Following your arrival into Ponta Delgada airport you will be transferred to your charming hotel in Ponta Delgada town centre. Depending on flight times, the day is yours to spend at leisure exploring the town and come the evening you’ll be able to sample your first meal at one of the small restaurants in the city.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch

This morning your guide will meet you at your hotel to chat through your upcoming holiday and to provide your hire bikes. We will transfer by vehicle to Sete Cidades, from where we’ll start today’s ride, taking us to the western side of São Miguel. During today’s ride we will have the chance to learn about the legendary love story behind the formation of the lakes of Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde.

Along the way, we’ll pass several view points where you’ll have superb views over the coast, before descending to the bottom of the crater; once at the bottom, it’s time to explore the tranquil (and flat) lakeside routes! We will most likely have lunch on the shores of the Blue Lake of Sete Cidades. After lunch we‘re back on the bikes and we’ll visit the church of Igreja São Nicolau. From here, we’ll transfer by vehicle to a beautiful view point, previously used for spotting whales and dolphins!

Another transfer will take us to Ferraria where the family can switch cycling shorts for swimming costumes and take a swim in a seaside pool – often heated by a volcanic crack, it’s a great place to relax! The heat of the water is dictated by tide times, so we’ll do our best to make sure we arrive at the perfect time. Once we‘re dried off, we’ll load the bikes onto the vehicle and whisk you back to Ponta Delgada.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch

This morning we will be picked up from our hotel for a whale-watching excursion. During our time at sea, we’ll 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. The Sperm Whale is the whale most frequently seen, but we might also get the chance to see migrating whales such as the Blue Whale, Pilot Whales and even Orcas!

In the afternoon, it’s time for our Van Tour(approx. 3.5 hours). Having been picked up from whale watching, we will have lunch in Ribeira Grande. Then the van tour begins, combining highland and flatland where we will witness Azorean nature at its best. This trip includes time at the fascinating landscapes of Lagoa do Fogo (Fire Lake). This huge blue lake is around 2km long and 1km wide and fills the ground of an extinct crater. Surrounded by high mountains and luxuriant endemic vegetation, this mystical lake is now a nature reserve. We will also spend time at Caldeira Velha, a warm waterfall where we can swim in the steaming waters.

Please note that should conditions not be suitable for whale watching then we may alter timings, or even switch days around, so as to give us the best opportunity to undertake the whale watching.

Please note, whale watching and van tour are only available for children aged 2 and over.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Faial de Terra is a small village belonging to Povoação, in the South East of São Miguel Island. Our walk today starts along a steep, narrow road that leads us to Sanguinho, a village that was abandoned in the early 70s and is now being restored. The rest of the trail is in the woods, with some short ups and downs, between very dense vegetation (giant ferns!). This really is a walk where we’ll be surrounded by nature!

Reaching Salto de Prego waterfall, we can have a refreshing dip before, or after, our picnic lunch. When we’ve finished our hike, we’ll head back in the support vehicle and head back to the hotel where you can relax and explore the local surroundings.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Today’s ride begins in the centre of Furnas. We’ll soon reach Caldeiras da Lagoa. This is where natural hot springs are used as ovens. It’s a local tradition to boil (only with steam) a meat and vegetable stew, known as Cozido, in huge pots which are placed underground for up to seven hours. We’ll continue onto Furnas Lake; watch out for the majestic views as we circle the lake. On the way back to the hotel, we’ll retrace our steps a little so that we arrive back into Caldeiras da Lagoa in time to see the Cozido being removed from the ground. We’ll head back to the hotel, in time for lunch, to have our first taste of Cozido.

This afternoon we have the opportunity to explore the superb botanical gardens of the hotel and then take a relaxing swim in an iron-rich, heated swimming pool. Our accommodation tonight will once again be in Furnas and there’s no better way to end your day than with a short wander to the pool for a final dip before bed.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch

This morning we will pick you up from Furnas and we’ll drive to visit the Tea Plantations. Following a stop here, we head on to one of the most beautiful viewpoints in the Azores, Miradouro de Santa Iria. From this lofty vantage point you’ll have great views across the Atlantic Ocean, as well as to the nearby beach and thermal baths of Santa Iria, precariously situated on the cliffs below. These ‘viewpoints’ were where whales used to be spotted when whale hunting was still allowed in the Azores. Don’t worry, whale hunting has been illegal since 1986, with the emphasis in the Azores very much focused on conservation nowadays.

We will then get onto our bikes for the first time today, pedalling towards Praia de Santa Bárbara beach. The afternoon is yours to have fun on the beach with your family, then when everyone’s ready, we’ll be there to transfer the group to our hotel in Ponta Delgada.

• Meals: Breakfast

Today is yours to to do with as you please, whether that be relaxing completely, or filling it to the brim with all sorts of leisure activities. You could consider riding your bikes in the Pinhal da Paz area or in the surroundings of Ponta Delgada, or you could visit an ethnographic museum which will have you feeling like you’ve travelled back in time!

(If you’d like to cycle today, please do let your guide know as bikes may be picked up the night before if not requested!)

• Meals: Breakfast

Sadly your time in the Azores is at an end, although depending on flight times you’ll hopefully have time to spend some final hours exploring! We’ll transfer you to Ponta Delgada airport in time for your return flights.