Mystic Furnas - Canoeing + Terra Nostra

Absolutely Five Stars For starters, the tour company, Pico de Aventura is conveniently located on the waterfront in Ponta Delgada, an easy walk from the City Gates. We booked through TripAdvisor for a very reasonable cost, especially when you consider what’s included. Scheduled for a 9:00 AM pick-up, the van actually arrived a few minutes early. We had one stop at a local hotel to pick up another customer - who unfortunately for him didn’t show up - so it was just the two of us and the tour guides. On the road to - as well as back from - Furnas, the lead guide Thiago was a absolute wealth of information (in very good English) on the history and features of the parts of the island we passed by and through. Along with us came Goncalo, a trainee/summer intern who was a great help. First stop, Lake Furnas and the hot springs where we watched the pots of cozido - our future lunch - being pulled from the volcanic pits. A stroll around made for dozens of photos of the fumaroles and the tallest waterfall on the island. Then, into the kayaks for a very serious paddle across the lake and back. After such a workout, it was off to lunch at Tony’s. The line out the door was not an issue as Thiago led us to a reserved private table for two. Delicious local bread, cheese and wine was followed with a huge plate of the cozido - beef, pork, chicken and sausage accompanied by steamed vegetables. It may look like a New England boiled dinner, but the flavors were out of this world. After dinner, Thiago went beyond what was originally included, taking on a guided walk through the Terra Nostra botanical garden. Thiago was training Goncalo, but we were the real beneficiaries. While not everything was in bloom (March 5) it was still beautiful. We finished with a dip in the thermal pool which is a must-do. A 45 minute ride back to Ponta Delgada and a dropoff at the city gates, closer to where were staying. Overall, this trip is worth far more than the price. Considering that they were only two of us, some companies might’ve postponed, but not this one. I would highly recommend the tour and have nothing but praises for Thiago and Concalo.

Dani and Tiago were both great tour guides. Very informative, friendly and fun. We had a great day out. Lunch at Tony's was top notch and the Botanic Gardens were beautiful.

Thiago was the perfect guide for the day. It started with meeting him at the marina which was easily accessible. It was a very comfortable van for my family (me, my wife and 2 children 7 & 9). On the way to Furnas, Thiago was a great guide pointing out many different sights along the way and stopping a couple of times for picturesque photo opportunities. We learned so much about the island just from our trip to Furnas. Once we arrived we walked around the thermal grounds and got to watch some of the restaurants remove their food from where it was cooking which was so exciting. We then went kayaking in the lake. The entire time Thiago was providing us information about everything we could see around us - the buildings, the history of the crater, etc. From there we went into the town for lunch at Tony's. There was a long line but we felt like VIPs as we were able to walk right in and had a table waiting for us. The service was excellent and the traditional meal was so good. We tried all of the meats and vegetables. From there we went to Terra Nostra garden. Thiago guided us around to some of the must-see areas. Once we toured the grounds he showed us the changing areas, pool, and jacquizi areas and showed us where to meet him in an hour. We all enjoyed taking a swim in the naturally heated swimming pool (the reviews are not lying - do not wear white or light-colored items that you dont want to get stained from the iron and minerals). We then had a nice van ride back to the city where he continued to point out different sights along the way and gave us recommendations for dinner, other places to see on our own, etc. Thiago definitely made the day perfect which his knowledge and service! We definitely recommend this experience!