Hiking on Pico and Faial Islands vacation, The Azores

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

This self-guided walking tour in the Azores takes guests across Pico and Faial, with walks between 8-16km through volcanic landscapes, coastal paths, forests and crater trails. It is, by its very nature, slow and sustainable, allowing guests to explore these islands mostly on foot.

This itinerary includes ferry crossings between Pico and Faial, rather than internal flights between the islands. Luggage transfers and local transfers are included according to the programme, while guests complete the walking routes themselves on foot.


ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

This walking tour takes guests through some of the Azores’ most distinctive volcanic landscapes, including Mount Pico, Lagoa do Capitão, Pico’s World Heritage vineyards, Faial’s Caldeira do Cabeço Gordo, Cabeço do Fogo, Capelo Natural Reserve Park and Capelinhos Volcano. The route also includes coastal paths, forest trails, lava landscapes and natural pools.
We remind guests to practise Leave No Trace throughout their trip, especially when walking through volcanic landscapes, coastal areas, forests and nature reserves.
With regards to drinking water, we ask guests to bring refillable water bottles as well as a reusable shopping bag to avoid single-use plastic during their trip. We also ask guests to take any packaging away with them and be mindful of not dropping litter.
We have an in-house responsible tourism expert, who shares tips and advice with our guests in trip notes, blogs and newsletters. For example, on how to reduce their impact on the environment and wildlife, support responsible travel practices and respect the places and communities they pass through.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

Accommodation on this tour includes a mix of mostly locally-owned hotels, B&Bs and traditional guesthouses. They have been carefully selected based on a variety of criteria including their location, warm hospitality, good local food and connection to the area.
The itinerary takes guests across Pico and Faial, helping tourism spend reach local businesses, hosts and families on both islands. Breakfast is included every day, and guests are encouraged to buy lunches and snacks in local shops, or pre-order packed lunches from their accommodation where needed.


EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

All of our partners in Portugal are locally employed and play an important role in contributing to the local economy. At home, we have a strict policy to pay all our own employees and team members a living wage and fair wage, with vacation entitlement. In the hiring process, we prioritise experience, qualifications and passion, emphasising that race, gender, sexual orientation, or nationality are not factors of consideration. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace based on skills and expertise. We also endeavour to support any guests with visible and non-visible disabilities or any special requirements, when possible.