We visited "Calçada do Gigante" at Santa Maria island and me and my 13-year old did rapel on the actual millions-year old basaltic wall! Unforgetable experience!

  We arranged for a full-day Jeep tour of Santa Maria Island and had an excellent experience. Henrique was the perfect guide - personable, knowledgeable and accommodating. For folks on a... read more tight timeline, we would highly recommend the full-day Jeep tour. We got a great overview of the island and had a terrific time. Thanks very much, Henrique!

  Had a very little understanding of what we were getting into in the beginning, and it worked out awesomely. The physical challenges were real! Coasteering and canyoning are far from... read more being as easy as walks in the park, and they were both unforgettable and rewarding challenges!

  We had only one day to visit the island, but Henrique made it possible, despite the weather. We were able to visit most of the places and local tips. The... read more explanations were very interesting!!!

  Before I get into the particulars of the tour, I have to say how wonderful Henrique is, as a guide and as a person. First off, he knows his... read more stuff! Henrique is not originally from Santa Maria, but he has been guiding tours there for many years, and it shows. He explained the origins of the island, how it was discovered, and how the various towns came to be. His real passion, however is the natural beauty and biology of the island. During the tour, he named every single flower, tree, and animal by its scientific name and told us how it arrived on Santa Maria.

Beyond his vast knowledge, Henrique is simply a cool guy. He spent all day with just the two of us, so we got to know him pretty well. At the end of the tour, he drove us to the port to catch our ferry back to Sao Miguel. I gave him a tip for being an awesome tour guide. He immediately decided to use that tip to buy beers for us, since we had time to kill before our ferry departed! He hung out with us for a while longer, sipping beers and talking about life what a guy!

We spent the day driving all over the island. The tour started in the main town of Vila do Porto, passed by the former US Air Force Base, and proceeded through each town. We traveled along fence-lined gravel roads, muddy jungle paths, and cut through the side of a mountain. This tour is absolutely perfect for people with a short visit to the island. We got to see the entire island, including parts WAY off the beaten path. Santa Maria has a lot of biodiversity, due to its formation from multiple volcanic eruptions. We learned all about the history of the island, its various ecosystems, and its culture from our incredible guide, Henrique.

  We had a wonderful experience with Henrique going on a Rock Rappelling trip in Santa Maria. We were picked up from our hotel and drove thru the island which some... read more nice history provided to us on the ride, was great to learn more about the island and Azores in general. There was plenty of instruction on proper technique and fun. He bought water and snacks for all of us and the views were beautiful walking to the rocks. He added a but of zip lining at the end which was very fun. Highly recommend a 1/2 day tour when on the island. We went with 2 teenagers (18 and 15). Bring a sweatshirt as it might get a bit windy on top.

  The day tour round Santa Maria with Henrique was simply the greatest tour we’ve ever had. Bootla’s philosophy is simple: they work very, very hard to ensure that they provide... read more the most knowledgeable and best experience possible, and their hard work creates a truly unforgettable tour.

Henrique is both naturally friendly and an incredibly knowledgeable and passionate guide. It’s remarkable just how much was packed into the day: we were taken all over the island’s uniquely varied landscapes and stunning viewpoints (down some tracks you’d never be able to follow without a local expert’s knowledge and a 4x4!), and throughout it all Henrique’s knowledge was boundless: he was as comfortable talking about the island’s volcanic origins and first human settlers as he was about the modern-day culture, economy, religion, food, flora, fauna, and so on.

We were only there for one day but after our tour we really wish we’d stayed for longer, and we already can’t wait to return to explore more of what Santa Maria has to offer. Thanks for an unforgettable experience!

  We took a day trip around the island. It was an incredible tour with such a nice and knowledgeable guide. Henrique is so friendly that we felt like we know... read more him for years. He showed us beautiful nature and also architecture of Santa Maria. We have learned a lot and at the same time had great fun.

  Our family of 4 (including 2 kids) did an half-day tour with Bootlá in Santa Maria. We started the tour as soon as we arrived in the island, and... read more the tour allowed us to understand the history of Santa Maria and some of its most interesting spots. Henrique was a great guide, always eager to answer our questions, and in adapting the tour to our needs and interests. We were even spoiled with some traditional cookies from Santa Maria, which are delicious! After this tour we were much better prepared to spend some days visiting this beautiful island. Thank you so much Henrique and we hope to see you soon!

  Henrique is a font of information, fun, and very welcoming. My friend and I had a twelve hour layover (which became sixteen with flight delays), and decided to book a... read more tour. If we had just went to Santa Maria’s downtown, we would have assumed that there was nothing to do at all. Henrique showed us differently. He is well versed in the island’s history, topography, geology, flora and fauna. This is not some guy being paid by a company to regurgitate a script, you feel his love for the island, and his Land Rover’s ability off road takes you places you would not be able to access. Even if I were staying in the island with my own car, I would first spend the day with Henrique to have your eyes opened about what you are seeing and what is available to do on the island.

Booking a Bootla excursion is a win win. Don’t miss out.

  After reading the online Jeep Safari information I emailed Bootla and received a prompt and clear response from Raquel. My pickup and return was as promised and the day’s activities... read more were priceless! The full day will give you insights into the entire island, the city, the country side, the food, and shopping. (As an aside, I suggest shopping out of the city to assist the economy of the locals as I feel the quality is better.) Although a full day, I guarantee you will not be bored or get tired! A full course lunch (you will be asked if you want fish of the day, seafood stew, octopus stew or steak in addition to beverages and dessert; I used “stew” because that’s what where I’m from would say) is included served at an open air ocean side restaurant. Raquel’s husband (I’m blanking on his name) is a native and the guide. He is personalable, knowledgeable and will ensure your day is safe and wonderful. Thank you for a informative and exciting day!!

  We spent a great day with Bootla on the jeep tour of the island. Henrique is an excellent guide with loads of knowledge about the island and took us to... read more some great spots we wouldn't have been able to reach if we'd gone around the island ourselves. Really enjoyed the experience and wouldn't hesitate to recommend Bootla!

  Perfect guide with a good sense of humor and a greet knowledge of Santa Marias historie. He knows his stuff

  Henrique was an amazing tour guide! If you want to know about this island he is the person to call. He is very knowledgeable about the history of... read more Santa Maria. We spent the entire day touring on road and off road - taking in some incredible views. Our tour included lunch at a local restaurant on the beach that was excellent. We had a private tour and it was well worth it! This tour is a great way to see all the highlights of Santa Maria in a day. Thank you Henrique!!

  What a fantastic experience we had.

Our host is wonderful and gave us so much knowledge of the island. His restaurant selection for lunch was... read more great as was his dinner recommendations. We got to meet his son at school, which as really special.

The history presented along with the scenery plus discovering a bit of the culture of the island as just a darn fantastic experience. We had so much fun.

If we visit Santa Maria again, we would book with Bootla again, for I am sure we would learn and enjoy even more!

All the best!

  Where to begin! It was our first time to Santa Maria in Azores and we were there for 5 nights and so decided to book a Jeep Safari with Bootlá... read more to get to know the island. Correspondence via email & phone was great. Got picked up at the hotel by Henrique (guide & Owner) and the day was just amazing! He took us all around the island, explained everything, stopped at several places and just knew exactly what he was doing & saying and you could feel that he enjoyed what he did and knew what he was talking about. We stopped for a coffee and got given typical biscuits and then we also stopped for lunch which was included in the tour. Pico Alto is the highest point of the island where you can basically see all around the island (highlight). Well done Henrique & Bootlá. Keep up the good work. We hope to be back in the future!

  Best ever! Great guide terrific scenery. Highly recommend. We loved the off road. It was the highlight of our trip,

  Great tour. Henrique is VERY NICE and very knowledgeable with off road to discover better the island. Go ahead, you will have great time!

  My family and I (adults ranging from 26 to 63) did the Jeep tour of the island and had an awesome time! It’s a great way to see the island... read more of Santa Maria. Our guide, Henrique, was great and had lots of knowledge about the island’s history. Even though he is not originally from Santa Maria, he has lived there a long time and is very passionate about the island. My father’s family is from Santa Maria and even he had never seen some of the places we went to. Lunch in São Lourenço was also very good and included wine and coffee. Everyone agreed it was a really great day! Highly recommended!

  Where to begin! It was our first time to Santa Maria in Azores and we were there for 5 nights and so decided to book a Jeep Safari with Bootlá... read more to get to know the island. Correspondence via email & phone was great. Got picked up at the hotel by Henrique (guide & Owner) and the day was just amazing! He took us all around the island, explained everything, stopped at several places and just knew exactly what he was doing & saying and you could feel that he enjoyed what he did and knew what he was talking about. We stopped for a coffee and got given typical biscuits and then we also stopped for lunch which was included in the tour. Pico Alto is the highest point of the island where you can basically see all around the island (highlight). Well done Henrique & Bootlá. Keep up the good work. We hope to be back in the future!

  Best ever! Great guide terrific scenery. Highly recommend. We loved the off road. It was the highlight of our trip,

  Great tour. Henrique is VERY NICE and very knowledgeable with off road to discover better the island. Go ahead, you will have great time!