An Active Exploration of the Azores With Your Family

Breakfast is not included

This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own, to have what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

At 2:00 p.m. before check-in, we will set out on an expert-led walk around the town of Ponta Delgada learning about the city’s most important landmarks such as the Former Jesuit College chapel, the local Municipal Market, Portas da Cidade (City Gates), and the sanctuary of Senhor Santo Cristo housing the most important religious icon on the island. We will also note places of interest such as banks and ATMs, pharmacies, etc., along the route. At 3:45 p.m. we will return to the hotel for check-in. Orientation: at 6:00 p.m. join our Group Leader in a welcome cocktail (or fruit juice) greeting everyone. and leading introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions <Br Program-related travel and transfers will be via private bus unless noted otherwise. Meals will feature local cuisine in a variety of settings. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to make the program more meaningful and memorable through personal independent exploration, attending performances, other events, or simply relaxing and making new friends among fellow participants. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. This is a Road Scholar Grandparent & grandchild program. Adult participants are responsible for their children at all times. Program staff will supervise if/when separate age group activities are conducted concurrently. Minors must never be left unsupervised. Breakfasts will be buffets. Other included meals will be plated and served from a set menu unless indicated otherwise; wine for adults, water and other beverages for the kids are included with meals. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times might change due to local circumstances/conditions. We will alert you as quickly as possible in the event of changes. Thank you for being so understanding.

Dinner at the Hotel

At leisure. Relax and get to know your fellow participants

At the Hotel

Departing the hotel by bus, we will first visit -Casa dos Vulcoes- Observatorio Vulcanologico e Geotermico dos Acores for a presentation and a guided visit by an expert introducing a variety of interesting rock formations created by volcanic activities that formed the various Azorean islands over a thousand years ago. We continue to Vila Franca do Campo were we will have our lunch

A picnic at a local viewpoint.

After lunch, we will board the bus and drive to the outskirts of Ponta Delgada where we will descend inside - Gruta do Carvao- an empty ancient lava tube to explore its depth and learn how it was created. After the visit, we return to the Hotel to refresh before meeting in the conference room for an introduction lecture on basic words of the Portuguese language

Dinner at a local restaurant

At leisure

At the hotel.

Departing from the hotel, we will walk or take a short ride to meet the biologist at the office by the dock side for our information meeting and donning our kits for the day experience. After the security briefing, we board our zodiac boat to start our adventure. During the morning, we will be observing sperm whales, dolphins and probably other cetaceans, recording the sounds, collecting samples of skin, stools and other materials for analysis back in the office. We will also have an opportunity to photograph and identify the species during the expedition.

Lunch will be a picnic on board.

After continuing our exploration, we return to base with the biologist to analyse the samples collected and learn more about maritime life and the cetaceans. Returning to the hotel, we will have some free time to enjoy the hotel pool and refresh before meeting in the conference room for a Lecture about the Azores.

At a local restaurant.

The remainder of the evening is at leisure.

At the hotel.

After breakfast, we will board our bus and take a field trip to Capelas, visiting Museu das Oficinas - the Workshops Museum. We will meet the owners who will introduce their private collection. The ethnographic display is a labour of love by a couple, retired school teachers, determined to preserve for future generations memories of every craft, profession, or traditional labour from these islands and Portugal as a whole. Returning to our bus we drive to Ribeira Grande for some exploration on your own.

Picnic en route

After our picnic, we return to the bus and drive to Miradouro do Pico da Barosa, at 899m (2.950 Ft), a viewpoint over “Lagoa do Fogo”- Fire lake. From here, you can observe the lush green vegetation surrounding the lagoon which lies inside the crater at 1886 feet wide and 98 feet deep. We will then return to our hotel in Ponta Delgada

Tonight’s dinner is on your own to try local restaurants.The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions

At leisure.

At the hotel.

We depart our hotel to the village of Furnas, arriving at the lake side, where we will take a 16 minutes’ walk through the forest to Treetops Adventure, where you will be able to try some of the 5 treetop routes with varying degrees of difficulty. After the adventure, we will walk back through the forest to the “Fumaroles” to watch the Cozido being retrieved from the hole underground where it has been cooking for at least 7 hours. We then proceed to a local restaurant for lunch and try the Cozido

At a local restaurant – Cozido

After lunch, we will have a guided visit of Terra Nostra private Botanical Gardens, to learn about the endemic flora of the Azores and other species introduced to these islands from distant lands. There will be also free time at Terra Nostra Garden where you will be able to enjoy a dip into the large thermal pool, filled by spring water pouring constantly into the large pool at an average 45C. There are also three other natural smaller Jacuzzi/pools.

Dinner on your own to try the local restaurants. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions

At leisure.

At the hotel.

After breakfast, we board our waiting jeeps and drive to Vista do Rei view point at 1,600ft high, offering great views over Sete Cidades and the twin Blue and Green lagoons. We will spend the morning here with the opportunity to enjoy Kayaking, stand up paddling and bicycle along the shores of the lagoons, or just walk around enjoying the scenery and nature. There will be some team activities and competitions.

We will enjoy a group picnic on the shores of the lagoon

In the afternoon, we will stop at Mosteiros pools, to learn about the lava rock formations that created natural pools in the ocean. There will also be an opportunity to swim. Returning to Ponta Delgada, the remainder of the afternoon is at leisure.

At a local restaurant

At leisure.

At the hotel.

After breakfast, we will drive North East of the island to Ribeira dos Caldeiroes, a Natural Park and a protected area that stretches along the part of the water stream of Ribeira dos Caldeirões. You will see the most famous waterfall known as the Bride’s veil. After a training introduction and being fitted with your gear, we start the Canyoning adventure lasting about 2 hours through dense vegetation, climbing over rocks, along brooks, abseil down and under waterfalls and jumping into natural pools. Those not wanting to take the challenge can explore a small village and the park and its waterfalls. After the Adventure we return to our bus and drive to Microbial Observatory of the Azores (OMIC) in Furnas.

We will have a picnic

We will enjoy a guided visit of OMIC which promotes knowledge about biodiversity and microbial ecology, emphasizing their importance for the balance and evolution of ecosystems on Earth, with special attention to the Azorean environment and sustainability of its ecosystems. During the visit we will have an opportunity to experience a hands on researching activity helping to preserve the environment

Dinner on your own to try the local restaurants. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

At leisure.

At the Hotel

After our breakfast, we will check out of the hotel, board our bus and drive to Faja de Baixo to visit a local pineapple farm. Pineapples were brought here from Brazil in the 19th Century, but unlike those of its native land, Azores pineapples are grown in greenhouses and take about two years to mature. This slow process makes them very sweet. We will look inside greenhouses to see the plants in different stages of growth. Back to our bus, we take a short ride to Quinta do Agricultor to meet the family running this traditional Azorean farm. A member of the family will walk through the plantations explaining their crops and giving samples of some of the products grown, all organically. We will be introduced to the farm animals, probably having the opportunity to milk a cow and feed some of the animals. Arriving in front of a traditional Azorean stone house, preserved as it was in the past, we will be introduced to its contents

We will experience a traditional light farm lunch with some members of the family.

After lunch, we return to the Hotel and the rest of the afternoon is free to enjoy the hotel pools, relax and prepare our packing for tomorrow’s departure.

Tonight we will have our farewell dinner.

Prior to dinner, we will gather in the hotel bar with the Group Leader and fellow Road Scholars for a farewell drink while sharing memories of this and other Road Scholar programs. The Group Leader will also give instructions for tomorrow’s departure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning. The remainder of the evening is at leisure.

At the hotel followed by checkout. The Group Leader will be at hand to confirm departure instructions.

After breakfast time is at leisure. Checkout time is 11:00am. Your Group Leader will be at hand to assist and advise on your transfer to the airport according to your group flight time. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to login in to the Tripcast album created by your Group Leader and load you pictures to share with your fellow participants the memorable moments you have registered of this exciting Road Scholar experience, and to join our Facebook page and the and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys

Lunch is on your own if your departure is in the afternoon or evening. This meal is left out of your program.

If your flight is in the afternoon/evening, you can enjoy the hotel pools and spa facilities until time to depart Your Group Leader will be advising and assisting with transfers to the airport according to your flight time.