AZORES AND MADEIRA

Flight to the island of San Miguel. We rent a car and head to the town of Ponta Delgada. Check-in at the villa, relaxation.

If desired, you can take a walk around the capital of the Azores (depending on the arrival time).

Let's start our acquaintance with the western part of the island.

The first location is the abandoned Monte Palace hotel. This was the first 5* hotel built here. A ghost hotel. It was closed due to lack of demand.

Next, we will get to know one of the seven natural wonders of Portugal – the Sete Cidades lake, which consists of two separate lakes connected by a small channel. They are interesting because the water in them is of different colors. It is the photographs of these lakes that are most often published in articles about the Azores.

After lunch, we will head to one of the most beautiful beaches of the Azorean island – Mosteiros Beach. This beach is completely covered with black volcanic sand, like in Iceland.

We will end our day by getting acquainted with the Hot Ocean (Ponta da Ferraria). In this place, thermal springs flow directly into the ocean. Nature has built a pool of solidified lava. Swimming in the crater of a volcano, where cold waves mix with the hot ocean – these are incredible sensations!

We will start our day by visiting the only pineapple plantation in Europe.

After that, we will visit one of the most beautiful places on the island of São Miguel – Lagoa do Fogo or the Fire Lake. We will have time to walk around and enjoy the charming landscapes. After the Fire Lake, we will head to the thermal pools near the Caldeira Velha waterfall. The ground here is hot, with boiling water gushing up from the depths to the surface. The air is filled with the smell of sulfur, and in the clouds of steam, it is hard to see each other at arm's length. If you walk a little higher along the path, you will feel the incredible aroma of the forest and see the waterfall. By the way, you can swim in it at any time of the year.

The highlight of the day will be a visit to the Gorreana tea plantation. This family business was founded in the late 19th century and is the only tea plantation in the European Union. We will stroll through the emerald fields where tea is grown, observe the entire production process, and if desired, we will be able to purchase some.

From early morning, we will look at the chapel of Nossa Senhora das Vitórias. After that, we will continue our acquaintance with the island on the outskirts of Furnas Lake, where bubbling and sulfurous water with steam bursts from the depths of the earth. It is in this park that the delicacy "Cozido das Furnas" is prepared. Its main feature is that the meat with vegetables is stewed right in the boiling earth, next to the thermal springs.

After lunch, we will have time to relax and recharge in the thermal pool of Parque Terra Nostra. Due to the high iron content, the water in it is golden in color. Bathing in this water is very beneficial for health.

After breakfast, we are in for an exciting dolphin and whale safari! In these waters, you can see up to 24 species of cetaceans: bottlenose dolphins and common dolphins, sperm whales and blue whales!

After lunch, we will head to the national park "Green Island" or Ribeira dos Caldeirões – a picturesque park with a waterfall, surrounded by water mills, azaleas, and hydrangea flowers. By the way, hydrangea is the symbol of the Azores. The park is home to about 20 endemic plant species.

After visiting the park, we will head to the eastern part of São Miguel Island, the town of Nordeste. This is the oldest, highest, and "most colorful" place on the island. We can look forward to viewpoints with incredible landscapes and picturesque panoramas.

In the evening, we will embark on a small trek to the Salto Do Prego waterfall. The route is very scenic: the footpath goes through low hills, through the forest and several villages. Along the way, you will encounter small waterfalls.
*The presence of whales depends on the season.

Morning flight to the island of Madeira. After the move, we will go to the beach to catch the warm rays of the sun.

Today we will return to the villa early, have a barbecue, and relax on the terrace.

We will start our tour of Madeira with a visit to the vibrant Lavradores market. Here, you can taste the capital of Madeira and feel its amazing aroma. At the market, you can buy exotic fruits that are found only on this island: bananas and various types of "passion fruit." This place wonderfully embodies Funchal itself – the capital of the island of Madeira, with its variety of colors and wealth of natural gifts.

We’ve eaten, now we can drink!
What kind of vacation on the island of Madeira would it be without a wine tasting! We are heading to one of the most famous fortified wine factories in Madeira – Blandy’s Wine Lodge.

At the top of Monte mountain, above the city of Funchal, stands a white three-story building surrounded by an exotic park. This is the tropical garden, palace, and museum of Monte. The harmonious beauty of this charming corner of Madeira has been created by several generations of its owners. The Monte tropical garden rightfully belongs to one of the most beautiful man-made places on the island. This place is on the top list of "what to see in Madeira."

Today we have an active start to the day – we will embark on a small trek along the Levadas. Levadas are irrigation channels along which walking paths are laid. This is one of the main attractions of the island of Madeira. At the end of the route, a beautiful waterfall awaits us.

After lunch, we will visit the town of Santana, which has a theme park with traditional Madeiran houses. The houses are very unusual and colorful, as if from the pages of fairy tales. Each of them is built of stone, has a triangular shape, a thatched roof, and the houses themselves are painted in bright colors.

“Yo, ho-ho and a bottle of rum…” – after lunch, we will head to the factory that produces the “pirate” drink. Here you can observe the process of squeezing sugar cane in a giant meat grinder, followed by its processing into rum. In the factory shop, you will be able to purchase a bottle, and in the evening at the villa, taste it in good company.

We will meet the sunset on the eastern part of the island – at Cape Ponta de São Lourenço. This is an extraordinarily beautiful place, famous for its lunar landscapes. The space, fresh wind, and the sound of waves, cliffs up to 180 m high, and rounded boulders. The landscape here is completely different from the rest of the island and utterly unpredictable: volcanic soils create interesting landscapes, both in color and shape. This is the harshest part of the island, where you won’t find tall trees, palms, or flowers – it is the realm of grass, cacti, and low shrubs.

Are you not tired of the wonderful landscapes yet?

Today we are heading to another picturesque place on the island. The village of Kural dash Freirash is also known as "The Valley of Nuns" – located among the rocks along the river in the presumed crater of a volcano.

The next stop is a viewpoint with a glass floor, located at the highest cape in Europe. It offers a stunning view of the endless ocean, small plots of land being cultivated at the foot of the cliff, as well as a panoramic view of the village of Camara de Lobos and the capital of the island of Madeira – Funchal. Boca de Encumeada is the point from where, in good weather, you can see both coastlines of the island: the north and the south.

After lunch, we will relax at the Natural Swimming Pools. When the streams of molten magma that surfaced were cooled by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, pools filled with water formed near the shore. Because the lava pools are connected to the ocean, the water in them is regularly refreshed and remains very clean.

We will watch our last sunset in Madeira at the westernmost point of the island – the cape Farol da Ponta do Pargo. The road to it goes through a tunnel. You dive into it by car, and you emerge right by the lighthouse with a view of the ocean.

Our trip to Madeira is coming to an end. We are buying souvenirs, having breakfast, and heading to the airport. Flight to Lisbon. We say goodbye to new friends and head home.