Azores tour, island explorer

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

São Miguel produces part of its electricity using geothermal energy, making use of the volcanic activity beneath the island. During the Furnas experience, guides explain how geothermal energy has shaped both everyday life and energy production in the Azores.

Some of the accommodation options we use have also introduced measures such as solar power generation. Where this is relevant to a guest’s accommodation choice, we are happy to explain more about the property and its facilities.

Island Explorer is based in Ponta Delgada for the full seven nights, avoiding the need to change accommodation or take domestic flights during the vacation. Ponta Delgada itself is compact and much of the historic center, waterfront, restaurants and boat base can be reached on foot. Electric bikes are also available locally for guests who would like to explore independently during their free time.

For guests booking one of our Tailor-Made Azores Vacations, we can also include experiences that explore parts of São Miguel on foot, by bicycle or by kayak rather than solely by vehicle.

LOCAL FOOD

The full-day tours included in Island Explorer normally use local restaurants for lunch. We also recommend restaurants that make use of locally sourced produce, including Azorean dairy products, bakery products, tea, wine and seasonal ingredients.

São Miguel is home to one of the oldest tea plantations in Europe, and tea grown on the island is still widely used and served locally.

Vegetarian and vegan meals can be arranged on the included full-day excursions with advance notice, and we can also recommend suitable restaurants in Ponta Delgada.

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

Furnas Lake and native habitats

The Furnas Lake area has been the focus of a long-running ecological restoration and recuperation project. Work around the lake has included managing sources of pollution, improving water quality and restoring areas using native and endemic plant species. Furnas Lake remains a protected body of water, with land use and activity around the watershed managed to balance human use with the protection and recovery of the local environment.

The guides working in this area regularly introduce visitors to São Miguel’s natural history, including endemic species, native vegetation and the invasive plants that have changed parts of the island’s landscape.

Rather than simply visiting viewpoints, guests learn more about how the landscape has developed and some of the ongoing challenges involved in protecting it.

WHALE AND DOLPHIN WATCHING

Our whale and dolphin watching excursions are operated by an established Azores-based company with a strong marine-biology and research background.

Many of the marine team have qualifications in marine biology or related subjects, and members of the team participate in cetacean research and data collection alongside their tourism work. Before heading to sea, guests receive a briefing about the wildlife they may encounter, how the excursions operate and appropriate behaviour around whales and dolphins.

Traditional land-based lookouts are used to help locate animals offshore, allowing the boats to search for naturally occurring wildlife rather than using feeding or other artificial attraction methods. Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed, and we are careful to present whale watching as an opportunity to observe wild animals rather than a predictable performance.

Our whale-watching partner is also involved in local environmental and community initiatives, including outreach activities and beach clean-ups.

People

SUPPORTING THE LOCAL ECONOMY

All of the guides working on the included Island Explorer experiences live locally in the Azores, and many are native Azoreans.

Using locally based guides means visitors benefit from people who know the islands first-hand and can share not only the headline sights but also local history, culture, geology, wildlife and everyday island life.

Wherever practical, we work with locally owned and independent accommodation, restaurants and tourism businesses, while still maintaining a broad enough range of properties to recommend the accommodation that genuinely best suits each guest.

The included land tours normally use local restaurants, helping keep more of the visitor spend within the islands.

We also encourage guests to spend their free time exploring Ponta Delgada independently and can recommend locally owned restaurants and other small businesses.

EMPLOYMENT AND WORKING PRACTICES

We actively prefer to work with established local partners that have a good reputation as employers.

During our own visits and conversations with staff working for our principal activity suppliers, employees have consistently spoken positively about their employers, including their working environment, staff benefits and work-life balance.

Several of the companies we work with also provide staff discounts and benefits through relationships with other businesses around the islands.

We think this matters. Responsible tourism is not only about wildlife or landscapes, but also about working with businesses whose staff are treated well and want to remain part of the tourism industry.

ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION

We encourage travelers to tell us about any mobility, dietary or other individual requirements before booking so that we can give realistic advice rather than making broad claims that an entire destination or activity is universally accessible.

Different boat types and land experiences have different physical requirements, and where an included activity is not suitable we will explain the alternatives available.

Vegetarian and vegan requirements can be accommodated on the included full-day tours with advance notice.