Land in Ponta Delgada and shake out the legs
Arrive at João Paulo II Airport
Flights into São Miguel land at João Paulo II Airport (code PDL), on the western edge of Ponta Delgada, so it is only about a 10-minute taxi into town. One season note to set expectations: this week assumes you are here in summer (roughly June to September), which is the warmest, driest window and the best for both trails and swimming. São Miguel is green because it is wet, though, so even in summer the high crater rims can cloud over and the forest paths stay muddy in patches, pack proper trail shoes and a light waterproof whatever the month. Book flights →
Base yourself in Ponta Delgada
For the first two nights, base in Ponta Delgada: it is central for the western half of the island (Sete Cidades, Ferraria, Lagoa do Fogo are all short drives) and has the widest choice of places to stay and eat. You will shift base east to Furnas on Day 3 to cut the driving for the second half. Pick up a hire car here too, it is the only realistic way to reach the trailheads. Search hotels →
Gruta do Carvão lava tube, or a whale-watching boat
With the afternoon ahead, get underground at Gruta do Carvão, a lava tube running beneath Ponta Delgada. It is guided-only and the visits are short, with the last guided tour usually around 16:30 (the cave itself closes at 18:00), so head straight there after checking in and book ahead. If you would rather be on the water, whale-watching boats leave the Portas do Mar marina, sightings are best April to October, but tours run mainly in the morning and early afternoon, so this may sit better on a spare morning than a mid-afternoon arrival day. Search Ponta Delgada lava tube tours on GetYourGuide → or Search Ponta Delgada whale watching on GetYourGuide →
Easy shakeout run along the seafront
Round off the day by loosening the flight out of your legs with a gentle out-and-back along the Ponta Delgada seafront, the paved Avenida promenade running east from the Portas do Mar marina past the old city gates. It is flat, car-free and a good way to get your bearings without taxing anything before the real trails start tomorrow. Keep it easy, this is a leg-flush, not a session.
Sete Cidades crater rim, kayak and the ocean at Ferraria
Run the crater rim above Sete Cidades
Drive out to the Sete Cidades massif (around 30 to 40 minutes from Ponta Delgada) and run the marked crater-rim path, the official route here is PR4 SMI Mata do Canário, which follows the ridge high above the twin lakes of Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde before dropping into Sete Cidades village. It is point-to-point, so either arrange a pickup in the village or, simpler for a runner, head out along the rim for the views and turn back the way you came. Safety first up here: the rim clouds over fast, so check the forecast that morning, tell someone your route, carry water and a layer, and be ready to turn round if the fog rolls in, it is exposed and slippery when wet.
Viewpoints over the twin lakes
Cool down with the postcard views from the rim viewpoints above the caldera, the Vista do Rei miradouro looks straight down onto the blue and green lakes, with the abandoned hillside hotel beside it. It is a short drive or an easy jog along the ridge from the trail, and worth timing for a break in the cloud.
Kayak on Lagoa das Sete Cidades
Drop down into the village at lake level and get on the water: you can hire a kayak or paddleboard and cross Lagoa das Sete Cidades, which is a lovely low-impact way to give your legs a rest while still moving. Flat-water paddling, warm summer conditions, an easy recovery hour. Search Sete Cidades kayaking on GetYourGuide →
Ocean geothermal swim at Ponta da Ferraria
From Sete Cidades it is about 20 to 25 minutes down to Ponta da Ferraria on the west coast, where a hot spring bubbles up into a rocky ocean inlet and warms the sea. The catch, and it matters: it only works around low tide, when the warm spring water isn't swamped by cold Atlantic, check the tide table before you drive out. Even then this is open ocean with real currents and swell, so only get in when it is calm, use the fixed ropes, and get out if the sea picks up. There is a paid spa above the cove if the natural pool isn't swimmable.
Back to Ponta Delgada for dinner
It is roughly a 35 to 40 minute drive back into Ponta Delgada. Refuel properly tonight, plenty of fresh fish and Azorean beef around the old town, because tomorrow is another big trail day and a base move.
Lagoa do Fogo, then east to Furnas
Trail run down to Lagoa do Fogo
Drive out towards Lagoa do Fogo (around 30 minutes from Ponta Delgada) and run PRC02 SMI, the certified walking trail down to the crater lake from the Praia (south) trailhead, it drops off the ridge to the pale-sand shore before climbing back out. It is a proper leg-burner both ways and one of the best runs on the island. This one is high, open and cloud-prone, same rules as the rim: check the forecast, carry water and a layer, and don't commit if it is socked in with fog.
Swim and recover at the lake
Down at the water, cool the legs with a swim off the shore of Lagoa do Fogo, it sits in a protected nature reserve, so take everything back out with you and keep to the shoreline. The water is cold and clear; a quick plunge is the perfect halfway reward before the climb back to the car.
Transfer east and check in at Furnas
From Lagoa do Fogo it is roughly a 40-minute drive east to Furnas, where you shift base for the last two nights. Furnas puts you right in the thermal valley and close to the eastern trails, so you swap long drives for short ones. Check in and drop the bags. Search hotels →
The Furnas caldeiras
Walk the caldeiras in the middle of Furnas town, a cluster of boiling, sulphur-steaming springs where locals cook and you can taste the mineral spring waters. It is genuinely hot: stay behind the railings, keep off the crusted ground, and mind children. A guided thermal-valley walk is an easy way to make sense of what you are looking at. Search Furnas thermal valley tours on GetYourGuide →
Evening soak at Poça da Dona Beija
End the day in the warm iron-rich pools of Poça da Dona Beija, on the edge of Furnas, it stays open late (last entry around 21:30) and is the nicest possible way to unpick tired legs. Tickets are online-only and there is a modest entry fee (around €12 by day, €16 from early evening). The water is hot, so ease in slowly, don't stay in too long, and drink plenty of water afterwards.
Waterfall forest run at Faial da Terra and the Terra Nostra pool
Salto do Prego and Sanguinho loop run
Drive about 20 minutes east to the village of Faial da Terra and run the official PRC09 SMI loop, a roughly 4.5km circuit through lush laurel forest to the Salto do Prego waterfall and back through the abandoned, part-restored hamlet of Sanguinho. It is shorter and more sheltered than the crater runs, but the trail is rooty and slick underfoot in the trees, so watch your footing on the descents. Run the waterfall side out and the Sanguinho side back, as the signs suggest.
Dip under the waterfall
There is a shallow pool at the foot of Salto do Prego for a quick cold plunge, bracing rather than a swim, and a good jolt for the legs. It is cold mountain water over rock, so mind your footing on the wet stones and keep it brief.
Cozido cooked in the ground
Back in Furnas, lunch on cozido das Furnas, the slow-cooked meat-and-vegetable stew that is buried in the volcanic ground by the lake each morning and lifted out in the afternoon. It is the island's signature dish and exactly the kind of long, heavy, well-earned lunch a trail day deserves, restaurants in the valley serve it, but it often needs ordering ahead, so ask when you book.
Recover in the Terra Nostra thermal pool
Spend the afternoon in the big orange, iron-rich thermal pool at Parque Terra Nostra, set in a botanical garden in the heart of Furnas, day entry is around €17 and includes the garden. The water sits near 40°C, so ease in and don't overdo the time in the heat, and be warned the iron will stain a pale swimsuit, so wear something you don't mind.
Quiet dinner in Furnas
Keep the last full evening low-key with dinner in the village, local trout, more cozido if you didn't get enough, and an early night before a gentle final morning and the drive back west.
A gentle lake loop, one last soak, then home
Easy loop around Lagoa das Furnas
Finish with the flattest, kindest run of the week: the official PRC06 SMI loop around Lagoa das Furnas, roughly 9.5km on boardwalk and lakeside track past the steaming fumaroles where the cozido is cooked. After four days of climbing and descending, an easy circuit at lake level is the right way to send the legs home. Keep to the marked path near the hot ground.
One last thermal soak
Squeeze in a final short soak before you leave, back into Poça da Dona Beija, or the Terra Nostra pool if you would rather see the garden in the morning light. Ease in, keep it brief with a drive and a flight ahead, and rehydrate well afterwards.
Lunch and pack up
Grab an unhurried lunch in Furnas, settle up and load the car. Give yourself a comfortable buffer for the drive west rather than cutting it fine against the flight.
Drive back to the airport and fly home
It is around 45 minutes from Furnas back to João Paulo II Airport on the western side of Ponta Delgada. Drop the hire car, and if timings allow leave a little slack, island roads and the odd tour bus can slow the coast road. Book flights →