Silversea Luxury Cruises To PONTA DELGADA (São Miguel Island)

Indulge your senses with the spectacular mountainous interior of São Miguel during this half-day, off-road sightseeing excursion.

Caminho Novo Belvedere/Feteiras

Meet your driver/guide at the pier and board your 4WD vehicle for the scenic, approximately 45-minute drive to Sete Cidades. En route, pass by small villages and travel along old tracks and streams as you ascend into the island's mountainous interior. Your route offers breath-taking vistas of rugged lava outcrops, indigenous forests and vegetation, and valleys and meadows lined with colourful hydrangeas and sparkling clear streams. Make short photo stops in both Caminho Novo Belvedere and Feteiras.

Sete Cidades

Next you will drive to Sete Cidades Crater Lakes for a brief photo stop and for exploration. Continue on to Sete Cidades Village and discover the village on foot. Sete Cidades is a parish in the centre of Ponta Delgada that is likewise located in the centre of a massive volcanic crater that is three miles (4.8 km) across, also referred to as Sete Cidades.

Following your off-road exploration of Sete Cidades and its magnificent lakes and belvederes, commence the approximately 45-minute drive back to the pier and the ship.

Discover the splendid natural beauty and history of the Azores during this half-day sightseeing excursion to Ribeira Grande and Fire Lake. Take a walking tour in Ribeira Grande and then drive to the summit of the Pico de Barrosa Mountains overlooking Fire Lake.

Ribeira Grande

Depart the pier for the scenic, approximately 30-minute drive northeast from Ponta Delgade to Ribeira Grande, the oldest and largest city on the north coast. Upon arrival, take a guided walking tour along its narrow, cobblestone lanes lined with lovely 17th- and 18th-century buildings.

Pico de Barrosa Mountains and Fire Lake

Next, your drive continues along mountain roads to the summit of the Pico de Barrosa Mountains. Here, take in spectacular vistas overlooking Fire Lake, one of the most beautiful lakes on the island.

Pineapple Plantation

Afterward, proceed for a visit to the Pineapple Plantation, the only place in the world where pineapples are grown in greenhouses. Depending on the season, savour some fresh pinapple or a pinapple cupcake and Liquor. Following your visit, re-board your coach and commence the approximately 30-minute drive back to the pier along the new road descending towards Remedios in the south and through Laoga. En route, take in panoramic views of more than 100 small volcanoes dotting the western side of the island.

Departure from the pier and drive through Ponta Delgada towards Northeast along pleasant roads bordered with japanese Cedars, Hydrangeas and Ginger Lilies.

Ribeira Grande & guided city tour

Reach Ribeira Grande, the unique North City with a strong feeling of the Portuguese influence. Enjoy a short (approximately 30 minutes) guided visit of the city centre.

Pico do Ferro Belvedere, Furnas Valley & Terra Nostra Botanic Garden

Proceed to pico do Ferro Belvedere, a spectacular view point, from which admire the Furnas Valley. Descend into the Valley to explore Terra Nostra Botanic Garden.

Developed over the centuries the garden contains an extensive number of trees from all over the world, as well as, a serpentine canal, grottoes, camellias, ferns and cycas. Following this visit, head to Furnas Hot Springs, one of the richest hydrological areas in Europe, with 22 thermal springs.

Return to Ponta Delgada via Vila Franca do Campo, the former capital of the island.

Setting off from the port your walk takes you to the Farmers' Market, where you will have the opportunity to taste some locally made specialties.

After visiting the market, continue through the bustling main streets of Ponta Delgada. Stop to admire one of the city's most visited sights, the Gothic church of St. Sebastian, built between 1531 and 1547. The walk continues to Zenite Garden, where you can sit and relax with a delicious homemade dessert.

Explore the splendid churches, botanical gardens and architectural styles of Ponta Delgada during this half-day sightseeing excursion through the city.

City Churches

Depart the pier for the brief transfer to Ponta Delgada, a flat, rectangular city noted for its architectural styles, monuments and gardens. Your tour begins with a visit to the 16th-century Church of Sao Sebastiao. From here, take a guided walking tour through the city's main shopping area en route to the Convent and Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Esperança, home of the jewel-encrusted statue of Jesus Christ of the Miracles.

Botanical Gardens

Next, re-board your coach and proceed to the nearby Jose do Canto Botanical Garden. Planted in the mid-19th century, it features exotic trees, small gardens, forests and lawns transmitting a breath-taking peace. Your final stop is at the very romantic Antonio Borges Botanical Garden. Created between 1858 and 1861 and belonging to Antonio Borges Medeiros, a business-man very interested in botany. View its lovely collection of European and tropical trees that thrive in this climate.

Following your visit, re-board your coach for the brief drive back to the pier and the ship.

Be introduced to the beauty and wonders of Portugal with a tour to Sete Cidades Crater Lakes, the Antonio Borges Botanical Garden and finally a stop at Pineapple Plantation.

Feteiras

Leaving Ponta Delgada via the coastal road through the western part of the city, you will pass through a number of very picturesque villages before arriving at Feteiras.

Sete Cidades Crater Lakes

From Feteiras the route ascends towards Sete Cidades until the main crater of this extinct volcano, some 1,900 feet (579 metres) above sea level is reached. From the edge of this crater, 8 miles (13 km) in circumference, there is a magnificent view of the two lakes at the bottom. One is blue, reflecting the sky, and the other bright green due to the beautiful setting of the crater walls which are rich in vegetation.

Antonio Borges Botanical Garden

The return journey is made through the new road, stopping at the famous António Borges Botanical Garden, where there is a remarkable collection of European and tropical trees growing in this romantic setting.

Pineapple Plantation

Continuing to the suburb of Abelheira, a final stop is made at Pineapple Plantation, where the complete process of cultivation and marketing of this fruit will be explained.

Following your visit, re-board your coach for the brief drive back to the pier and the ship in Ponta Delgada.

Explore Ponta Delgada at your leisure during your Silver Shore Privato full-day (8-Hour) sightseeing tour via private car. Customize your own itinerary or choose to see an overview of the area's highlights.

Depart the pier with your English-speaking guide in an air-conditioned car and discover the city and surrounding areas at your own pace. Your exclusive tour concludes back at the pier.

Explore Ponta Delgada at your leisure during your Silver Shore Privato half-day (4-Hour) sightseeing tour via private car. Customize your own itinerary or choose to see an overview of the area's highlights.

Depart the pier with your English-speaking guide in an air-conditioned car and discover the city and surrounding areas at your own pace. Your exclusive tour concludes back at the pier.

Explore Ponta Delgada at your leisure during your Silver Shore Privato full-day (8-Hour) sightseeing tour via private van. Customise your own itinerary or choose to see an overview of the area's highlights.

Depart the pier with your English-speaking guide in an air-conditioned van and discover the city and surrounding areas at your own pace. Your exclusive tour concludes back at the pier.

Explore Ponta Delgada at your leisure during your Silver Shore Privato half-day (4-Hour) sightseeing tour via private van. Customise your own itinerary or choose to see an overview of the area's highlights.

Depart the pier with your English-speaking guide in an air-conditioned van and discover the city and surrounding areas at your own pace. Your exclusive tour concludes back at the pier.

This exclusive tour is designed to allow you the chance to customize your time ashore and discover the most interesting sites in the comfort and privacy of your own vehicle. You will be promised scenic beauty and contact with one of the oldest villages in São Miguel where the old traditional way of living in the Azorean villages is still kept alive.

Sete Cidades

The entire region of Sete Cidades is dominated by the impressive Caldeira, with its almost 7.5 mile (12 km) diameter; this is the most spectacular volcanic view in the Azores. The Azores are actually some of the tallest mountains on the planet, measured from their base at the bottom of the ocean to their peaks, which thrust high above the surface of the Atlantic. Because these once-uninhabited and remote islands were settled sporadically over a span of two centuries, their culture, dialect, cuisine and traditions vary considerably. King Charles I of Portugal contemplated this impressive panorama in 1901, discovering there lays two volcanic lakes, the Green and the Blue Lake, separated by a narrow bridge.

Crater Lakes

Together the Green and Blue lakes have an area of 482 hectares (2 miles), and they are 19 metres (62 feet) deep at their greatest depth. On the shores of the Blue Lake is the village of Sete Cidades, enigmatic as its own name (Seven Cities) and surrounded by the dark forest covered walls of the Caldeira. Have the opportunity to see the lakes not only from the highest point but also to admire up close.

Santiago Lake

On the way back to Ponta Delgada you will also have the opportunity to see Santiago Lake. The Santiago Lake is situated in the Devassa Mountain, nearby the amazing Sete Cidades Lake, on the wonderful São Miguel Island, on the Azores Archipelago. In a place of great natural beauty, the lake amazes for its surrounding of greenish mountain slopes filled with natural richness and different species of flora and fauna, proud of the lake waters in dark green tones.

The Santiago Lagoon occupies a volcanic crater, quite visible in the Lagoa do Canário viewpoint, this offers a panorama of great beauty, such as the pure image of the greenish Azores Archipelago.

Pineapple Plantation

One of the more unusual sightseeing destinations on São Miguel is the well-known Pineapple Plantation, located just outside of Ponta Delgada. You can see the greenhouses (the Azores are not warm enough to cultivate the fruit outdoors), and take a tour of the plantation and learn of the growing stages and cultivation.

Your private vehicle then returns you to the pier and your ship after your day of discovery.

Experience a thrilling dolphin encounter in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Enjoy the ultimate dolphin experience - swimming with wild dolphins in their natural habitat.

The crystal-clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean that embrace the Azores are teeming with bottlenose, common, and Atlantic spotted dolphins. Where better to swim with these playful marine mammals than in their own habitat?

Embarking on a RIB with an experienced skipper and a marine biologist, you'll set out into the ocean in search of these elegant creatures. En route, your expert guides will inform you of the species you are likely to encounter and offer advice on how best to interact with the dolphins, to get the most out of your experience.