to your hotel. Today you have a free day to explore Ponta Delgada and its beautiful surroundings.

Once settled in we will meet you to provide your route notes and detailed schedule for your time in the Azores.

Tonight will be spent in Ponta Delgada. The hotel you are staying in is the most charming in town and is located right in the centre where you can find plenty of small restaurants and cafes serving local cuisine.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 1,200 or 1,600 Metres Approx

On this first day you will be discovering the west side of the island. You will go from Ponta Delgada to the crater of Sete Cidades, one of the biggest craters of the Azores and one of the seven natural wonders of the country. Leaving the city you soon cross the small village of Relva and have nice views over the coast. After that you start the climb to the top of the mountain. At the top of the mountain you will have amazing views over the craters and lakes.

Once reaching Sete Cidades village at the bottom of the crater you might want to enjoy your lunch break on the shore of the beautiful Blue Lake. After enjoying the area you will leave the craters through the west side heading to the coast. There you will have a couple of bathing opportunities, especially in Ferraria, where you can bathe in a magnificent swimming pool by the sea heated by a volcanic crack beneath it.

Taking the main road of the island, always parallel to the sea, you’ll head back to Ponta Delgada where you’ll stay once more.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 850 or 925 Metres Approx.

Going straight north from Ponta Delgada you’ll soon be in the centre of the island and surrounded by lush green fields and friendly cows munching away. This is the most important milk production area of the region and it’s easy to see why. Still in the countryside you begin your cycle down to the north coast of the island. Here you keep close to the coast, passing by view points, old harbours, natural swimming pools and small traditional villages.

Crossing back to the south you soon go through some rural areas. Before arriving back into the centre of Ponta Delgada you have the opportunity to visit a traditional pineapple production plant. Did you know that the pineapples grown in these Azorean greenhouses take around 2 years before they end up in our local supermarkets!

Accommodation tonight is in Ponta Delgada.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 1,165 Metres Approx.

Optional Fire Lake Ride

Today you can visit Lagoa do Fogo’s natural reserve to enjoy nature at its very best. Lagoa do Fogo is the highest point you are able to reach in the island by bike, and getting there is via one of the steepest climbs too. But it’s well worth it, since you will have some amazing views once at the top. Make sure you have your cameras ready!

Your day on the bike starts by crossing the island from Ponta Delgada to the area of Ribeira Grande. Halfway up your climb you’ll pass an area called Caldeira Velha, a botanical garden boasting rich and dense vegetation. Here you’ll find an iron rich waterfall where you can go for a dip and soothe yourself in its warm waters.

Still going up you’ll have superb views of the crater and the lake below. After reaching the high point you’ll then descend the mountain towards the south coast and head back to Ponta Delgada.

Optional Tours – Whale Watching / Jeep Safari

Morning – Whale Watching Option: (3 hours approx /55 euros per person approx)

Following breakfast, you will be picked up at the hotel at 08.30 for your short journey to Marina Pêro de Teive. During your time at sea (around 2.5–3hrs) you will have the opportunity to watch some of more than twenty species of whales, dolphins, and other marine species that can be found in the Azores.

Before the boat trip there will be a briefing to explain which species are likely to be observed as well as information about conservation, whaling history and of course safety procedures on board the boat.

The waters around the Azores have several resident dolphins such as the Short-beaked Common Dolphin, the Common Bottlenose Dolphin and Risso’s dolphin as well as summer guests like the Atlantic Spotted Dolphin and the Striped Dolphin. Although the Sperm Whale is the whale seen most frequently, you might also see migrating Baleen whales, among them the Blue Whale, especially during early spring to late summer, as well as more rare encounters with Pilot Whales and even Killer Whales.

Afternoon – Jeep Safari Option: (3.5 hours approx / 40 euros per person approx )

Collection at 14:00 for a wonderful jeep tour combining highland and flatland and the nature of the Azores at its best. The tour includes time at the fascinating landscapes of Lagoa do Fogo (Fire Lake) located in the centre of the island and one of the island’s main attractions. This huge blue lake is around 2km long and 1km wide and fills the ground of an extinct crater, whose caldera was formed during an eruption in 1563. You will also spend time at Caldeira Velha, a warm waterfall where you are able to bathe in its steaming waters. During the trip you’ll also stop in Ribeira Grande city and visit the local liquor factory.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 1,000 or 1,300 Metres Approx.

Today you leave Ponta Delgada and ride to Furnas and your next accommodation. Initially heading east you ride close to the ocean and as you would expect, there are lots of opportunities to take a dip. Along the way you’ll pass by beaches, natural swimming pools and even small traditional fishing harbours. As you progress further along the coast there are great viewpoints and after passing the village of Vila Franca do Campo equally stunning views of the interior of the island.

On the way down to the valley of Furnas your route takes you lakeside from where you’ll witness some of the amazing volcanic activity of the area.

During your stay in Furnas you will have the opportunity to experience the volcanic origins of the island, swim in a thermal pool, taste different types of water and enjoy the astonishing landscape of this magical place. You may also wish to taste the famous ‘Cozido das Furna‘. This traditional Azorean meal is cooked slowly for around 6 hours after being buried in soil / sand where it is heated naturally.

Today your luggage will be transferred to your hotel in Furnas.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 1,850 Metres Approx.

This will be your longest cycling day of the week as you’ll be riding through the oldest and highest parts of the island. First stop is the village of Povoação, where the settlement of the island started in 1432. From here you ride upwards and enjoy beautiful views of both the coast and the amazing dense forest areas that cover this part of the Azores mountains and hillsides.

The route then passes into the village of Nordeste which is renowned for its flowers. After visiting Nordeste you soon arrive at an old road which takes you through a series of small villages where you can watch the locals going about their daily rituals. On the way back you will also pass by a waterfall and an old watermill area.

Finally you cross the mountains to begin your ride back to Furnas taking in even more amazing views and sights along the way.

Tonight is spent in Furnas once more and there’s no better way to end the day, than with another dip in the hotel’s thermal pool.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 765 Metres Approx.

Today it’s time to say goodbye to Furnas, leave the steaming waters of the town behind and take a steep climb straight to the top of the rim of the crater. Your reward is not only the amazing views, but the superb descent all the way down to the northern coast.

Once here you’ll need to follow the coast and head to the city of Ribeira Grande. On the way the views are stunning and you’ll pass some great viewpoints as you pick your way through the small villages of the region.

Today you also have the opportunity to visit the Gorreana Tea Factory and taste the local tea. This tea plantation is world-renowned for its organic tea with its antioxidant properties and is a great place to recover for a while!

Once in Ribeira Grande you can visit the small town or you may prefer to head to the beach for a little sun and surf. Suitably refreshed and replenished it’s time to head back to Ponta Delgada. Time to reacquaint yourself with your original hotel and head out once more for some delicious food to round off what will have been a great day and week on the bike.

• Meals: Breakfast

Sadly your time in the Azores is drawing to a close and it’s time to bid a fond farewell to the island as we transfer you back to Ponta Delgada Airport and your onward flight connections.