Azores, 8-Day Retreat: Hiking & Soul

Retreat Highlights

• DAY 1
• Arrival & Opening.
• Your Tour Guide, Angélique, will be waiting for you Horta Airport (HOR). A short scenic drive across the island takes you to the beautiful 4-Star Ecolodge, your home for the week. Settle in and soak up the charming atmosphere of your accommodation. while enjoying a welcome drink. Depending on your arrival, a light lunch may be served. In the evening we will have Dinner together.
• After a long day of travel, a cozy bed will be waiting to welcome you.
• DAY 2
• Forest Bathing in the mystery Jungle.
• You meet the group after breakfast.
• Your tour guide will brief you on the day’s hike before leading you to the starting point. You will hike for about 3 hours along the rocky coastline and through lush, mysterious jungle trails. Along the way, we will pause for some mindful forest bathing and discover a small lava cave hidden deep in the wilderness. As we Leave the jungle, we’ll drive at the stunning Fajã Bay - an exotic landscape of orchards and vineyards, nestled beneath dramatic 300 m high cliffs. Here you will enjoy your backpacker lunch near the beach. In the afternoon, we’ll return to the Ecolodge, where you’ll have time to rest.
• After such an eventful day, we have truly earned our dinner at PÁTIO.
• DAY 3
• Hike around the Caldeira of Faial.
• Let’s start the day with soft stretching and a meditation before breakfast.
• After breakfast, feel free to relax in the garden or on your terrace. If the weather conditions on top of the island allows, we’ll take you up to the Caldeira of Faial. At an altitude of 3,000 ft (1.000 m), we reach the edge of the the island’s dormant volcano „Caldeira do Faial“. Together we hike 5 miles (8 km) around the Crater’s rim. Expect breathtaking views into the 1,200 feet (400m) deep crater.
• From the edge of the Caldeira you will have the most beautiful views of Faial, the Atlantic Ocean and neighboring islands. The hike takes around three hours and requires sturdy hiking boots and a backpack with water and snacks. In the afternoon, the circular track takes you back to your starting point. After a short drive we return to the Ecolodge. A relaxed evening of good conversation and sharing the day’s experiences over dinner will perfectly round off this memorable Adventure.
• DAY 4
• Voice Coaching & Vision Board.
• Today is dedicated to mental reflection and self-expression.. After breakfast, you will meet your coach in the studio. Together with the group, you will explore how to express yourself more authentically and build self-confidence through the power of your voice. Learn how your posture, attention, breathing, thoughts, and emotions influence your voice and presence.
• A light lunch will be served on the Ecolodge Terrace.
• Later in the afternoon, you’ll tap into your creativity during a vision board session. You’ll design a board that reflects your personal life goals and dreams, helping you gain clarity on what you truly want to manifest. This reflective exercise sets powerful intentions and puts your aspirations into motion. Dinner at Patio
• DAY 5
• Hiking the Water Channels & Meditation.
• We begin the day with a gentle stretch and morning meditation to awaken body and mind. After breakfast, the guide, Angélique, will share details about today’s hike and then take you on a short drive to the starting point.
• Over 50 years ago, small water channels were constructed here to supply meadows, villages, and a local power station. Today, we follow these channels through an enchanted landscape of wild nature, dark forests, and narrow gorges . The hike, lasting around three hours, leads us past small tunnels, wooden bridges, and eventually to a small volcano. At the end of the trail, you’ll even have the chance to enter the crater through a tunnel. Along the way, we’ll enjoy a classic backpacker-style picnic.
• After this straightforward route, we will pick you up and bring you back home in the afternoon. You’ll have plenty of time to relax before dinner. As evening falls, we’ll gather for a drink- before the kitchen calls for dinner.
• DAY 6
• Horta Town.
• After breakfast, your Guide will take you on a tour to the colorful town of Horta. This centuries-old harbor town is rich in history and full of fascinating sights . You’ll explore highlights such as the colorful marina, the old pirate forts, the charming old town, and of course, the legendary sailor’s pub “Peter Café Sport”, where we’ll stop for lunch. The afternoon is yours to explore the town and its beautiful bay at your own pace.
• Back at the Ecolodge, dinner will be served in the evening, followed by a well-deserved rest in your cozy bed .
• DAY 7
• Hiking to Volcano of Capelinhos
• Enjoy another delicious breakfast before setting out on today’s adventure. This 3-hour hike takes you across two smaller volcanoes to the impressive Volcano of Capelinhos - a geological wonder that emerged from the ocean during the eruption of 1957/1958. This powerful event reshaped the island and led over 15,000 residents of Faial to emigrate to the United States and Canada. At the Capelinhos visitor centre, located beneath the volcanic surface, you’ll learn about the eruption and the Azores’ unique role as a hotspot of volcanism - often dubbed the “Hawaii of Europe”. After this impressive visit, you’ll have the chance to climb the old lighthouse and enjoy panoramic views across the entire volcanic landscape. A perfect moment to reflect f the forces of Mother Nature in peaceful silence.
• The next stop is the craft School of Capelo, where local artists create beautiful handmade works using local materials. You’ll find wooden carvings, paintings, and items made from soft, felted Faial wool - perhaps even the perfect gift to bring home. Dinner is served back at PÁTIO, where we’ll share farewell evening together.
• DAY 8
• Departure.
• All good things must come to an end. After the breakfast, it’s time to check out. We’ll take you to the airport for your return flight home.
• After eight unforgettable days in the Azores, filled with nature, reflection, and connection, we say goodbye.

About this Retreat

Your Guides

Angélique

Angélique Verdel

Your Hoast and Coach will be Angélique Verdel. English | Dutch | German | Portuguese spoken The motto of Angélique is: „Everyone has all the knowledge within them, I just help people to remember it again.” Angelique has been working with people for over 30 years as a therapist, teacher, and creative guide. With a background in psychotherapy (licensed as a Holistic Practitioner), bioenergetic therapy, and creative body-based work, she bridges both worlds: conventional therapeutic knowledge and intuitive, holistic, and spiritual approaches. Alongside her therapeutic work, Angelique is a trained actress and singer. Through decades of working with breath, voice, emotion, movement, and the psyche, she has supported people in understanding and gently releasing inner blocks — not by force, but through awareness, expression, and embodied experience. As a drama and singing teacher, Angelique observed how deeply creativity can reveal where energy is blocked and where true potential lies. This led her to deepen her therapeutic training, integrating approaches that address both the analytical and intuitive sides of the human being — mind and body, structure and intuition, left and right brain. Her passion lies in accompanying people back to their unique gifts, talents, and life direction. Angelique believes that every person is fundamentally unique, and that the world becomes richer, more colorful, and more connected when individuals live and express their true nature. This retreat is the place where all her paths come together. Held on a powerful volcanic island in the Atlantic Ocean — surrounded by nature, sea, and silence — Angelique has created a space where creativity, mindfulness, therapy, and nature merge into one holistic experience. Here, she brings together everything she loves: creativity, movement, voice, stillness, nature, and deep human connection — supporting participants in reconnecting with themselves in an authentic and grounded way. Angelique was born in the Netherlands, lived and worked in Germany and Portugal for many years, and now offers her retreats in English, German, and Dutch.

Details of this retreat