In the Mist is an 8-day private nature-focused vacation on Sao Miguel, designed to reach both the island's celebrated volcanic landscapes and quieter interior scenery. Four full-day tours combine Sete Cidades, Lagoa do Fogo, Furnas and Nordeste with forest roads, upland lagoons, waterfalls, coastal viewpoints and rural communities.
Travel by private car or 4x4 with a local driver-guide, allowing the day's route to respond to Sao Miguel's fast-changing cloud and weather conditions. Hotels, breakfast and airport transfers are arranged, while unscheduled time gives you room to explore Ponta Delgada or add another experience.
Is this package right for you?
In the Mist suits couples, families, photographers and small private parties who want more than a standard highlights tour. It combines famous crater lakes and geothermal areas with flexible exploration of Sao Miguel's forested interior, eastern coast, small lagoons and waterfalls.
The program is vehicle-based, but travelers should be comfortable with short walks on uneven, wet or muddy surfaces. Routes can change quickly because the island's mist and weather determine where visibility and access are best.
Itinerary at a Glance
Day 1 — Arrive on Sao Miguel; transfer to Ponta Delgada
Day 2 — Sete Cidades and Lagoa do Fogo
Day 3 — Free day or optional activity
Day 4 — Furnas geothermal landscapes
Day 5 — Nordeste and the eastern coast
Day 6 — Free day on Sao Miguel
Day 7 — Lagoons and waterfalls by car or 4x4
Day 8 — Airport transfer and departure
Day-by-day itinerary
The sequence below is suggested. Your local team may rearrange touring days to account for weather, visibility, road access and operating conditions.
Day 1 — Sao Miguel — Arrival
Arrive at Ponta Delgada Airport and meet your driver for the private transfer to your hotel. The remainder of the day is free.
Day 2 — Sete Cidades and Lagoa do Fogo
Explore two of Sao Miguel's best-known volcanic landscapes. Travel toward Sete Cidades for viewpoints such as Vista do Rei, the caldera lakes and the village, with possible stops at Lagoa do Canario and coastal thermal pools. Continue through Ribeira Grande toward Lagoa do Fogo and Pico da Barrosa, subject to visibility and seasonal access. The route may also include a pineapple plantation. Meals and entrance fees are not included unless confirmed.
Day 3 — Free day or optional activity
Explore Ponta Delgada independently or request an optional experience such as whale watching, hiking, canyoning or additional sightseeing.
Day 4 — Furnas geothermal tour
Travel through Sao Miguel's south-coast communities toward Furnas. Visit the lake and geothermal cooking area, Furnas village and its mineral springs. Time may be available for Terra Nostra Park or Poca da Dona Beija at additional cost. Return by the north coast with a tea-plantation visit and coastal viewpoints.
Day 5 — Nordeste scenic tour
Discover the less-visited eastern side of Sao Miguel. The day may include Povoacao, Ponta da Madrugada, Ponta do Sossego, Nordeste village, Ribeira dos Caldeiroes and Salto da Farinha. Stops vary with weather, road conditions and available time. Lunch and entrance fees are not included.
Day 6 — Free day on Sao Miguel
Relax, explore independently or add another activity according to your interests.
Day 7 — Lagoons and waterfalls tour
Travel by private car or 4x4 into Sao Miguel's interior for a day shaped by upland scenery and local conditions. Possible stops include Lagoa do Congro, Lagoa dos Nenufares, Lagoa do Areeiro, Monte Escuro, Lagoa de Sao Bras, Lombadas, Caldeiras da Ribeira Grande and Salto do Cabrito. Not every location can be guaranteed, and routing depends on weather and road access. A picnic is included.
Day 8 — Sao Miguel — Departure
Check out and meet your driver for the private transfer to Ponta Delgada Airport.
What's included
Please note
Weather, visibility and access conditions may change tour routes, stops or the operating order.
Scheduled touring is private by car or 4x4 unless otherwise stated in your quotation.
Included
7 nights' accommodation on Sao Miguel
Daily breakfast
Private arrival and departure airport transfers
Four private full-day tours by car or 4x4
Sete Cidades and Lagoa do Fogo tour
Furnas geothermal tour
Nordeste scenic tour
Lagoons and waterfalls tour
One picnic
English-speaking driver-guides
Complimentary welcome box
24-hour assistance during the trip
Not included
International and domestic airfare; ask us to include flights in your quotation
Meals other than breakfast and the included picnic
Entrance fees unless specifically listed as included
Municipal tourist taxes payable at hotel check-in
Optional activities, personal expenses, gratuities and travel insurance
Meals
Daily breakfast and one picnic are included. Other meals and refreshments are at your own expense unless confirmed.
What to bring
Bring comfortable walking shoes, layered clothing and a waterproof jacket. Pack swimwear and a towel for optional thermal bathing; iron-rich water may stain light-colored swimwear.
Hotels
Note: Hotels shown are for reference only. We reserve the right to change hotels based on availability, group size or other factors. Should an alternate hotel be required, it will be of the same or a better rating.
Comfort Hotels
Ponta Delgada - Hotel Ponta Delgada
Hotel Ponta Delgada (RNET 6591) is centrally located and only a 10-minute drive from the airport. Hotel Ponta Delgada features a family ambiance and comfortable furnishings. It features an indoor pool.
Air-conditioned rooms all open out on to a private balcony and are fitted with double-glass windows. All rooms include a TV set with cable channels and private bathrooms with walk-in shower or bathtub. Free WiFi access is available in all areas of the hotel.
The Ponta Delgada’s Baco Restaurant offers authentic cuisine from the Azores. The hotel’s bar has an esplanade, where guests can enjoy a refreshing drink or cocktail.
Guests can stroll in the narrow streets of the city center. Alternatively, they can dip in the hot tub or relax in the on-site hammam and sauna.
Superior Hotels
Ponta Delgada - Vila Gale Collection S. Miguel
Located in Ponta Delgada, São Miguel island, the Vila Gale Collection S.Miguel provides superior accommodations, excellent restaurant, bar, sauna, swimming pool, kid's club and private parking.
The 4-star hotel has air-conditioned rooms with free WIFI, each with a private bathroom, and is at a short walking distance to the center of town.
All guest rooms in the hotel are equipped with a flat-screen TV. Each room includes a safety deposit box, while certain rooms will provide you with a balcony. At Vila Gale Collection S.Miguel every room includes bed linen and towels. A buffet breakfast is available every morning.
At Vila Gale Collection S.Miguel guests are welcome to use a sauna and a Turkish bath.
The attentive and professional reception staff speak English, Spanish, French and Portuguese, and are always on hand to help.
Booking & policies
Booking Your Trip
While prices are shown in USA dollars, we can also charge in Euros at the prevailing currency conversion daily rate.
Early booking is advised. Availability of accommodations and inter-island flight is limited especially in summer months.
If hotels named in itinerary are not available at time of booking, alternate similar same rating properties will be confirmed, and subject to new quote.
Order of islands visited may need to be altered due to flight schedule changes.
Unless otherwise indicated, sightseeing tours are by private car with English speaking driver. Other languages are available upon request.
Quotations with different hotels have a non refundable deposit of $50. Deposit will be credited towards final booking price.
Booking Your Trip With Air
International airfare for this package is additional to price shown on Rates table. Departure cities are limited to those serviced by SATA International (Azores Airlines).
If you want a quote for airfare to be included make sure to check yes when prompted during the booking/reservation request process.
Booking Conditions
A non-refundable, non-transferable deposit of $350 per person is required to book and hold both land and air for you.
Final payment is due 50 days before departure.
Option to pay full price up front is available.
Cancellation Policy - Land Portion
Full-payment minus the $350 deposit per person is refunded if canceled up to 50 days prior departure.
75% of full-payment paid per person if refunded if cancelled 49-39 days prior departure.
50% of full-payment paid per person is refunded if canceled 38-31 days prior departure.
No refunds if canceled less than 30 days prior departure.
Cancellation Policy - Airfare
Airfare cancellation terms and conditions are those of the Airlines company and will be provided to you before ticket is booked.
Refund Fees
On any payments made via a bank credit card, a 3.9% bank credit card assessed fee will be subtracted from any refunded payment, including deposits refunded due to services requested not available for date of booking.
I Want To Book. What Do I Do Next?
Click on the Request pricing button to send your reservation request.
No payment will be collected at this time.
Our travel Associate will contact you via email to answer any questions and book your Package.
If you don't plan to book at this time please click here to contact us with any questions or concerns about your trip or your holiday.
Booking Changes
A fee of $35 per person, per transaction, will be charged
for any revision or alteration made to a reservation after the booking
is confirmed.
If the change increases the value of the booking, the $35
per person fee will be waived.
Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend you purchase travel/cancellation
insurance.
Common questions about this package
Why is the tour called In the Mist?
Sao Miguel's uplands are frequently shaped by moving cloud and mist. The itinerary uses flexible private touring to seek the best available scenery while exploring volcanic lakes, forests and waterfalls.
Are the four tours private?
Yes. Scheduled touring is by private car or 4x4 with a local driver-guide unless your quotation states otherwise.
Will every listed stop be visited?
No. The named locations describe the planned possibilities. Weather, visibility, road access, opening hours and time may require the driver-guide to adjust individual stops.
Is this a hiking tour?
No. It is primarily a private vehicle-based nature tour with short walks at viewpoints, lagoons, waterfalls and geothermal areas.
Are meals and entrance fees included?
Daily breakfast and one picnic are included. Other meals and entrance fees are excluded unless specifically confirmed.
Can I add whale watching or another activity?
Yes. Optional activities may be added on free days, subject to availability, weather and additional cost.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
