The tour was actually supposed to be a morning on top of the rim of the Caldeira do Faial. Our guide was Fred, as the main crew was hosting a running event that day. Fred was excellent in coming up with a plan B, as the Caldeira was completely enveloped in fog. We Hiked around the furthest volcanic western area by Ponta dos Capelinhos and checked out the museum and small port below. We also headed over to a beautiful Beach I believe was Praia da Faja. It was a very informative tour as Fred's knowledge of flora, fauna, volcanic activity and history kept us captivated by the areas we visited. My wife and I eventually went up to the Caldeira later that day on our own. The clouds and fog were still completely covering any possible view into the volcano. Good call Fred, we knew you had a good plan that morning.

We did 2.5 days of touring with Pedro - the city of Horta, the Tour to Pico, and the Tour of Faial. Can't say enough positive things. He is so positive about where he lives, he personalized our tour, we say amazing highlights, beautiful scenery and learned alot about the places we saw. I would recommend him, and Our Island HIGHLY to anyone visiting the area.

First off, I have never done a hike of this kind. I am pushing 50 but exercise regularly to keep in shape. If you are past your best years, you may want to consider if this is for you as it was definitely a challenge for me. The descent into the caldera was amazing as it was at times grueling. Our guide, Pedro, was fantastic and he was very patient in safely guiding my family of 5 down and up again. I don't think I could have done it without him as he made sure everyone was well paced, stopped at regular intervals for breaks, water and/or snacks, and kept things very orderly and safe. Along the way he described the various flora of the landscape and how the conditions can vary. He demonstrated exactly how to handle some of the more challenging terrain as some parts of the trail require you to carefully traverse down/up and over crevices and stones. When we reached the bottom, we made our way to a beautiful clearing which was dry at this time to have a nice break, catch our breath, and hydrate. We took some great pictures and then made our way up. It was not easy but it was very rewarding to make it back to the top. If you are up for the challenge, I highly recommend it. Be sure to train for it if you have any doubts about your fitness level. The tour company did a great job telling us ahead of time what to bring so we were prepared for the conditions. Thank you again to Pedro who made this a very memorable experience.

My father and I spent the day with Pedro, who was delightful and a wealth of knowledge about geology, history, culture, flora, fauna…the list goes on! We were able to see some incredible sights, enjoy a refreshing swim, and lunch was delicious. We would recommend the tour to anyone!

Rita and Luis over delivered! Booked a 5 day custom trail running tour of three islands (São Miguel, Pico, and Faial) for a group of 11 runners aged 26 to 76 with different running backgrounds. The courses were well thought out, including climb up Mt Pico, support was superb, safety was paramount. We laughed, cried, took in stunning scenery, learned about botany, geology, volcanology. Everybody ran their best and come at the end of the day gathered to share stories. Food, lodging, transports, all covered by our knowledgeable guides. Highly recommend!

We did a private half-day tour of Faial with Luis of “Our Island”. The tour was great; Luis, our guide, showed his strong knowledge of the islands covering both the topics on the tour and all our random questions about the Azores. The tour was a highlight of our trip around the Azores. We’d recommend Luis’s tours, and expect that other tours by Our Island would be equally good. We’d hoped to do Our Azores “Azorean Roots” tour, but the tour required three months lead time for them to do additional family research. Because we knew some of our family story, we instead asked for a half-day tour focusing on stories of emigration and rural life, and focused on the villages where our family had come from. Luis came through perfectly, giving us a quick overview of the island and combining scenic locations, visits to the villages and local cemeteries, talk about traditional houses, and stories about the 1998 earthquake. He also helped fill in the gaps in our family knowledge with both stories from his family and friends, and stories about whaling that he’d collected when making a film about Azorean whaling. Luis did a great job of covering both the topics we’d asked for, but also got us interested and curious about whaling which we hadn’t had an interest in previously.

The Caldeira Descent hike was one of our favorite hikes on our whole trip. It is a very unique location and it was so special to be one of the few hikers to be able to travel all the way to the bottom. We loved learning about local flora and fauna as well as the history of the volcanoes of the island. Our guide set the pace perfectly and even surprised us with some local tea once we got to the bottom. We would definitely recommend this hike and this company and hope to return to Faial in the future!

Altough some of us knew the island, following a guided tour was a real opportunity to understand much more about ... a bit of everything. Our guide (whose English was superb) knows each and every stone of the island and its history. Above sharing the knowledge about the island, he shared his love for this little paradise and his willingness to preserve it. We spent an excellent moment (teenagers included!).

Luis is a fantastic guide and we had an awesome run together. As a local and experienced trail runner he clearly knows how to impress his guests — great trail, fantastic views and he showed me some hidden gems along the way. Highly recommend him to anyone who loves trail running. We also booked him as a guide for our family hike. He picked a very easy-going trail for our young ones, but still interesting and beautiful so also the parents had a great time.

Luis is a fantastic guide! We had such a nice time learning about Faial and the island of Horta. There was never a time where we weren’t exploring something. One of my favorite experiences was when we were walking down the ramp and stairs in Porto do Saleo and there was a spear fisherman with his catch. Although we don’t speak Portuguese, Luis shared the fisherman’s enthusiastic story with us about his catch of the day. Lunch at Snack Bar Aldina was delicious! Afterward we walked down to Praia do Almoxarife. On our way down we met a lovely family that showed us their vineyard, and showed us how it was made and let us sample the wine. They even invited us into their home! We had a great day with Luis. All I can say is, if your in Horta and looking for a great guide, Luis is it!

We had seen the Caldeira do Faial from the top on the day before we were due to hike down into it, and knew it was going to be challenging. Sadly, on the morning of our trip, the clouds were low, and it was raining steadily on our arrival at the starting point. Pedro, our guide, sensibly advised us that a climb down (and up) in such wet conditions would be difficult and very probably not enjoyable, and instead suggested an alternative hike in Praia do Norte, a lovely village with climbs through the forest down to the sea. We had a great day with Pedro, who made us feel exceptionally welcome. We were able to get a closer look at Faial island life, with explanations from Pedro, and enjoy beautiful scenery throughout the walk. We finished with a refreshing swim in the sea. It was great that Pedro was able to offer us such a brilliant alternative to our original plan.

Pedro, our local guide, was excellent, with a great sense of humor. He was raised on the island, and showed us sights that we would not have discovered on our own.

We did the 45km mountain bike ride up and down the spectacular Faial Island landscape. Our Island provided excellent bikes, an amazing guide, and great support - and we were so thrilled with the whole experience. Beautiful views, burning legs, and all ending with fun and fast downhills!

We had a diverse family group with different abilities and ages that Pedro was able to accommodate well. The drive was broken up into many stops to let the kids run around as needed, but still allowed for relaxing and taking in scenic vistas. Our children enjoyed the beaches and kittens while the grown ups enjoyed the scenery and Pedro's extensive knowledge about the history, culture, and geology of Faial. We all enjoyed lunch. It was great being met and dropped off right at the airport.

We enjoyed a private tour of a portion of Faial with Luis. It was excellent. This was our first visit to Faial, arriving/returning on the ferry from Pico. Luis is native to the island with substantial relevant university study. He is extremely knowledgable of both the island's history and its unique ecosystem and is very personable in his presentation. We highly recommend Our Island for their thorough knowledge and flexible approach for a custom tour if desirable.