Varadouro Trip Overview
The full day tour takes about 7-8 hours and is the perfect completion of your whale watching trip. This tour shows you the sites on land which in the past played and sometimes still today play a role in our relationship with the wales.
Faial, whales, then and now leads you along the southern coast from Horta to the volcano of Capelinhos. At lunch time, we will have a rich picnic in one of the recreational parks of Faial. In the afternoon you will visit different observation posts and former launch sites of whaling boats. After returning to Horta you will visit the whaling museum.
Additional Info
* Duration: 7 to 8 hours
* Starts: Varadouro, Portugal
* Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Historical & Heritage Tours
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What to Expect When Visiting Varadouro, Azores, Portugal
The full day tour takes about 7-8 hours and is the perfect completion of your whale watching trip. This tour shows you the sites on land which in the past played and sometimes still today play a role in our relationship with the wales.
Faial, whales, then and now leads you along the southern coast from Horta to the volcano of Capelinhos. At lunch time, we will have a rich picnic in one of the recreational parks of Faial. In the afternoon you will visit different observation posts and former launch sites of whaling boats. After returning to Horta you will visit the whaling museum.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Pass By: Faial Island, Faial Island, Azores
The itinerary of the tour follows largely the main circular road around Faial. In-between the attractions there are short drives of 15 to 20 minutes.
Stop At: Miradouro da Laginha, Canada da Adelaide 9 9700, 9700 Feteira, Portugal
The cliffs of Lajinha are in Feteira, a small parish on the south coast of Faial. A nice place to view the rocky and south coast of Faial. Nowadays, whale watching companies are using the spot as lookout point.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Varadouro, Varadouro, Horta, Faial Island, Azores
Varadouro is a small coastal resort, in the old days it used to be the summer resort of the wealthy families of Horta who spent their summer holiday there. Nowadays it is a residential area with some very popular natural swimming pools.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Capelinhos, Faial Island Portugal
The volcano of Capelinhos located at the western tip of Faial is a living witness of active volcanism in the Azores. Before its eruption between September 1957 and October 1958, the small port below was one of the most important places for launching whaling boats.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Cabeco do Canto, Faial Island Portugal
The lookout point Vigia do Cabeço do Canto is a former lookout point from where the passing by whales were spotted. It gives also a perfect view over the volcanic complex of Capelinhos
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Capelo, Capelo, Faial Island, Azores
The park of Capelo is a well-maintained forest park with small trails on which you can explore the different trees and plants of Faial, for the children there is a playground. The perfect place for having lunch with a rich picknick.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Porto do Salão, EN1-1A, 9900 Salão, Portugal
The parish of Salão on the north coast of Faial is one of the places in Europe having the cleanest air, definitely an argument to visit Salão. Until the end of the whaling industry in the 1980’s, the small port of Salão was one of the launching sites of the small rowing boats with which the whales were hunted.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Salao, Salao, Horta, Faial Island, Azores
The lookout point Vigia do Salão is still in use by one of the whale watching companies. It served as observation post for the whalers chasing on the north coast. On a clear day you can spot the Island of Graciosa some 70 kilometres to the north.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Lighthouse of Ribeirinha, Faial, 9900, Portugal
The ruins of the lighthouse of Farol da Riberinha is an emblematic memorial of the massive earthquake that hit Faial on the 9th of July 1998. The earthquake which had a magnitude of 6.2 on the Richter scale caused massive destruction on Faial.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Miradouro de Nossa Senhora da Conceicao, Variante a Estrada Regional N0 1-1a, Horta, Faial Island 9900-174 Portugal
From the viewpoint Miradouro da Nossa Senhora da Conceição there is stunning panorama covering the bay of Horta and Praia do Almoxarife on Faial with the Islands of Pico and São Jorge in the background.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Fabrica da Baleia, Rua Comendador Fernando da Costa Porto Pim Whaling Station, Horta, Faial Island 9900-025 Portugal
The whaling museum, which is the old whale processing factory which has been transformed into a museum showing not only the equipment use for the industrial processing of the whales but has also a full scale sperm whale on exhibit.
Duration: 1 hour
