Azores Horseback Riding Tour

Meet Our Horses

Upon arrival at Horta (HOR), Faial Island’s airport, we meet our Wild Women guide and take in our first gulps of scenery en route to our accommodations at Patio Lodge for check-in.

Our guide will provide an overview of the week ahead as we recharge with welcome drinks and possibly a light lunch or cake with punchy coffee, depending on the group’s arrival time. Our horse trail guide will explain everything essential about the riding days ahead.

Later, we swap travel stories, first impressions and laughs over dinner at the lodge’s on-site restaurant before enjoying a serene sleep in our thoughtfully appointed rooms.

Included Meals

Dinner

Accommodations

Patio Ecolodge

Our First Ride

We start the day with a healthy locally sourced breakfast buffet before a briefing about today’s trail ride and meeting our horses.

As we become acquainted with our gentle Lusitano companions, both novice and experienced riders find a natural rhythm on the 1.5 hour ride  to a popular whale-spotting point. Here, we meet our Wild Women guide and find scenic seats on the walls of the spotter tower to learn about the Faial whaling culture while taking in the supreme ocean view.

Our talented chef will provide an elaborate saddlebag picnic that we’ll linger over before riding 1.5 hours back to Patio Lodge. There will be time to reflect and relax by the pool or in the bar before dinner. Tonight, the master chef will prepare a showcase of the Azores best flavors.

Included Meals

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodations

Patio Ecolodge

Riverbeds and Rock Pools

After breakfast we gather for a trail briefing and prepare our horse for today’s ride. After a short jaunt we reach the dramatic cliffs of the coastline that push 328 feet (100 m) out of the Atlantic. After passing over the dry riverbeds, we reach Porto da Eira, the first historic whalers harbor. We leave our horses at the top to descend 80 steps to the pocket of natural rock pools for a break.

Continuing our ride, we reach Porto do Salão, the second whaling harbor, where a local guide will share the whaling history and evolution of this area. If ocean conditions permit, we may have the chance for a bracing dip before our picnic lunch.

Our ride follows the trail for another hour to the paddock where our horses will spend the night. It’s a short transfer back to the lodge where we have time to relax and enjoy another traditional taste adventure courtesy of our chef.

Included Meals

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodations

Patio Ecolodge

A Panoramic Picnic

After breakfast and a briefing, we will transfer to the paddocks to reunite with our horses. Our guide will help us prepare our horses for today’s jungly trail and steep ascent into the mountains of Faial.

At the top, for those who are experienced and confident, we have the opportunity to canter a long distance. As we approach the forest, we tie our horses to the fenceline and sit down to a typical Azorean picnic in a truly mystical setting. We can continue to chill or join our guide on an interpretive walk to learn about the endemic plants and their importance.

Our ride continues through this serene and secluded area—we may pass farmers tending to their cattle or cultivating their yam gardens. We return to our lodge in the afternoon by horseback and have time to stretch, lounge or swim in the rejuvenating saltwater pool.

Tonight, we reflect on the day’s ride as we sit on the stone walls of Patio watching (hopefully) the sun disappear into the ocean.

Included Meals

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodations

Patio Ecolodge

UNESCO World Heritage Site

It’s an early bird morning!  We head to the Faial ferry boat harbor for a scenic 30-minute passage to the neighboring island of Pico. The landscape is a startling contrast of black rocks, lava remnants, geographically unique vineyards and the domineering 7,713 foot-high (2,351 m) Pico volcano. Our guide will visit the local pastry shop to pick up our sweet breakfast that we will enjoy before visiting the Wine Museum of Pico. Here, we learn about the difficulty of producing wine on this isolated volcanic island in the middle of the moody Atlantic. These century-ol stone-walled vineyards are a UNESCO designated site.

Our next stop is the mystical lava tube cave of Frei Mateus where we descend (briefly) into the darkness and explore the tunnel via an opening that was created when the lava tube collapsed. After our lessons in vinho and short spelunking adventure, we drive along the coast to take in the immense vineyard views, black lava remnants and charming villages. We will also stop to visit The Wishing Tree where islanders and tourists alike impart their quiet dreams and wishes for the future.

Lunch will be close to the seaside in Lajes, an old whalers town known for its small harbor and informative whaling exhibition. On our return to the ferry dock, we stop at the UNESCO Vineyards of Pico and walk through this awesome historical and culturally dense area. Back on Faial Island, we enjoy dinner and laughs together at the Ecolodge.

Included Meals

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodations

Patio Ecolodge

Walk the Rim

After a filling breakfast, we drive to the tiptop of the island to the rim of Faial’s volcano, Caldeira do Faial. It sits 3,421 feet (1,043 m) above sea level and is the largest geomorphological structure that forms the island. An energetic nature park guide will lead us on a 5 mile (8 km) hike with dazzling views into the belly of the 1,200 foot-deep (366 m) crater and the mirror lake at its bottom. Depending on our group’s pace, it should take approximately three hours.

Along the way, our park guide will introduce us to the resilient plants of this area and share the history of this dormant volcano. At  lunch, our backpacker picnic will offer panoramic views of Faial, the steely Atlantic and neighboring islands. We then circle back to the trailhead where we began and have a short drive to the Ecolodge where we have a relaxing session of yoga with pilates and meditation elements braided in.

Tonight, Patio Ecolodge’s talented chef and bartender duo will continue the theme of pampering and indulgence.

Included Meals

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodations

Patio Ecolodge

A Whale of a Time

After breakfast at the Ecolodge, our guide will take us on a driving tour around the Island of Faial. Our first stop will be Capelinhos volcano. After the devastating historical eruption in 1956, more than 15,000 Faial residents were forced to emigrate to the United States and Canada. The dramatic story of the eruption illustrates why the Azores are a volcanism hotspot and sometimes referred to as the ‘Hawaii of Europe.’ We can climb to the top of the lighthouse to enjoy the sweeping views over the entire volcano area.

Our next stop will be at the Handicraft School of Capelo where local artists create cool wooden products, paintings and felted Faial wool objects. It’s the perfect place to find a take-home reminder of our Azorean experience. In nearby Capelo Forest Park, we can have a show and tell of our purchases over a small backpacker lunch.

In the afternoon, we meet a team of marine biologists at the Horta harbor. The Azores are a coveted destination in Europe for whale watching. We spend around three hours on a powerful RIB on the Atlantic Ocean in search of whales. There are 20 species of whales and dolphins in this region and the first spotting is always a guaranteed thrill.

Afterwards, we toast our unforgettable adventure with a classic Atlantic Gin & Tonic at the famous sailors bar, Peter Café Sport. 

Tonight’s farewell dinner will be in a small, atmospheric wine tavern where we taste various Azorean wines over dinner and stories from our time together.

Included Meals

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodations

Patio Ecolodge

Until Next Time

After breakfast, we pack our bags with heavy hearts for transfer to the Faial Island Airport Horta (HOR) or your hotel. Expect big sighs, bigger hugs and the pressing question, Where next?

Included Meals

Breakfast