Azores Island Hopping

Tour Type:

Slower Adventures | Where walking and cycling meet easy-going exploring, our Slower Adventures are the perfect combination. Most days are filled with picturesque journeys with some free time to dive into the destination and experience the people, local food and culture as you go.

Activity:

Multi Centre Walking | With a mix of loop and point-to-point walks stay 2 or 3 nights in one place which offers the chance to slow down and really explore a destination.

Activity Level & Terrain

This walk is graded easy to moderate and includes daily walks of between 5-16 km following footpaths, tracks and coastal paths. Although the daily distances are not that far, you should be aware that the walks on Day 4 and Day 6 in particular do involve some significant ascent/descents and Day 6 is graded as a moderate walk rather than easy-moderate. Overall, you should still have plenty of time to experience the culture and local food, as is the essence of our Slower Adventures. 

Navigation

You will be provided with detailed route notes and the itineraries traced out on maps which will be integrated into the route notes to help you find your way. You will also be provided with helpful hints such as information on local restaurants, museums, etc.

The walks mostly take place on coastal or inland footpaths and at times rocky tracks (driveable). Some of them are marked. However, please be aware that the trails are often poorly maintained and after rain can be slippy. It is, therefore, a good idea to bring hiking boots with good grips. Always bring a warm outer garment for walks on the caldera rims and ridges as it is can get cooler at the higher elevations.

We also provide you with access to the Macs Adventure Smartphone App, which you can use to navigate. We strongly recommend using this App, or at least having it on your phone ready to use should you ever be in any doubt about your direction. 

• 7 Nights in 2 and 3* hotels and guesthouses
• 7 Breakfasts
• Baggage transfers
• Flights from Ponta Delgada to Pico and from Horta to Ponta Delgada
• Transfer to and from Ponta Delgada Airport
• All transfers mentioned in the itinerary
• Ferries
• Whale watching trip
• Detailed maps, information pack, route notes
• Access to GPS tracks via the Macs Adventure navigation app
• 24/7 Emergency telephone support

• Travel to and from Ponta Delgada
• Lunches and dinners
• Drinks and snacks
• Personal equipment
• Travel insurance (required)
• 24/7 emergency assistance

• Additional nights before or after the holiday

When To Go

This trip is available to start from the beginning of April to the end of October. Please note that depending on the ferry schedules and internal flight times, the order of the walks may change. We will adapt your itinerary accordingly for you and let you know about this when we confirm the booking if this has been necessary. The flight on Day 2 may not be a direct flight and we will also let you know about this if this is the case. The direct flight from Ponta Delgada to Pico usually operates on Tuesdays and Thursdays only but can change.

If you are booking your internal flights yourself, we recommend that you try to book the earliest flight possible on Day 2 from Ponta Delgada to Pico which will allow you to do the walk that day.

Getting to the Start

On arrival at Ponta Delgada Airport a transfer is included to your hotel. The journey from the airport to Ponta Delgada takes around 20 minutes. Ponta Delgada Airport is served by TAP Portugal and SATA Air Azores. SATA has direct flights from London Gatwick every Saturday between April and October.

Another option is to take a flight on a low-cost airline to Lisbon, then take SATA or TAP from here to Ponta Delgada.

The two internal flights in the itinerary are also included in the price of the tour and we will book these for you.

Luggage Transfer

Daily door to door baggage transfer is included in the price of your trip. We ask you to keep your baggage to a maximum of 1 bag per person (maximum weight 20kg).

General Information

The distances and ascent/descents are approximations of the recommended routes. Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking/cycling gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a day pack.

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.