Quad & Buggy Sete Cidades Crater Tour - 4x4 - Half Day

The buggy tour was such a great experience. Even though the weather was rainy and foggy, I had so much fun touring sete cidades. My guide was great and altered the route to allow me to see cool sights even with the fog. He was also very knowledgeable about the area and answered any questions that I had. I would 100% recommend this experience for anyone looking for something memorable to do while visiting!

What a special day! We were very lucky to be the only ones for this tour. Had a chance to connect with our guide Andre on a different level and we really appreciated the conversation all afternoon. Be prepared to get dirty, there is a lot of dust. Check meeting point as there are a few different towns that have operators and you may need a taxi depending on where you stay. Superb service/wonderful experience!

We have done a few quad trips around the world and this one is up there. You travel through ponta delgada and then onto scenic country roads and then up to the amazing scenery of craters, with photo stops along the way. It was mainly on the main roads with some off road. We had a quad each which was well worth it - we really enjoyed it. Note their insurance covers you on the roads but not off roads, we took the risk as our private insurance would not have covered us but all was fine. It was June and still a bit cold up there when not in the sun but they gave us coats which we needed when on the quads. Recommend the trip and the quads were in really good condition.

There was limited visibility but Andre, my guide, made the most of it! Had lots of fun driving around!

We had a group of 6 people and we opted to take a private tour of Sete Cidades and the North coast when we were in Ponta Delgada for a day from a cruise ship. There was an option to try for a scheduled 9am group tour, but we weren't sure we could make it in time. In the end, our choice was PERFECT! Two of us had been to the island before and had already done city, landmarks, food, wine, tea and other South coast tours from Ponta Delgada during those visits. This time we wanted to see more scenery and nature. Lots of tours were available, but as we dug through the options, we found unexpected logistics issues. In the end, we finally found Vita Azores and the tour was amazing (see "tricky parts" below for more information about the unexpected glitches we ran into). We opted to book a private tour for the 6 of us because we were not confident we could make the 9am regularly scheduled tour they advertised due to the ship's scheduled port time (and accounting for time to clear customs and immigration, gangway prep and travel time to the tour meeting point). Ricardo was GREAT coordinating with us up front. We needed to clarify everything about the tour (vehicles, timing, meeting location, tour options) and he responded to all of our concerns thoroughly and in a timely manner. We opted to have a private tour given our single day, time-constrained visit. It was a great choice. We met our guide, Andre, who was energetic, conscientious, attentive and knowledgeable. He made sure we covered all the safety items and kept track of our small group. We saw unique and amazing sites that buses and hikers could not reach in the limited time we were there. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour, thanks to Ricardo and Andre. _____________________ The tricky parts finding a tour that met our needs were (meeting point/start locations not close to ship, tour times vs ship docking times, shared vehicles, group sizes, vehicle options, etc.), specifically: 1) finding a tour that departed from Ponta Delgada instead of elsewhere on the Island (North coast), which would have required getting to/from the departure location on our own in addition to adding transport time to the tour time. 1a) We found 2 tours that left from Ponta Delgada and Vita Azores was close enough to walk to from the ship using a good map or GPS. (Side note - Vita Azores office and tour starting point is about 1km from the port exit, but it is uphill from the port via uneven sidewalks so there can be mobility issues you need to adjust for). 1b) The other tour operator from Ponta Delgada was far enough away from the port to need a taxi (it was closer to the airport area, at least 3km away from the cruise port). 2) finding a tour that met our cruise ship arrival and departure time. Vita Azores has a private tour option that let us book our own schedule and tailor the tour a bit, in addition to flexing a bit if the ship arrived late 3) finding a tour with vehicles our group was comfortable with (side-by-sides, ATVs, etc.), along with providing safety equipment (goggles, helmets, etc.). We were fortunate that the dirt roads were damp when we were there, which limited the dust and dirt we kicked up quite a bit. 4) The cruise ship may not dock if winds or seas are bad, so be sure to clarify the cancellation policy with any tour company before you book. 5) Other things to keep in mind: the bigger the tour group, the more likely you will share a vehicle with other people. Side-by-side 4x4s are mainly 4 person vehicles and other ATVs can hold 2 people...big tours require sharing vehicles unless you book a private tour. The island is wonderful, and knowing what to expect can prevent a lot of disappointments. VITA AZORES was the perfect option for our group!!

Guide was very good and fun! Scenery beautiful and loved the coffee stop in the sunshine

We had an awesome time! Andre was very informative throughout the trip. Everything was smooth. We had been to Sete Cidades previously, but it was completely different areas and views.

Andre went out of his way to make sure that we had a fun time on the buggies! We saw so much of the countryside and caldera and of course the beautiful blue and green lakes; taking many stops along the way to take photos and to admire the lush green scenery. Andre is extremely knowledgeable about the geology and topography of the island so don’t hesitate to ask questions. He is happy to answer and strives to make sure you have a wonderful day and we did! Obrigada!

It was fabulous. The guide was from the Azores and was very knowledgeable and informative. The tour took you to breathtaking vistas around the volcano among other historical locations.

The best way to see the island. Also lots of fun. Andre was a fabulous guide. Tremendous knowledge of the area and history of portugal. Extremely caring. It was a special experience.