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- Portugal - Azores
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Azores walking holidays
The 9 islands of the Azores are something of a hidden gem, floating serenly in the Atlantic Ocean. The archipelago is known for its volcanic landscape and famous ‘picos’, its incredible natural beauty, and whale watching (the blue whale can be spotted almost all year round). The Azores is also an important producer of tea. Tea has been cultivated here for over 200 years and the plantations are well worth a visit during your Azores walking holidays.
The official language of the Azores is Portuguese. A walking trip in the Azores is a walk through the colonial past of Portugal, passing through ancient villages and towns that were built by the very first settlers of the archipelago. Discover the unique regional identity of the locals through festivals and religious celebrations to cooking methods and music. The Azoreans are proud of their agricultural heritage. The Azorean cow was brought over to the archipelago by the first settlers in the 15th century. The mild temperatures allow for the animals to live outdoors all year round. Over 50% of the cattle are dairy cows and produce 50% of the local cheeses !
Are the Azores walkable ?
The archipelago of the Azores is a great playground for hikers! The terrain is diverse and can be very different from one island to the next: the arid, volcanic terrain of Sao Miguel is in stark contrast to the luscious green island of Flores. Most walks are graded easy to moderate and the trails tend to be well marked to ensure the safety of hikers but also to protect the environment and local fauna and flora. Azores walking holidays will have you explore crater lakes and volcanic pools, black sand beaches and waterfalls, and enjoy self-guided coastal hikes with stunning views along paths lined with blue hydrangeas, through pastures and vineyards.
You can choose Azores walking holidays to suit you, from a 5-day to an 8-day trip, or even combine 2 trips and make it a fortnight getaway ! The constant presence of water in every direction reminds you that you are on just droplets of land in the immensity of the Ocean, a somewhat humbling thought to ponder on your tour.
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- Self-guided
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Walking
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- Medium
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- 8 days
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- From April to October
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Accommodation choice :
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- Comfort
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Highlights of the trip in the Azores
- Wild crater lakes and incredible volcanic fumaroles
- Bathing in natural volcanic pools and hot springs
- The freedom of the rental car
- Exploring Nordeste, one of the wildest regions of Sao Miguel
- Less frequented, off the beaten track hiking trails
Go private or go guided ! Customize your holidays with a local specialist here
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- Portugal - Azores
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Azores walking holiday: Faial, Sao Jorge and Pico
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- Self-guided
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Walking
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- Medium
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- 8 days
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- From April to October
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Accommodation choice :
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- Simple /
- Comfort /
- Charming
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Highlights of the trip
- The discovery of 3 authentic and wild islands far away from mass tourism
- The diversity of the hikes: on coastal paths, over craters and cinders, through pastures
- The ascent of Mount Pico (2351 m) with a local guide,
- All transfers included from the airport on day 1 to the airport on day 8
- Swimming in natural pools dug into volcanic rocks
Go private or go guided ! Customize your holidays with a local specialist here
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- Portugal - Azores
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Terceira & Graciosa: between cultural and natural heritage
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- Self-guided
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Walking
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- Easy
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- 5 days
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- From April to October
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Accommodation choice :
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- Comfort /
- Charming
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Highlights of the trip
- The discovery of Angra do Heroismo classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Car rental included on Terceira island allowing you to roam freely around the island and choose your hikes or visits!
- Explore the sweet island of Graciosa, rarely visited and classified as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO
- Domestic return flight to Graciosa Island as well as all transfers included on the island
- Combine this 5 days trip with one of our trips in the Azores !
Go private or go guided ! Customize your holidays with a local specialist here
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- Portugal - Azores
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Flores & Corvo: The great wonders of these two small islands!
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- Self-guided
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Walking
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- Medium
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- 5 days
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- From April to October
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Accommodation choice :
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- Simple /
- Comfort
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Highlights of the trip
- The discovery of two rarely visited islands: Flores and Corvo with their exceptional nature
- A choice of hikes in Flores according to the mood of the day
- Car rental included : to move freely around the island and choose your hikes !
- Domestic flight to Flores, and boat crossing Flores/Corvo included
- Combine this 5 days trip with one of our trips in the Azores !
Go private or go guided ! Customize your holidays with a local specialist here
Why travel with us ?
Here are 4 very good reasons read more... for booking walking or cycling holidays in France with Intura :
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1. Our very own tours
We create and operate all of our waking and cycling holidays. Our itineraries are tried and tested by our team of track finders, who walk the paths and cycle the routes to ensure that you see only the very best. Because we create the tours, we can also tweak them and create a tailor-made holiday, just for you. Choose the duration of nights, the level of walking or cycling that you feel comfortable with, the level of accomdation that you would like and let us know if there are any extras such as wine tasting or a cooking class or a restaurant or two that you wish to include, and we will get back to you with a personalised offer and/or recommendations for any ‘must sees’ and local markets not to be missed !
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2. Handpicked local suppliers
We choose our partners based on our core values and it is important to us that we work local. We strive to offer small family-run guest houses on our walking and cycling holidays in France and avoid the chains. We understand the importance of a decent cup of coffee in the morning and the pleasure at finding home-made jams on the breakfast buffet. The accommodation on our trips is all part of the local experience!
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3. High end bikes on your cycling holiday
France is home to the ‘Tour de France’ and thus reigns a strong bike culture with superb trails and paths to explore safely. We offer good quality bikes and have been working with our bike supplier for almost 2 decades now. The fleet is renewed regularly and the bikes are expertly maintained. You can choose to hire a hybrid bike, an electric bike or a road bike. The bikes are delivered to your first accommodation and picked up from your final destination. We include a brief for Ebikes, an explanation on how they work. Enjoy a bike tour through Provence, from 3 to 8 days, taking it easy or setting yourself more of a challenge, either way, you will fall in love with France’s rich and diverse landscape and culture.
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4. Reassurance
Although our walking and cycling holidays in France are self-guided, we do all the groundwork to provide you with excellent, detailed written route notes and up to date GPS files. We book all transfers in advance so you don’t have to and we provide you with a 24/7 emergency telephone number. We are here to answer any questions, put an end to any doubt and assist you in any way we can whilst you are out on the trails.
