Today was the warmest day of the trip so far, with blue skies and visibility of a hundred kilometers from the top of the Graciosa Caldera, the central landmark of the island. It’s very rare that one can see four of the other Azore Islands from Graciosa, and that was the case today. In one direction we could see Pico Volcano behind San Jorge Island and Faial next to them. In the other direction there was the blue silhouette of Terceira, tomorrow’s destination.
In the morning, guests had the opportunity to go on a scenic bus tour around the island, going on a moderate hike around the caldera by gravel road, or trekking along the caldera rim followed by a descent to the caldera center on a strenuous hike. On both hikes, guests passed through a lava tube cave, and guests of all options visited a deep Furna do Enxofre cave with an underground lake in the center of the Graciosa Caldera.
After lunch aboard, guests who hiked in the morning could go on the scenic bus tour or have a leisurely walk to appreciate the spectacular coastal landscape featuring vertical lava cliffs edged with a maze of stone wall vineyards.
