Join our tour to Furnas, a place that you can not miss during your stay in São Miguel.
After the pickup and our briefing, we travel along the south coast to the east and we stop at the viewpoint of Pisão. From here you can see Caloura, the southest area of the island with a few cultural subjects to talk about. Later on, we continue our trip and pass by Vila franca do Campo which used to be the main capital of the island before it suffered some natural disasters from the Fogo volcano. It is interesting also to pass along here so you can see its islet from close.
We continue our drive to the east but we make a detour heading to Castelo Branco, a small and old castle looking building in a farming area. From this place at a height of over 700m you will be able to see the whole Furnas caldera, the place we are exploring during the rest of the day. Then we head directly to Furnas lake stopping next to it. Next to the lake there is a fumarolic field, very interesting to visit it since it is one of the best places to observe the secondary volcanic activity on the Azores. Not only that, but it is also the site where the locals steam cook the famous Furnas stew. So here we spend some time to see the locals withdrawing their pots from the soil.
After this stage, we go straight to the center of Furnas settlement to enjoy our lunch (included), so you will be able to taste the stew.
After the lunch, the group will visit Terra Nostra park, considered the most beautiful bothanical garden from the island. Another highlight from this park is definately its water tanks filled by hot springs water, so you will be able to enjoy them and to explore it.
Later on, we take you to visit another fumaroles area, inside the settlement where there is this synergy between the locals and the volcanic activity. From here you can taste the several individual natural water springs, some with gas and others like ironish water.
When we leave Furnas, we head to the north and stop at the viewpoint of Pico de Ferro to see another amazing perspective of the lake and the surrounding areas that we visited.
Jump in!
Reminder:
- Make sure you bring your swimsuit and a dark towell (preferably) if you intend to enjoy the hot springs bath;
- During the winter it is advised to bring a raincoat.