Starting with a pit stop at Murdeira Bay, you'll trundle off in a closed 4x4 – we're the only ones using covered off-roaders – to the fishing village of Palmeira on the west coast.

ts palm tree-lined streets are dotted with mural-painted cafés and tiny shops. Rodrigo says, ‘Palmeira's kaleidoscopic – and cluttered – souvenir shops are an attraction in themselves.'

Buracona lagoon, famed for how it shimmers when hit by sunlight.

Next, you'll witness the ocean-like sands and mirage of Terra Boa. An optical phenomenon, in which hot rays of light reflect distant objects and the sky, creates the illusion of a desert lake. Back on the road, there's a pit stop at a viewpoint, where you can enjoy an elevated panorama of Espargos, the island's capital.

Wind down with a natural spa treatment in the Dead Sea-like lagoon of Pedra de Lume. Floating in one of the world's saltiest waters and inside an extinct volcano crater is a buoyant way to end the tour.