Quiet and Peaceful: São Miguel Island and its famous Furnas

Portugal is like a kingdom of singular beauties but there is one that steals our hearts: the Azores.

The largest and most populous island is São Miguel. Its pure fresh air and its exuberant fauna and flora make of this wonderful island a unique place to visit. Let’s find out why.

Outstanding landscapes

Spring is here so you can imagine how such island can become so beautiful especially at this time of year. The flowers bloom and the green of the mountains invite you to a nice walk. You should hold your camera tight because you will want to take really amazing pics.

São Miguel Island is famous for being unique when it comes to natural landscapes. Its diversity makes of this island one of the most peculiar in the world to explore and see an immense variety of plants.

Renowned as one of the most sustainable places in the world, the Azores has got everything you need for a fantastic holiday.

Take time to visit some of the viewing points and attractions. The most popular ones would be: Miradouro do Pisão, Vista do Rei, Caldeira Velha, Sete Cidades, Caldeirões Park and Lagoa do Canário.

Furnas

Mud pots, scalding springs and caverns, among other great gifts from Nature, are outstanding visitors’ attractions in the island. Nature lovers expect to see this and much more.

The Azores might be surrounded by water but are not famous for beaches. In fact, adventurous travellers look for these caldera lakes and they are absolutely the main interest.

Here, in the volcanic valley of Furnas, you can spend an entire day bathing in the thermal springs.

You will find awesome calderas approximately 50km from the capital town – Ponta Delgada.

Two interesting spots would be:

• Vila Franca do Campo, with its magnificent landscape and the volcanic islet of Franca do Campo. The Islet interior’s presents a beautiful and quite pleasant natural swimming pool, impossible to resist.
• Lagoa das Furnas is another great crater lake that appeals to tourists for two reasons: the lake and the Cozido (the Cozido is a stew that is cooked in pots, in the hot sand of the lakeside geothermal springs).

Fauna

Ideal for whale watching, travellers often get impressed by the variety of the fauna.

In its rich fauna it’s possible to find many species such as the buzzard, cory’s shearwater, saffron finch and pink tern.

In the water there are species such as the tuna, European eel, starfish and jack mackerel.

Last but not least, there is the famous cão de fila, which is a guard dog breed.

Water sports

When visitors visit Portugal they want to have fun, learn, and have new experiences and the Azores have plenty to offer!

With perfect location and mild weather throughout the year, there is an ideal scenario for those who love water sports and for those who want to try something new.

For example, snorkelling is great to do with children and people always have so much fun with it. Other activities that might interest you are canoeing, paddling, kayaking, scuba diving and whale and dolphin watching.

Anyway, you can choose as many as you want and fun is always guaranteed in your next Portugal holidays.

Here at EcoTours we are eager to give the best and that is why we have prepared such a special tour on São Miguel Island.

This seven-day tour takes you to the most impressive places of São Miguel. Throughout the tour, our tourists have a typical meal from Azores; they enjoy a cool safari through the island; there is a lovely moment of whale watching, which is also great for those who bring kids; and, of course, on the fourth day there is a planned visit to Furnas, where tourists have the chance to visit the Caldeiras da Lagoa das Furnas (Furnas Lake Calderas) and eat a delicious Cozido.

This is a lovely adventure where fun and exotic experiences are guaranteed.

Traveling to Portugal can be the lifetime trip that you don’t want to miss.