Lagoa das Empadadas: Our most recommended tours and activities

From Ponta Delgada: Half-Day Sete Cidades Quad Tour

1. From Ponta Delgada: Half-Day Sete Cidades Quad Tour

Enjoy a half-day quad tour around Sete Cidades, the largest freshwater lake in the Azores, situated in the western part of the island of São Miguel. Starting from Ponta Delgada, discover the stunning landscapes of the island.   Experience the amazing view over the island at the Pico do Carvão viewpoint, with Ponta Delgada on one side, and Ribeira Grande on the other. Climb up into the mountains to see the Lagoas Empadadas, and the Serra Devassa. The mountains and lakes in this region play a very important role supplying water to the villages. Stop at Canário Lake for one of the best views of the Boca do Inferno trail.   On the way back to the city, you will see the majestic view at Vista do Rei, providing you with spectacular views of the magical blue and green colors that characterize the waters of these lakes.

Azores: Sete Cidades Scenic 4WD Tour from Ponta Delgada

2. Azores: Sete Cidades Scenic 4WD Tour from Ponta Delgada

Get off the usual tourist trail on a 3-hour 4WD tour of the Sete Cidades (Seven Cities) region of the Azores island of São Miguel, departing from Ponta Delgada. Traveling by 4WD vehicle, you will experience the dramatic scenery of the volcanic crater and its flora and fauna in a more immersive fashion.  Drive to the mountain top to look down on the 2 impressive lakes of the caldera (basin), one with blue water (Lagoa Azul) and the other with green water (Lagoa Verde). Along the way, take in many other picturesque spots of São Miguel, including the peaceful lakes of Lagoa das Empadadas, Lagoa de Santiago, and Lagoa do Carvão.  Enjoy stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean, volcanic cones, and stretches of green, and go to villages that have played a vital role in the story of the island.

Sao Miguel: Full-Day Sete Cidades Buggy Tour Shared Buggy

3. Sao Miguel: Full-Day Sete Cidades Buggy Tour Shared Buggy

Meet your guide in Ponta Delgada then head to Rocha da Relva, where majestic views over Ponta Delgada await you. Venture up the mountains and stop at Miradouro do Pico do Carvão. Here, you will have a stunning panoramic view over the island. Continue to Lagoas das Empadadas, to admire the lush vegetation that surrounds the lake.   Next you'll go on an exciting off-road adventure around the top of the volcano's crater. Enjoy amazing views over the lakes, the mountains and the ocean from the other side of the volcano. At the end of the trail, head down to a local village where you'll enjoy a traditional lunch. After this, travel to see two nearby lakes, one green and one blue where you can enjoy some free time in this tranquil place. Continue on to other lakes and surrounding volcanoes. Climb up into the mountains again to see other places such as Lagoa de Santiago and Miradouro do Cerrado das Freiras. Then visit one of the most popular lookouts in the area, Vista do Rei, near an abandoned hotel. Before returning to the city, visit Miradouro do Escalvado to witness the peculiar village of Mosteiros. Explore the village and check out the local beach before heading back to your drop-off point.

From Ponta Delgada: Full-Day Sete Cidades Quad Tour

4. From Ponta Delgada: Full-Day Sete Cidades Quad Tour

Your tour starts at Ponta Delgada with a briefing about the vehicles and how to manage them. Then, set off to the lakes. During the climb there are amazing viewpoints from both sides of the island. Stop at Lagoa das Empadadas, for views over the volcanic cones to Ribeira Grande.  The adventure really begins at the off-road trail in Cumeeira, with amazing views over the volcano, the mountains, and the ocean. For lunch, enjoy a regional buffet and take some time to explore the village. The tour continues around the green and the blue lakes, with some explanations from the guide about area. Then it's time to go up to the mountains to enjoy views over Lagoa do Santiago, Cerrado das Freiras, and Vista do Rei. For those who just want to drive an all-terrain quad, and for those who want to explore the natural beauty of this region, you will certainly find the adventure you are looking for.

Sete Cidades - Half Day Tour

5. Sete Cidades - Half Day Tour

We great this amazing guided tour, we can visit the most beautiful places in the area of "Sete Cidades" between another places here in the island of São Miguel from Azores. On this guided tour we use a van with a maximum of space for 8 people, comfortable with plenty of space and with all the necessary conditions for this event. For a better understanding we will describe all our guided tour, first we start to pick-up all the people at 09:00 am in the hotels or in other places where we can meet, (please give all the information for the pick-up, for Example: Hotel name and room door or address from another place). We start our guided tour, in which we have several stops, all our stops are easily accessible, in the morning we start visiting (Pineapple Plantation in the Greenhouses/Viewpoint of the Pico do Carvão/Natural Park of Lagoa das Empadadas/Natural Park of Lagoa do Canário and Grota do Inferno/Viewpoint of the Blue and Green lakes of the Sete Cidades/Viewpoint of the Cerrado das Freiras/Center of the Sete Cidades Parish) we finish this guided tour on the center of the Sete Cidades Parish, them we return back to Ponta Delgada.

Sete Cidades Azores 4x4 Day Tour from Ponta Delgada

6. Sete Cidades Azores 4x4 Day Tour from Ponta Delgada

On this full-day tour, visit the Sete Cidades Massif, a field of alkali-basalt cinder cones and lava flows, and an area very popular for its lakes and surrounding hills. Departing from Ponta Delgada, travel up the mountain top that forms the caldera of a volcano where the lakes are located. Additionally, you will visit Empadadas and Carvão lakes, which will give you the opportunity to admire the beauty of untouched nature. Learn more about how volcanic activity formed the landscape. At lunchtime, stop off at a typical restaurant in the village of Sete CIdades, where you will eat a traditional meal. Then continue on, passing Vista do Rei, one of the island's top tourist destinations. Next, head to the Mosteiros, famous for its natural swimming pools, fishing harbor, and sandy beach of black basalt. On the way back to Ponta Delgada, you will also see the hot bathing spots caused by fumaroles on the coast.

São Miguel Island: Full-Day Off-Road Island Tour

7. São Miguel Island: Full-Day Off-Road Island Tour

Start your Land Rover tour in the southeastern part of the island in the volcanic area of Sete Cidades.After the pick up in you accomodation in Ponta Delgada you´ll be driven to the volcanic complex of Sete Cidades and their beautifull lakes. From Lagoa das Empadadas, to Cumeeira Grande, Muro das Nove das Janelas, Sete Cidades village, and the Vista do Rei viewpoint, your tour is full of exciting views. After lunch, served in a local restaurant, drive toward the Fogo complex and visit Pico da Barrosa, the Lagoa do Fogo viewpoint, the Caldeira Velha thermal baths, Salto do Cabrito and Ribeira Grande city. Drop off in your accomodation is included on this tour.

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What people are saying about Lagoa das Empadadas

Overall rating

4.9 / 5

based on 388 reviews

It was superb. The vistas were green and so luscious. It was worth every penny I spent on this tour. The 4- wheel drive was excellent and perfect for the terrain. Our guide Rodrigo was excellent, knowledgeable and shared a lot about the island. The different viewpoints for the green and blue lakes were spectacular. Coffee stop at Sete Cidades was a bonus. Who can forget the hydrangeas. Loved it! Loved it! Loved it.! Not to be missed on your trip to Azores.

Amazing half-day tour when you have a long layover. It was fairly foggy at first up in the mountains but they started to fade as the day kept going. Rodrigo was an amazing guide that translated between English & Portuguese, and was incredibly informative of the sites we saw. Highly Recommend!

Very fun tour, it was foggy n raining but still beautiful. Guide was phenomenal! Really enjoyed myself, so glad i went!

Multilingual guide and very informative and energetic. Thanks Filipe

Your guide was informed and funny. Overall great experience!