Azores Cycling

Name: Azores Cycling
Brand: Exodus
Rating: 4 (2 reviews)

7 Days from

CAD 2,645

incl. Taxes

4.0/5 from

Cycling

Ways to Travel :

Self-Guided Holidays

Activity :

Cycling

Activity Levels :

2 out of 7 - Leisurely / Moderate

Trip Code :

C06AZ

In Terceira Island, explore the stunning coastline and the luxurious green pastures.

Enjoy landscapes of dramatic lava coastline and natural pools, visit a volcano pit, a UNESCO World Heritage Town, and ride along lush green sceneries. Enjoy whale and dolphin watching.

Relax in one of the numerous natural bathing sites with warm water baths in tidal pools or the ocean and enjoy captivating pastel sunsets.

Admire the magnificent colourful contrasts of this volcanic island between ocean deep blue, lush green landscapes and black lava rocks.

Highlights

Discover Terceira Island - its stunning coastline and lush green forest
Discover colourful buildings and picturesque plazas in the historic capital
Explore dramatic volcanic scenery: lava cave, natural pools and volcano pit

Key Information

E-bike hire available on request (supplement applies)

Luggage transfers between hotels
Management by your local Headwater-appointed agent

Countries visited: Portugal

What's Included

6 nights hotel-to-hotel accommodation in a mix of HHH and 3-star hotels
All breakfasts
Management by your local Headwater-appointed agent
Route directions and maps
High Quality Bikes
Luggage transfers between hotels
GPS Route direction and maps

What's Not Included

Travel insurance
Single accommodation (available on request)
Visas or vaccinations

6 Days of Cycling

Day 2

39 km / 24.2 miles

Day 3

23 km / 14.3 miles

Day 4

46 km / 28.6 miles

Day 5

38 km / 23.6 miles

Day 6

31 km / 19.3 miles

Itinerary

Transfer from the airport to your hotel. Explore the oldest city in Azores, listed by UNESCO. The historic centre of Angra do Heroismo is a testimony to the kings and noblemen who passed by here, leaving behind some beautiful architecture in its network of streets and alleyways, and its churches, palaces, mansions, monuments, squares and gardens, which have been preserved until the present day.

Cycle through the natural park to the Christmas cave, a lava tube created by flowing lava originated by the surrounding volcanoes, centuries ago. This cave is a wonder for its extensive, straight, long passages. The walls, ground and ceiling have different colours and shapes, transforming the cave into a mystic place.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Ride longing the beautiful coastline passing via quaint villages such as Sao Mateus, a fishing village and Santa Barbara, overlooked by the mountain, that offers the best views over Terceira island.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Cycle along the coast via Biscoitos, famous for its natural pools. Enjoy a swim within black lava rocks. Later, enjoy the visit at the Biscoitos Wine Museum which is in a winery that produces verdelho wine, characteristic of the Azores. Explore wine process and taste a sample of local produced wines that grow from the rich porous lava rock.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Day devoted to the visit of the Volcano pit including the cave Algar do Carvao, an old volcano and lava tube located in the centre of the island. This site offers a volcanic chimney that dazzles by its immensity space. From its arched roof hang remarkable silica stalactites. Then continue to Lagoa das Patas lake a perfect picnic spot surrounded by azaleas.

Alternatively, enjoy whale watching, sea kayaking, windsurfing at Praia da Vitoria.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Follow the coast, to visit Porto Martins and Porto Judeu both offering beautiful natural pools. Along your way, observe the uninhabited Cabras Islet. Half a nautical mile from the south coast of Terceira Island, this islet is an excellent place for snorkelling. The Cave of the Sheep Islet, or the Cave of Stingrays, is located on the north slope of the islet, and it takes its name from the stingrays that can be observed swimming inside.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Transfer from your hotel to the airport.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Essential Info

Visa

Portugal

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Portugal. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/portugal
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/portugal
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/portugal/entry-requirements
• USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Portugal.html

Vaccination

Portugal

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus and rabies. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Eating and Drinking

In Azores, food lovers will appreciate delicious fish straight from the sea. Grilled or in soups, fish is cooked in a variety of ways. Make sure you taste tuna which, in these waters, has a pink hue and a soft flavour and texture, is slightly salty and is still caught by hook and line. The Azores have seafood that is not found anywhere else, such as limpets, barnacles and locust lobsters, a kind of tender and tasty lobster.

Is this trip for you?

Cycling Conditions
Classification: Self-Guided
Activity Level: 2 (Leisurely/moderate)
Average daily distance: 38km (23.5miles)
No. of days cycling: 5
Terrain and route: The suggested cycle routes follow a mixture of dedicated cycle paths, which are either beside the road or separate from the road and some tracks.
Vehicle Support: This is a self-guided trip for those who prefer to cycle independently, but with our assistance to take out the stress of the logistics and planning. We arrange your accommodation, provide you with GPS route directions so that you can cycle at your own pace, while your bags are transported from one hotel to the next.

Nigel Turner

Reviewed September 2022

Extra days in the Azores

We booked this cycling trip to provide an additional week following the Exodus ‘Walking in the Azores’. That holiday visits four islands but not Terceira. So, by booking both trips we were able to visit five of the nine islands. It’s easy to get between islands by ferry or plane. There is a lot to see on Terceira so it’s a good place to visit. Angra is super, the volcanic cave is really good and I developed a keenness for photographing the colourful ‘imperios’ of the Holy Spirit which can be found in most villages. They look like (but aren’t) brightly coloured little chapels. The cycle route takes you round the island over three days with inland rides on the other two – five days in total. You can see quite a lot. When you go inland off the coastal roads it can be quite steep. This is especially the case with the first day of cycling (Day 2) which is probably the toughest, especially if you’re getting used to the bikes. These are mountain bikes with 2 x 10/11 gears. We’re used to hybrids and 3 x 8 so these took a bit of getting used to and we found we needed to walk up some of the hills. Having recently done two ‘moderate Exodus’ cycle trips, I reckon it is one is at least ‘moderate’ with some tougher bits where it’s absolutely fine to walk. One of the nice things about Terceira is that outside the towns there isn’t lots of traffic. We adjusted our route on Days 2 and 5 (the inland days) to suit our interests and were given good ideas from Tiago who supplies the bikes. Day 3 was our best day. There is a choice of routes. I did the route down to the edge of the coast and my wife stuck more to the roads. There were great views of the islands of Soa Jorge and Graciosa and we had lunch at the café attached to the cheese factory. The highlights of Day 4 were cycling through a herd of cows that was being moved between fields, cycling through the US airbase (mostly mothballed) and arriving at the religious monument that looks down on Praia. Praia is lovely. My wife relaxed on Day 5 in Praia and I cycled in the morning to the mountain with the wind turbines, for a great view both ways. We were lucky, there was a summer festival while we were there and we enjoyed a local food area, bull running and marching bands. It rained on Day 6. I completed the route and could see that it is pretty nice through some fishing villages and past interesting volcanic hills. We then added an extra day in Angra. So there are five interesting days of cycling – especially if you’re used to mountain bikes, are good at steep hills or don’t mind walking occasionally. If you’re not so sure then e-bikes are available and one of us would have preferred that! Being self-guided, the dates are flexible and so it’s easy to combine this with another trip or your own island-hopping plan. We booked late and at relatively short notice but rooms were available by upgrading our accommodation. The other islands we visited were very interesting and had different attractions – see the walking tour for ideas. Tip: one of the delightful things about the Azores is the blue hydrangeas. Our week in Terceira was in early August and we found that the hydrangeas were getting past their best at lower elevations.

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling through a herd of cows moving from one field to another. Enjoying Angra.

Thoughts on Group Leader

This was self-guided.

Advice for Potential Travellers

See above about linking with other trips and the blue hydrangeas.

Suggestions

These are mountain bikes.

Nigel Turner

Reviewed September 2022

Extra days in the Azores

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling through a herd of cows moving from one field to another. Enjoying Angra.

Thoughts on Group Leader

This was self-guided.

Advice for Potential Travellers

See above about linking with other trips and the blue hydrangeas.

Suggestions

These are mountain bikes.

Read All Reviews

Covid-19 refund commitment

You will get a refund if you have to cancel your trip due to COVID-19.

Availability

This trip is available on request. Please proceed with your booking online or contact our Sales Team for assistance.