Sao Miguel walking holiday – self-guided

Furnas Lake Walk - Length : 9km. Approximate walking time : 2½ - 3 hours. Grading : Easy. Today you can take a walk straight from your hotel to Furnas Lake and then around it stopping to see the cooking holes where locals lower casseroles into holes in the ground to be cooked by the volcanic heat. This pretty walk follows the road up to the lake and then a path around the wooded lake edge lush with Himalayan Ginger and plane and eucalyptus trees.

Ribeira Quente to Povoacao walk - Length : 8km. Approximate walking time : 3 hours. Grading : Moderate. Today you leave your car at the fishing village of Ribeira Quente with its sandy beach and pretty port. From here you take the undulating coastal path offering some wonderful views out across the Atlantic. The walk ends at Povoacao (meaning 'settlement') where the first settlers landed in 1432. This remote town is a great place to end your walk with a sandy beach (why not go for a swim!) and lots of good cafes serving delicious Azorean pastries including 'Fofa', a giant chocolate eclair! Please note this walk requires a transfer back to the start once you have left your car at Ribeira Quente (around €15). There is a taxi rank in Povoacao so is easily arranged when you arrive there.

Fire Lake Walk - Length : 12km. Approximate walking time : 4½ - 5 hours. Grading : Moderate. This walk follows a good path and then a watercourse from 10m up to the Fire Lake at 600m, walking through the lovely wooded valleys. This is probably the most impressive and ‘wild’ crater lake of all the islands. The walk then continues down to the coast along a farm track ending at a sandy beach where you can take a swim and refresh yourself!

Leave your hire car at the airport. Fly São Miguel to London