ARCHEOLOGY TOUR (Full Day Private Tour)
Recommended by 96% of travelers
Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal
- 6 to 9 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Traditional history relates that the Azores remained undiscovered until the Portuguese arrived in 1427, but Terceira is home to several much older structures. Discover them on this unique tour with a private guide who knows the walking routes—and even discovered one site. Learn about the different theories as you visit a megalithic complex and a Roman columbarium (where urns were stored), and follow an ancient trail carved by oxcarts.
- Unlock the Azores’ pre-colonial history on an archaeology tour of Terceira
- Hike through nature to mysterious ancient sites that few have heard of
- Local expert guide literally discovered one of the sites you’ll visit
- Stress-free private 2-way transfers from your Angra do Heroísmo address
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Professional photographer guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Private tour
- Transport by air-conditioned minivan
- Food and drinks
- All Fees and Taxes
- Algar do Carvão and gruta do Natal
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Pick up at : -Hotels: name -Local accommodation, you have to let us know by google link of the place. -Airport : you have to let us know the figth number and time you arrive. - Email
Operating hours.9:00 am
Itinerary
1
Azores Expeditions
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Angra do Heroismo (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Infant seats available
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Small hikes
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 54 reviews
Anita_S, Apr 2026
My Engkish-speaking guide Juca was knowledgeable and well informed, and he incorporated his many years of experience exploring Terceira into a fascinating full day tour of the island. The archaeologcal sites are not well marked, and a guide is needed to enter privately owned areas. I highly recommend this tour.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you so much for your words. We really appreciate your opinion! It was and always will be a great pleasure to have you with us, my friends! Hope to see you soon! Huge hug. Marisa & Juca
Wesley_N, Mar 2026
This time was really well spent! A truly amazing archeological tour! We were able to visit sites which are probably 3000+ years old!
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you so much for your words. We really appreciate your opinion! It was and always will be a great pleasure to have you with us, my friends! Hope to see you soon! Huge hug. Marisa & Juca
Tim_B, Sep 2025
Absolutely a 10/10 experience especially if you are interested in the mysteries of our ancestors. Juca is very humble and knowledgeable and a fun person to be around.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you so much for your words. We really appreciate your opinion! It was and always will be a great pleasure to have you with us, my friends! Hope to see you soon! Huge hug. Marisa & Juca
Genevieve_S, Jul 2025
Interesting tour and access to archeological artefacts in-situ, accessing sites we wouldn’t be able to access without the knowledge and expertise of our guide. My 15 and 7 year olds were able to keep up as well with the pace. Great way to explore Terceira and learn about it’s history.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you so much for your words. We really appreciate your opinion! It was and always will be a great pleasure to have you with us, my friends! Hope to see you soon! Huge hug. Marisa & Juca
Nicole_N, Jul 2025
Dear Juca, thank you so much for this stunning archaeological Tour. The Tour was one of the main reason coming to the Azores and it was so much better than my expectations has been.The places we have visited were amazing and I Hope I will come Back in a few years to See the Other great places on the island.
The previous opinion that the Portuguese were the first settlers on the Azores has been refuted in several studies. I hope that research will progress and that there will be more publications in English than before.
There are some similarities with sites and artifacts in the Mediterranean and in Northern and Central Europe.
It would certainly be an enrichment if an international interdisciplinary team were to engage in research into the finds and also were allowed to do so.
Dear Marisa, thank you for your quick replys 😃. Hugs Form Vienna, Nicole
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you so much for your words. We really appreciate your opinion! It was and always will be a great pleasure to have you with us, my friends! Hope to see you soon! Huge hug. Marisa & Juca
Kimberly_j, Jan 2025
I attended this tour with my 10, 7, and 1 year old children. The tour was so engaging for my older kids that they're talking about what they learned to everyone who asks about their vacation. It was definitely the highlight of their trip. Juca did a great job of being patient and accommodating for the toddler and he personalized his itinerary to her needs. I would absolutely recommend this tour for adults with and without kids.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Thank you so much for your words. We really appreciate your opinion! It was and always will be a great pleasure to have you with us, my friends! Hope to see you soon! Huge hug. Marisa & Juca
Athanasios_K, Aug 2024
Juca is a wonderful storyteller. This tour was as if you were watching a Netflix documentary about stone age history, but were able to ask questions to the director in real-time.
Juca is an archaeologist and geologist who works with the University. He takes you to places where there is clear evidence that there were a people who lived on the island of Terceira before the Portuguese had found it. He will show you things like stone shelters, caves, places for ritual ceremonies, water gathering devices. It is truly incredible.
I'll note that he acknowledges when something isn't certain. He'll never tell you what to believe, but he gives evidence and lets you come to your own conclusion.
The lunch meal was also one of the best meals my wife and I had on the island. Take this tour!!
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Thank you so much for your words. We really appreciate your opinion! It was and always will be a great pleasure to have you with us, my friends! Hope to see you soon! Huge hug. Marisa & Juca
Tom_B, Apr 2024
Guca was great really friendly
on time
very knowledgeable
felt like a local by the time I was done
showed us everything we wanted to see and more
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you so much for your words. We really appreciate your opinion! It was and always will be a great pleasure to have you with us, my friends! Hope to see you soon! Huge hug. Marisa & Juca
Jennifer_P, Oct 2023
My husband and I spent a full day exploring beautiful Terceira Island with Juca, who is an exceptional tour guide. He showed us fascinating archeological sites around the island and took us to other unique sites of interest, including the sulfuric vents (Furnas do Enxofre) and Algar do Carvao. Juca timed our day perfectly and took us to the more touristy spots later in the day when they were less crowded, which made for a more enjoyable experience. Juca is also a talented photographer and generously took pictures of us. He also made recommendations of places we should visit on other islands in the Azores. I highly recommend you book a tour with Juca!
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Thank you so much for your words. We really appreciate your opinion! It was and always will be a great pleasure to have you with us, my friends! Hope to see you soon! Huge hug. Marisa & Juca
Jacky, Jul 2023
Going to off the beaten tracks to see a mortuary cave and many more ancient archaeological sites. Juts was very knowledgeable and accommodating guide. I would highly recommend this tour.
Response from Host, Jul 2023
Thank you so much for your words. We really appreciate your opinion! It was and always will be a great pleasure to have you with us, my friends! Hope to see you soon! Huge hug. Marisa & Juca
Natasha_D, Jul 2023
This was one of the most fun and meaningful experiences we had in our two weeks in the Azores. Juka filled our day with amazing stories and sites and took beautiful photos of us. This tour was worth every penny and is a day none of us will forget.
Response from Host, Jul 2023
Thank you so much for your words. We really appreciate your opinion! It was and always will be a great pleasure to have you with us, my friends! Hope to see you soon! Huge hug. Marisa & Juca
Erik_C, Jun 2023
Yuca was extremely knowledgable and friendly and informative. He was also very knowledgable about the volcano/cave, and his tips on photography were outstanding. I really enjoyed the day. Highly recommend it. We were glad to go to places that tourist don’t normally have access to.
Response from Host, Jun 2023
Thank you so much for your words. We really appreciate your opinion! It was and always will be a great pleasure to have you with us, my friends! Hope to see you soon! Huge hug. Marisa & Juca
Laura_R, May 2023
I had an excellent day with Juca exploring archeological sites and scenic viewpoints on Terceira. We spent the morning looking at petroglyphs, carvings, and what seemed pretty clearly to be an ancient columbarium (for people's ashes)--which he had discovered himself and brought in a couple experts to look at soil samples etc. Juca was very honest about what he knew versus what was speculation, but presented very convincing facts that indicate, at the very least, the sites we looked at were not made by the Portuguese.
Since I wasn't physically able to see some of the rest of the sites (there is some climbing over walls, off the path through the woods, up steep and muddy inclines—so BE PREPARED and dress appropriately), Juca adjusted the itinerary for the afternoon and brought me to some scenic spots and even did an impromptu photoshoot in the woods!
Response from Host, May 2023
Thank you so much for your words. We really appreciate your opinion! It was and always will be a great pleasure to have you with us, my friends! Hope to see you soon! Huge hug. Marisa & Juca
Michael_W, Mar 2023
It really wasn't archeological. The sites we visited were suspect. Only 1 was historic.¡¡¡!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@!@@!!!@!@@@@!!!!!!!!!
Response from Host, Mar 2023
Hello Michael,
Hope you are great!
We can't satisfy everyone...we all have different ways of thinking and reacting. We completely understand and respect yours.
Our experience tell us we are doing a great job based on our reviews here and worldwide archeologists that have been with us on this tour till today.
In our opinion your review is unfair to our work.
We will continue to do our best, as we have been doing all of these years!
Hope you had great time on our island based on the all information we gave you about places to go and things to do by yourselves.
The universe gives you the double you wish us.
Huge hug from Azores,
Marisa & Juca
Adriana_A, Feb 2023
The mass amount of archeological information, and some of the most special spots I've ever been in 🙂 Juca is the best guide you'll get on this island, if you're interested in pre history. I'm still in awe at how humanity's history has been barely scrapped on the surface
Response from Host, Feb 2023
Thank you so much for your words. We really appreciate your opinion! It was and always will be a great pleasure to have you with us, my friend! Hope to see you soon! Huge hug. Marisa & Juca
Caitlin_P, May 2022
Juca is a fantastic, knowledgeable guide who will make you look at rocks differently. We went all over the island to see caves, carvings and structures that date back thousands of years. We also took some quick stops at Serra do Cume and Biscoitos and a fabulous lunch of alcatra at Restaurant Caneta. The full day tour went by quickly. If you're looking for a tour that takes you off the beaten path, this is that tour.
Response from Host, May 2022
Thank you very much for your king words. We really appreciate your opinion! It was and always will be a great pleasure to have you with us, my friend! See you soon! Huge hug. Marisa & Juca
Larissa_C, Feb 2020
We booked the full day Archeology tour with Juca. It was an excellent tour, great value and one of the highlights of our week stay. This was my second visit to Terceira and I wanted to see and do things that I didn’t during my first visit.
Juca tailored the day to our interests Which worked out great for us and an added bonus - Juca is also a great photographer and we got excellent photos of the day.
Response from Host, Feb 2020
Thank you very much for your king words.
We really appreciate your opinion!
It was and always will be a great pleasure to have you with us, my friend!
See you soon!
Big hug.
Marisa & Juca
VictorHugo_C, Sep 2024
Juca, notre guide, fût exceptionnel !
Un vrai passionné, qui connaît vraiment son sujet. Il maitrise tous les recoins des zones visitées :
- Complexe Mégalithique de "Grota do Medo"
- Columbarium
- Cars Ruts.
De vrais échanges riches et très instructifs.
Nous avons pu visiter à notre rythme, c'était génial !
Merci à l'équipe pour l'organisation.
Merci à Juca pour son travail très professionnel et pour sa grande gentillesse.
---------------
Juca, our guide, was exceptional!
A true enthusiast, who really knows his subject. He masters all the corners of the areas visited:
- Megalithic Complex of "Grota do Medo"
- Columbarium
- Cars Ruts.
Real rich and very informative exchanges.
We were able to visit at our own pace, it was great!
Thanks to the team for the organization.
Thanks to Juca for his very professional work and for his great kindness.
Response from Host, Sep 2024
Thank you so much for your words. We really appreciate your opinion! It was and always will be a great pleasure to have you with us, my friends! Hope to see you soon! Huge hug. Marisa & Juca
From $240.62
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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