A magnificent cycling holiday on the Atlantic island of Sao Miguel. You will cycle through the lushly green landscape, which beautifully covers the dramatic volcanic scenery that shapes the main island of the Azores. You will experience characteristic crater lakes, bubbling geysers and hot springs, all of which underlines that it is a volcanically created group island you are visiting. The natural underfloor heating of the island, plays an important role to the vegetation found on the island.
You will visit the only professional tea plantation in Europe, and experience the charming coastal cities, and the lively city life that blends in between boiling mud and hot springs on the inner island.
Just as Iceland, the Azores islands are situated on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and are the result of volcanic activity through 20 million years. It is only the last 5 million years that the islands have been visible above water, making them some of the youngest islands in the world.
About the route
The daily bike routes are between 20-55 km per day. The terrain is hilly, and there will be a lot of ascents during the week, so although a daily distance may seem short, give yourself plenty of time to get comfortable over the hills. We recommend that you are in general good physical biking shape, and are able to sit on a bike 5-6 hours spread over a full day. The routes have been selected as the most appropriate for both terrain and traffic.
You arrive at the airport in Ponta Delgada where we pick you up. The transfer from the airport to the first hotel is included in the price.
The day begins with getting your bikes, which will be handed out at your hotel. Then you are suggested a shorter cycling tour in the area, which is a great way to get to know the surroundings and the village better. This tour will first lead you through the youngest volcanic area of the island, where winding roads will take you past the small volcanic peaks take you through the island's youngest volcanic area where the winding roads will lead you past the small volcanic peaks that characterize the area here. The route continues along the hillside of the nearby volcano of Sete Cidades. Along the way are plenty of beautiful photo stops with gorgeous views up to the north coast of the island. From here you head back down to Capelas and the hotel.
You will begin the day by cycling a few kilometers to the west, along the beautiful north coast, before turning onto a smaller road leading you up to the rim of the volcano Sete Cidades. The volcano covers an impressive area of about 110 km2, and on the way to the top you will experience some of the most fascinating views inside the volcano, with its lakes, craters and little hills. You will cycle a different route back down to the hotel on the coast.
On this day you will cycle to a hotel on the eastern part of the island. On the way there you will pass through some charming little villages, situated on the north coast. You will also pass Ribeira Grande, the second largest city on the Sao Miguel. As you continue east, you will pass the only professional tea plantation in Europe. It is possible to make a stop here, and visit the tea factory where you can taste a cup of their fine teas. From the tea-plantation you will cycle over the rim of the volcanic area of Furnas, where you will check into your next hotel.
Today you have two routes on your program. A morning tour at about 13 km, will show you the way to the special fumaroles and hot springs in the area. This route leads you along the shores of a crater lake and offers fine views cross the village of Furnas. Find your self a nice café or restaurant where you can enjoy a good lunch, before going on the next stretch.
In the afternoon, you will bike about 20km down some great winding roads into the valley where the village of Ribeira Quente is situated. Here you will find one of the most attractive beaches on the island. The temperature of the water is 16-18 degrees C in winter and up to 23 degrees C in the summertime, so this is an obvious place for a dip any time of year. In Ribeira Quente there are also a few restaurants serving fish freshly caught by local fishermen, and dinner could very well be enjoyed here before cycling back up to the hotel in Furnas.
The program of today is at your own disposal, with the opportunity to enjoy the unique nature of Furnas and maybe visit Furnas Monitoring & Research Centre, where visitors are introduced to the Valley of Furnas and the geology and volcanism of the lakes, and not least the native flora and fauna.
You can also try out the hilly terrain and cycle over the rim of the crater to the east. Here you will enter the extinct volcano Povoacao. The village situated here, was the first place the Portuguese settled upon arrival in the 15th century. Along the way you will be able to enjoy the views of the seven hilltops of Povoacao.
On the last cycling day of the trip, the route will lead you from Furnas along the shores of the crater lake Lagoa das Furnas, with its greenish tint, that beautifully matches the lush surroundings. The route continues south, where it slowly brings you down to the coast and towards the town of Vila Franca do Campo. On this route there are magnificent views of coastal villages and the unique crater island located in the sea, about 500 meters off shore.
The transfer from the hotel to the airport is included in the price.
The price is based upon two people sharing. It is also possible travel alone in a single room. Simply choose "single room" in the booking form and it will automatically add the single room surcharge.
On this tour you will be on your own supplied with maps, route descriptions and luggage transfers. That means that your time is your own and you have plenty of time to enjoy the stages in your own pace.
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The process of your booking
When you book, we will start booking hotels and arranging all the practical details of the trip. This process typically takes 2-5 working days, but some bookings may take longer. If you are arranging your own transport, we recommend that you wait until we have confirmed your booking before arranging this.
Dates
If you can select the date in the tour calendar at the top of this page, this is a possible start date. We continually update the tours with sold-out dates, after which those dates will turn red and cannot be selected.
On this trip, bike rental is included in the price.
The bikes are touring bikes similar to the pictured Giant. They have 21 gears, to help you get comfortably through the terrain. You will also get one cycling bag a repair kit per room.
It is mandatory to wear a bike helmet in Portugal. We recommend that you bring your own.
The flights to/from Ponta Delgada are not included in the price. You can easily find a suitable flight via a flight booking engine such as Momondo or Skyscanner.
Notice: we recommend that you book with us and wait for the confirmation before you book your flights.
It works like this:
Book a quote
If you prefer that we handle your flight, then we would be happy to arrange this for you. You simply book a quote below the map on this page and we will return with a quote as soon as possible (usually within 48 working hours). Please note that we add a handling fee of 45 euro to each flight and this means that the flight will be cheaper if you book it yourself.
Local transportation
Transfer to and from the airport is included in the price.
Luggage transfer is included on this tour. Upon arrival at the first hotel you will be given luggage tags along with the rest of the welcome package. You fill out the luggage tags and put them on your bags where they will remain for the duration of the tour.
Your luggage is picked up from the hotel lobby around 9am every morning and will arrive at your next hotel at 6pm at the latest (often long before that). If there are any special exceptions to the luggage transfer you will be notified upon arrival.
Luggage transfer includes one bag per guest and the bags can weigh 20kg each.
On this tour you will be accommodated in 3-star and 4-star hotels with breakfast included.
In the itinerary you can see some examples of the hotels we use on this tour. Notice that the hotels are examples and you may end up staying in different hotels. It depends on availability when you book the tour.
On this tour breakfast is included every day. It is also possible to buy half board (7x dinner). The dinners consist 3-dish menus and is sometimes served on restaurants close to the hotel. See the bookingform to buy half board.
This tour has difficulty grade 2.
Grade 2
For cyclists who like hilly terrain and a bit longer distances. You cycle on good roads, which usually don’t have much traffic. The distance is between 35 – 60 km or 20 – 38 miles. If you are capable of riding a bike and you have a normal good health, you should not worry about going on these tours.
Read more about our Grading System
You will recieve the following documentation
Upon booking
You recieve practical information about the tour in a digital format
One month before arrival
You recieve your hotel list and your voucher (hotel list is often supplied upon booking)
Upon arrival
You recieve the welcome package which contains the printed version of the road book, luggage tags, local specific vouchers and if you have rented bikes then they will also be delivered and fitted at the first hotel.
It can be hard to plan your trip according to the weather, but to here is the average statistics of the climate at Ponta Delgada, as shown on www.yr.no:
We are members of the Travel Guarantee Fund (nr. 2529) and have all available insurances. This covers you regardless of your nationality. Read more about that here.
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