São Miguel East Van Tour: Furnas & Nordeste + Lunch
Recommended by 100% of travelers
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Sao Miguel, Portugal
- 8 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Discover the natural beauty of São Miguel’s east side on this scenic day trip. Witness bubbling hot springs in Furnas, and sample iron-rich waters and traditional “cozido” stew cooked by volcanic steam. Visit the stunning Ribeira dos Caldeirões waterfall and unwind at the scenic Santa Iria viewpoint, a memorable mix of volcanic wonders and serene island landscapes.
- Eastern São Miguel’s scenic highlights from Ponta Delgada with a small group
- Visit a secluded mountain church and admire views of the island’s coastline
- See volcanic springs and gas vents in action at Furnas Lake (hot spring is optional)
- Eat a lunch of traditional stew slow-cooked in the thermal ground
What's Included
- Traditional Furnas cozido lunch (main course, drink, dessert and coffee)
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off (Centrally located Ponta Delgada hotels and Lagoa Town))
- Local driver-guide
- Small-group tour — maximum 8 guests per vehicle
- Transportation in a modern 100% electric van
- Terra Nostra Park entrance (optional)
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Pick-up is available fro.m main hotels and designated meeting points in Ponta Delgada and Lagoa If you are staying outside the included pickup area, a transfer to our office can be arranged for an additional cost. Please be ready at the front entrance by 9:00 am. Pick-ups may take up to 20 minutes to be completed.
Start time.9:00 am
Itinerary
Your tour begins with hotel pickup in the morning, where you board a comfortable 9-seater van, destined for the east side of São Miguel Island.
Arrive in Furnas, a town built entirely inside a volcano caldera, home to volcanic springs, gas vents, and thermal pools. Take the opportunity to relax in the delightful thermal pools of Furnas town (optional, own expense) and revitalize with a "cozido" stew, cooked in pots buried within the thermal grounds.
Admire some of the island's best panoramic views of Furnas Lake from an elevated viewpoint.
After a stop at the stunning Ribeira dos Caldeirões waterfall in the natural park, take in the coastal views from a high cliff. Your tour concludes with hotel drop-off.
Arrive in Furnas, a town built entirely inside a volcano caldera, home to volcanic springs, gas vents, and thermal pools. Take the opportunity to relax in the delightful thermal pools of Furnas town (optional, own expense) and revitalize with a "cozido" stew, cooked in pots buried within the thermal grounds.
Admire some of the island's best panoramic views of Furnas Lake from an elevated viewpoint.
After a stop at the stunning Ribeira dos Caldeirões waterfall in the natural park, take in the coastal views from a high cliff. Your tour concludes with hotel drop-off.
1
Nossa Senhora da Paz
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Caldeira das Furnas
1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Parque Terra Nostra
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
4
Furnas
1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Miradouro Pico Do Ferro
25 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Miradouro do Salto do Cavalo
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
7
Parque Natural da Ribeira dos Caldeiroes
40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
8
Nordeste
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
9
Miradouro de Santa Iria
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 56 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
5.0
based on 1,315 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Very good tour. Thermal springs and views of mountains and volcanic lakes were superb. Lunch was so so.
This tour was excellent! Our guide was really knowledgeable about the history of the island and explained the stops along the way. Breathtaking views and so interesting to visit the unique city of Furnas and try the Cozido!
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re delighted you enjoyed the tour, the breathtaking views, and discovering Furnas and its unique traditions.
It’s great to hear you appreciated your guide’s knowledge and enjoyed trying the traditional cozido. Thank you for choosing Pure Azores!
What a great excursion. Manuel did a fantastic job showing us the island and even stopped a couple of extra places.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you so much for your review! We’re delighted you had such a great experience exploring São Miguel with Manuel and enjoyed discovering the island with him.
We has a small tour to the Eastern side of Sao Miguel with Fraga as our guide. The scenery and viewpoints were beautiful. We never felt rushed and met some very nice people in our tour. Fraga was very knowledgable and accomodating to everyone's needs. The lunch was very good. It was well worth it to have a guide so we world know exactly what to see alms have explanations about what we were seeing. I would highly recommend this type and Fraga as a guide.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful and detailed review! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the beautiful scenery, relaxed pace, and small-group atmosphere. It’s great to know that Fraga’s knowledge and attentive approach helped make the experience even more enjoyable, and we’ll be sure to share your kind words with him. We truly appreciate your recommendation!
Great experience, friendly and knowledgeable guide, made the small group feel comfortable. A full day, yet not rushed at all. Highly recommended!
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear you enjoyed the small-group experience and found the pace comfortable throughout the day. It's great to know your guide helped create such a welcoming atmosphere. We truly appreciate your recommendation!
Marçio was a great tour guide! He was very knowledgeable and upbeat. We enjoyed all of the panoramic views throughout the day. We enjoyed the waterfall park and becoming part of a cow parade. My husband loved the cozido lunch!
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear you enjoyed the panoramic views, the waterfall park, and even your unexpected cow parade experience! It's great to know Márcio made the day enjoyable with his knowledge and upbeat personality, and that your husband enjoyed the traditional cozido lunch. We'll be sure to share your kind words with him!
A wonderful trip on the other side of the island if you don't have a rental vehicle. Had a tour in a comfortable AC van with Bernard, who does use a microphone so everyone can hear what he has to say. The lunch was amazing, and honestly the best food we had on the island. It had some beautiful viewpoint stops. The only thing I would have done differently was stay with Bernard at the Parque Terra Nostra stop instead of going into the park, because 1 hour is not enough for the price you pay.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thank you for your thoughtful review! We're delighted to hear you enjoyed the comfortable van, beautiful viewpoints, and especially the local lunch. Terra Nostra Garden offers a different experience from the guided tour, so guests are free to choose how they prefer to spend their time there. We're glad you enjoyed your day exploring São Miguel with Bernardo!
This tour was a great complement to the West Tour. I highly recommend doing both, as they allow you to see many interesting and different things that complement each other very well.
Once again, our guide Joao was amazing and very attentive to everyone’s needs. The small group and the very clean vehicle also made the experience even better.
Amazing time!
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear you enjoyed the East Tour as a complement to the West Tour and appreciated the variety of experiences. It's also great to know João made you feel well looked after throughout the day. We'll be sure to share your kind words with him!
Bring your bathing SUIT! OTHERWISE THE TOUR GUIDE WAS GREAT LUNCH WAS GREAT. I highly reccomend it, breath taking views!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much for your review! We're delighted to hear you enjoyed the breathtaking views, the lunch, and had a great experience with your guide. And yes,bringing a bathing suit is definitely a good idea for this tour! We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back to the Azores soon!
We had a great time with Manuel! The mineral water tastings was a highlight. The scenery and lookout points were beautiful.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're so happy to hear you had a great day with Manuel and enjoyed the mineral water tasting as well as the beautiful viewpoints along the way. We hope to welcome you back to the Azores for another memorable experience!
It was fantastic! Daniel (Danny) our tour guide was awesome, very knowledgeable and great sense of humor. Went over and above to make sure we had a good time, and saw all the sites comfortably. Spoke very good english and portuguese (of course 😂)
I would highly recommend this tour, worth every penny!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear you had such a fantastic day with Daniel. His knowledge, sense of humour, and dedication to making every guest feel comfortable are qualities we're very proud of. Thank you for your recommendation, and we hope to welcome you back to São Miguel for another adventure in the future!
First of all, we had great communication with Julia from Pure Azores prior to the tour. The EV van is comfortable and pick up from our hotel was prompt. Besides being a competent driver, our tour guide Clara is also very friendly, knowledgeable and attentive to the group. We had plenty of time to enjoy all the sights. One of the best tour we had in our 40+ years of travel and we highly recommend it.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear that everything, from your communication with the BackOffice before the tour to your day with Clara, met your expectations. It means a lot to us that you consider this one of the best tours from your many years of travel. Thank you for your recommendation, we hope to welcome you back to São Miguel again in the future!
Joao was very knowledgeable and interesting. Visited some great places. Brilliant way to see the island
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed exploring the island with João and appreciated his knowledge and insights. It’s great to know you visited some amazing places and had such a positive experience. Thank you for your kind words!
We really enjoyed this tour and a brilliant way to see all the main sights of interest on the east of the island. This part of the island is interesting as you get to see the geothermal park and the stunning coastline, not to mention beautiful waterfalls and landscape. Our guide Marcio was so knowledgeable and he made the day fun and enjoyable. The vehicle was new and very comfortable and we liked that the group was small with only 8 of us. Well worth it and we would definitely recommend.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed exploring the east side of São Miguel and that you appreciated the geothermal area, waterfalls, coastline, and beautiful landscapes. It’s fantastic to know Márcio’s knowledge and enthusiasm made the day even more enjoyable. Thank you for your recommendation, we truly appreciate it!
Just had an amazing adventure with Joao and pure azores. The trip was in a small van, we went to numerous locations which were all gorgeous! Joao was super knowledgeable and was great with my children. We loved the hot springs (a super highlight) and the lunch was delicious. A five star trip my kids said it was a super experience.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear you and your family had such an amazing day with João. It’s fantastic that you enjoyed the beautiful locations, the hot springs, and the traditional lunch, and that João helped make the experience so enjoyable for your children. We’re especially happy to hear they called it a “super experience”!
Excellent full day tour with Clara of Pure Azores. The weather wasn’t the best, but we still got to see most of the viewpoints. Furnas was a great experience, both for the sampling of different flavoured liqueurs, tasting various different waters coming out of numerous springs, and the fantastic traditional Cozido lunch at Tony’s restaurant - one of the best meals we had during our stay in the Azores.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your wonderful review. We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed the West tour with Clara and that you appreciated the mix of viewpoints, Furnas experience, and traditional Cozido lunch. It’s great that even with less ideal weather, you were still able to make the most of the day. We truly appreciate your feedback!
Joao was a fantastic guide and driver. The tour was wonderful with tons of stops. Lunch was solid and very filling. We had some cloudy weather but that's not the tour's fault. Will travel with them again.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your kind review. We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed the tour with João and that his knowledge and friendliness made the experience even better. It’s great that you still had a wonderful day despite the cloudy weather. We truly appreciate your feedback!
It was a rainy and cloudy but the guide provided good information about the area. Overall a good tour of the area.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your review. We’re glad to hear you still enjoyed the tour despite the rainy and cloudy weather, and that the guide provided good information throughout the experience. We appreciate your feedback!
Exceptional tour with our guide Hugo. So many sights seen, felt it was better than West tour. Highlight was hot springs (extra cost 17 Euros pp) but scenery was amazing. Highly recommended
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your kind review. We’re very happy to hear you had such an exceptional experience with Hugo and that you were able to enjoy so many beautiful sights throughout the day. It’s great that the hot springs and scenery were a highlight for you. We truly appreciate your recommendation!
Another great day out! Had Marcio again as my guide and he was again brilliant. Brought us around Furnas and Nordeste, introduced us to many local sights and foods, and we even said hi to his grandma along the way.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your kind review. We’re delighted to hear you had another great day with Marcio and that he made the experience so enjoyable once again. It’s wonderful that you were able to explore Furnas and Nordeste, discover local sights and food, and enjoy those personal touches along the way. We truly appreciate your feedback!
This tour was excellent for experiencing an overview of the east of the island. João was an excellent guide, teaching us a lot about the island and sharing stories. The vehicle was spacious and modern. Would certainly recommend.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your kind review. We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed the East tour and that João’s knowledge and stories helped make the experience more interesting. It’s great that you also appreciated the comfort of the vehicle. We truly appreciate your recommendation.
This was great way to see the island with a local guide who was very knowledgeable and accommodating. It was also fun to share the day with other travelers from various countries and backgrounds.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your kind review. We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed discovering the island with a knowledgeable local guide and that sharing the experience with fellow travellers from different backgrounds made the day even more enjoyable. We truly appreciate your feedback.
Experience the Island of Sao Miguel with what feels like a personal tour. Our guide took us through an informative and uplifting day filled with local history and anecdotes at every stop.
Our guide Joao de Costa brought the Island to life!
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your wonderful review. We’re very happy to hear the tour felt personal and that João helped bring São Miguel to life through his stories, local history, and uplifting approach throughout the day. We truly appreciate your kind words and feedback.
João was an incredible tour guide and made our experience so enjoyable from start to finish! My sister and I had such a great time and a huge part of that was because of his energy, knowledge, and personality. He was informative and he shared so many interesting facts and local insights that made the experience even more special! He was also very friendly, engaging, and made everyone feel welcome and included. You can tell he genuinely enjoys what he does, and that really comes across throughout the tour. He made the entire experience feel relaxed, fun, and memorable. My sister and I left feeling like we learned a lot while also having an amazing time. We’re so happy we had João as our guide and would absolutely recommend him to anyone looking for a great experience. Thank you for making our trip even better!
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your wonderful review. We’re very happy to hear you and your sister had such an enjoyable experience with João and that his energy, knowledge, and friendly personality made the tour so special. It’s great that you felt welcomed, included, and able to fully enjoy a relaxed and memorable day while learning more about the island. We truly appreciate your kind words and recommendation.
Great tour! I did both the east and west tour with this company. Both very different and great tours!!
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your kind review. We’re very happy to hear you enjoyed both the East and West tours and that each offered a different and great experience. We truly appreciate your feedback and are glad you chose to explore the island with us.
Awesome tour! Our guide, Daniel, was super knowledgeable and really made everything great. He even had umbrellas for everyone when there was some sporadic rain. We got to see and experience some amazing places on this tour. Highly recommend!
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your kind review. We’re very happy to hear you had an awesome tour with Daniel and that his knowledge and care made the experience even better. It’s great that he was prepared with umbrellas and helped you enjoy the sites despite the weather. We truly appreciate your recommendation.
We had a wonderful time. Our tour guide, Marcio, was professional, friendly, and knowledgeable, and he made our day truly terrific.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your kind review. We’re very happy to hear you had a wonderful time and that Marcio’s professionalism, friendliness, and knowledge helped make your day so enjoyable. We truly appreciate your feedback.
We got to see most of the highlights on the eastern side of the island. Clara did a great job getting us from place to place in a timely and efficient manner. She educated us on each spot we stop at. I also had good communication from their back office. I would recommend this tour.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you for your kind review. We’re glad you enjoyed exploring the eastern side of the island and that Clara’s guidance and explanations helped make the experience even better. It’s also great to hear that our communication met your expectations. We truly appreciate your recommendation.
The tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly.
Be prepared to dress well and wear study walking shoes.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you for your review. We’re glad to hear you enjoyed the tour and that the guide’s knowledge and friendliness made the experience positive for you. We also appreciate your helpful tip for future guests.
Fantastic scenery, we had a marvellous tour guide in Jojo. The volcano hot springs were unbelievable.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you for your kind review. We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed the fantastic scenery and that João made the experience even better for you. It’s great that the volcanic hot springs were such a highlight of your day. We truly appreciate your feedback.
Member Pricing
From
$93.21
per personWas $98.12(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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São Miguel East Van Tour: Furnas & Nordeste + Lunch
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