Gallery Itinerary Prices Accommodation Activities Location

Overview

Combine two of our favourite islands into one on our Sao Miguel and Santa Maria Island Hopping Holiday.

The two eastern islands of the Azores are a natural pairing. Sao Miguel in the summer is a blast of Azorean culture: magnificent volcanic landscapes, exciting seasonal food and home-grown wines, geothermal swimming pools and daily whale and dolphin watching trips. Santa Maria is different – Santa Maria is where the residents of Sao Miguel themselves go to unwind. It has it’s own beautiful coastal landscapes, it’s own home-grown artisan wines and it’s own twists on Azorean cuisine – but the pace of life is slower and more relaxed.

Being close neighbours, the islands are well-connected – it’s a short, fifteen-minute flight between the two or you can cross by ferry on selected days in the summer (although it’s takes a little longer at just over three hours). We’ve suggested hotel stays on both islands but it’s just as easy to self-cater and there are some wonderful traditional cottages on both islands.

Gallery

Itinerary

Day 1

You’ll begin your holiday with a flight to the Azores. You’ll be transferred by our driver to your accommodation in the south coast village of Caloura.

Day 2

We’ll deliver a car hire to your hotel - you'll head east to the town of Vila Franca do Campo for a three-hour whale and dolphin watching trip. Back home in Caloura for the evening, there's a small harbour which has one of the best fish restaurants on the island.

Day 3

It’s a short drive to Furnas: the most easterly volcano on Sao Miguel. There are over thirty springs and geysers dotted around the village, and the 200-year-old Terra Nostra botanical gardens are home to the town’s most famous geothermal swimming pool.

Day 4

You’ll explore the Agua de Pau mountains, the Gorreana tea plantation and the north coast town of Ribeira Grande.

Day 5

You'll return your hire car to the airport before flying to the island of Santa Maria. You'll be collected by our driver for your transfer to your new accommodation in the main town of Vila do Porto.

Day 6

We’ll leave your first day in Vila free – you might like to walk the coastal trail from Vila do Porto to Santa Maria’s most popular beach at Praia Formosa. The trail begins at the 17th century Sao Bras Fort and passes through the Pedreira do Campo – a protected reserve where quarrying has revealed the Azores’ only fossil deposits.

Day 7

You’ll tour the island with our resident guide, with visits to the vineyards in Sao Lourenco, the Barreiro da Faneca red desert, and the village on Anjos: the first settlement in the Azores.

Day 8

You'll be transferred to the airport for your flight back to Sao Miguel. You'll be collected by our driver once again for your transfer to your new accommodation in Ponta Delgada.

Day 9

You’ll have today free to explore Ponta Delgada; capital of the Azores. It's a great place to shop for local produce and souvenirs, with an excellent selection of friendly restaurants and cafe bars, attractive mosaic pavements and traditional Portugeuse architecture.

Day 10

You’ll spend your final full day with our resident guide, exploring the island’s largest caldera at Sete Cidades, with visits to the famous viewpoint at Vista do Rei, and the twin lakes of Lagoa Verde and Lagoa Azul.

Day 11

You’ll be transferred to the airport for your flight home.

From £2300 per person

We can create a tailor-made holiday to suit your budget.

INCLUDED: international and inter-island flights, accommodation in twin/double en-suite rooms on a B&B basis, airport transfers, a whale and dolphin watching trip, two full-day guided tours and a hire car on Sao Miguel.

Accommodation

Caloura Hotel Resort
Hotel do Colegio Charming Blue

Activities

Whale Watching The Azores are Europe’s leading whale watching destination. The seas around the…

Location

Santa Maria
Sao Miguel

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