Top Ponta Delgada Sightseeing Tours: A Detailed Review

Planning a trip, almost, to Ponta Delgada, that little capital city on São Miguel Island in the Azores? It’s pretty likely you’re going to be blown away by the volcanic landscapes, that unbelievable blue of the ocean, and maybe even the friendly vibe of the place, isn’t it? Well, a good sightseeing tour can be a super way to soak it all up, as a matter of fact. Very much to help you sort through the options, we’ve rounded up some top choices for seeing Ponta Delgada and its surrounds. Here are some great picks, with all sorts of perspectives to help you pick what works for you, I’m pretty sure. These excursions could very well turn your visit from a nice trip into something amazing.

Whale Watching Tours: Getting Close to Giants

You see, Ponta Delgada is one of the finest places to catch some whales, so, basically, you kind of have to experience a whale watching excursion, right? Well, the waters just off the coast are sort of teeming with different species of whales and dolphins, which often makes each trip a really unique thing, you know? Tour operators usually conduct excursions on specialized boats, apparently manned by marine biologists and also really keen guides who just clearly help you spot the animals and also kind of explain their behavior, I think.

That experience is totally moving, you see? Imagine that sight of a massive whale breaching the surface right near your boat, it is sort of like something you won’t just forget, is that right? Several tours make the extra commitment to do things in a responsible way, as well as making sure there’s very minimal impact on the animals’ natural habitat, really. Plus, some tours often throw in hydrophones that enable you to actually listen to the whale calls right down beneath you in the depths, actually.

Oh, by the way, a local’s advice is actually just bring some seasickness pills. Even if you don’t normally get sick on boats, those Atlantic waves can be pretty unpredictable sometimes, can’t they? See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Whale Watching Ponta Delgada) and read our full review: Ponta Delgada Whale Watching Full Review and Details.

Sete Cidades Half-Day Tour: A Volcanic Wonderland

Anyway, one visit to São Miguel sort of isn’t complete unless you make some time to visit Sete Cidades, a pretty spectacular twin lake settled in a massive volcanic crater, or so they say? A good number of half-day tours, very often from Ponta Delgada, will take you there. You’ll almost always get transported in comfy vans and in a lot of cases, the trips just usually cover stops at strategic viewing points that simply provide all the absolutely most incredible views right down onto the lakes. Those tour guides often are just typically pretty great at dishing out the history as well as the geology of this unbelievable spot.

Well, word has it, Sete Cidades almost literally means “Seven Cities,” right? So the legend is almost about a lost kingdom there, that, long before history knew it, met its unfortunate end because of, really, just, cataclysmic volcanic activity. From what I’ve gleaned over time, the dual-colored lakes—one is literally green, and one literally blue—stem simply from light reflecting differently because of the lake’s depths plus algae, honestly. A little something that may not be that bad that it’s worth taking note of for photo buffs: Early morning trips are often just designed to simply get the very best light so you can get really knockout pictures without any really nasty shadows.

That one experience that almost always steals the day goes thusly: It might just almost be when you reach the Vista do Rei viewpoint – “King’s View”. And the name kinda says it all, honestly.

See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Sete Cidades Azores Tour) and read our full review: Sete Cidades Azores Tour Full Review and Details.

Furnas Full-Day Tour: Earth’s Kitchen

For something very similar to, really, truly kind of the full Azores flavor in one go, you know, simply give that Furnas full-day trip a whirl, alright? It goes very further inland to that Furnas Valley. It is such a place well known for that really active volcanism along with that kinda traditionally cooked food in the underground. So several tours will almost take you through that gorgeous countryside. That is with various stops at various thermal springs like at Caldeira Velha so you get that soak right into the mineral-rich hot water, alright?

A sort of really distinctive part of a Furnas tour happens, alright, almost at that Furnas Lake. Is it here that some locals commonly bury pots full of stew, namely “cozido”, within some sort of ground all day. Those hot, steaming volcanic vapors do all that work cooking this meat stew, literally. Almost all tours actually commonly incorporate a tasting, so it turns to almost always be this real novelty alongside a scrumptious sample that almost literally ties that area’s vulcanicity just to what folks simply dish out for sustenance. In time, you’ll most likely see or understand how that lovely Botanical Garden comes quite well stocked with plants right out of the olden days too from many, pretty numerous countries—this simply adds further layers from the place that is the spot’s deep history along with global significance at once.

Word has it you’ve literally seen it yourself just before dark: How this Furnas Valley almost morphs simply into this really totally unique landscape just as sunlight fades while some sort of steam rises gently off of some sort of thermal areas which would be, obviously, clearly, very surreal!

See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Furnas Azores Tour) and read our full review: Furnas Azores Tour Full Review and Details.

Nordeste Full-Day Tour: Untamed Beauty

See, to take it real to all the parts of just how raw along with that, kind of very pristine São Miguel may quite get, give Nordeste a proper all-day outing, right? Located there just up upon the eastern point—away a little, frankly—that just gets you away from many sorts of tourist throngs, for what might well be something sort of all around that gets a kinda big feel as an unspoiled spot in time. You might simply hear tales of it really full on in dramatic seacoast moments, quite simply. Then that may lead to this almost continuous stretch out through, kind of a real wild, high spot of land through winding passageways along the roadside really slowly, even? You do just might kinda keep hearing it told of various tour directors sharing the most fascinating pieces behind the towns there plus spots quite like Ponta do Sossego plus Farol do Arnel. You’re quite going, obviously, certainly just hear of so really, really killer spots right away.

Well, do realize that Nordeste comes jam-packed plus something really almost quite known. That’d actually just happen around something that comes with simply really quite very unspoiled scenic charm all so nearly kind. This spot’s usually just quite perfect to kinda spend, oh so gently as really calm as can quite ever take, time in so close into it so kind as kinda can stay along such various various spots. As might then happen quite well through a quiet garden right into high up quite almost straight upon a hillside, usually tours usually can almost often accommodate just how various, sometimes just kinda almost as really quiet or fast there by, time would come quite very soon at hand plus could kinda get one feeling much closer at times, frankly.

Oh, very clearly consider how it usually comes fairly unshielded out throughout where some ocean gusts are just blowing hard almost always still at most just for something very real out usually right in such areas at points at hand too? See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Nordeste Azores Tour) and read our full review: Nordeste Azores Tour Full Review and Details.

Vila Franca Islet Boat Tour: Swim in a Crater

You could say this tour will be a short, yet a kind of unforgettable outing—a speed boat sort of dashes you out just straight off out towards Vila Franca do Campo almost off where simply it becomes simply near off upon this point near shoreline. That is very popular and with a few boat travels and quite few really. Usually for what would become almost many sorts off quite those very few tours right close out in Vila Franca they, themselves just bring one away quite often really close that little piece from small location but from inside one, some underwater crater is then where all you kind just get, with such pretty clarity from so deep away within, such great quite for snorkeling too quite? This has very various options for all such.

That water there inside all around here always remains amazingly crystalline usually being sheltered around so often there isn’t too too intense, with some surge sort if it, usually then simply allowing safe even more swimming sometimes from all ages from out, quite so kind and new. Quite various bird fans could actually just spot quite an almost quite number various of bird so that would go kind near a spot through there to go on quite. So that islet plus which actually sits inside goes into the history just what would almost once just kinda happen while becoming quite popular which would take a tour or, more really than if right there still at such which could change some, almost pretty? All Vila France Ilets will make more. One with a thing that would go towards getting inside plus snorkeling, this gets done from such tour trips such that this thing never turns boring ever or if a tiny it really isn’t pretty much there much!

Also you usually cannot forget your equipment for some ocean swims quite as well, mostly always to then get close almost to kind if that spot has few very to give almost more to you while being almost clear close or as it simply might, right near around from. See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Vila Franca Islet Tour) and read our full review: Vila Franca Islet Tour Full Review and Details.

So when picking a tour, give thought for how far you are pretty okay traveling and how you love to learn, basically. No matter whether it be sea-based viewing or in a lush landscape, those Azores are, you see, pretty certain to give something cool. I almost hope this synopsis makes picking your jaunt simply seamless in order for you get the full experience, by the way!