June 21st - one day excursion

1. Departure from Ponta Delgada, University of the Azores.

2. We head to Furnas on the south side of the island, passing through Vila Franca do Campo, where you can see the Ilhéu, an old crater of a submerged volcano. It is currently known to be part of the Red Bull Cliff Diving circuit.

3. The first stop is the Furnas Lagoon, where the famous Cozido das Furnas is made, in the natural boilers.

4. We proceed to visit Poça da Beija, a natural SPA with hot ferrous thermal waters. Those who desire are able to take a relaxing bath before lunch. Do not forget the swimming suit!   Alternatively, you can visit Terra Nostra Park Garden and enjoy its natural pool of ferrous water. The Garden was created more than 200 years ago by Thomas Hickling, a Boston merchant who fell in love with Furnas.

5. The lunch stop follows, where we can taste the famous stew “Cozido das Furnas” we visited before.

6. Heading up to the center of the Furnas village, we will see other boilers and taste the typical waters from different natural sources. If you want, you can take a microbial mini-safari through the boilers and discover how the extremophile bacteria live.

7. We continue our journey along the north coast, stopping at the Gorreana tea plantation, unique in Europe. In the "Gorreana Tea" factory, in business since 1883, you can taste the famous green and black tea of ​​the island.

8. The last stop will be the viewpoint of St Iria where you have a magnificent view of the north coast and the sea, ideal to take some photos.
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9. We return to Ponta Delgada, but not until we pass through the center of the northern capital, the city of Ribeira Grande.