Beyond the maritime city of Ponta Delgada , there are majestic lakes reminiscent of ancient volcano craters, dark volcanic sandy beaches and outdoor hot springs to relax in. The island is also a paradise for hikers, with dozens of official trails making their way across all kinds of landscapes in various shapes, sizes, and difficulty levels. The highlights are the golden beaches and tidal pools allow great swimming spots, above water; and world-famous diving spots like Gruta Azul , underwater.
Here are some ready-to-go sample itineraries you can use as a template for your trip. Some might say you can cover a lot more, but I truly believe a place like Azores is not to be rushed. Embrace the opportunity to fully appreciate nature. The example itineraries blow are tailored for first-time visitors and are designed to give the best overview possible of Azores in each amount of time.
With a week to spend in Azores, there are 2 options. If you are keen on including more stops on your journey, be strategic: a week is not a lot of time. Santa Maria makes more sense logistically as is just a 3-hour ferry away. For the latter option though, if you plan to climb Mount Pico , this might be too tight and rushed. Faial is the obvious choice as there are frequent ferries between Horta Faial and Madalena Pico.
The first is that Flores is much more remote and may need an additional return flight to Lisbon, complicating the logistics. The other is that these 2 islands, despite breathtaking, are quite similar in terms of landscape.
Faial and Pico add more contrast to your experience and gives you a more well-rounded overview of the islands. Efficiency FTW. For the couple of days that are still left, including Terceira will give your trip a different side of Azorean food and if you got your time right, a bit of partying around too. The island is known as the party island of the archipelago! Alternatively, you can replace Flores with Santa Maria for more chances of sunny weather and some beach bum time.
As a rule of thumb, flights to Azores are considerably cheaper from Porto, Lisbon or London. There are no resorts, but plenty of honesty bars. I visited three of the main islands; my final Azorean thought was that I was mad to leave without seeing them all. Flying in, my sense is that the island floats along on a fast, froth-topped sea. It offers great eating and meandering — and I manage a great deal of both.
He takes me to Sete Cidades , a spectacular caldera three miles across, complete with breeze-ruffled, human-free, jade-hued lake. Geothermal energy powers much of the island, and provides numerous hot springs. At Furnas Lake, the kitchen trick is to slow-cook cozido in the underground hot springs. The time-worn mobile bar outside will sell you a tot of Azorean rice pudding liqueur. After a couple of days here I feel whole and fresh. The minute flight from Ponta Delgaa to Santa Maria reveals the island as a tablecloth-sized tumble of five farming parishes: there are twice as many cows as people in the Azores, a fact borne out on Santa Maria, which has 10, cows and 5, people.
Officially, the first islands were discovered in the fifteenth century by Diogo de Silves a Captain at the service of Infante D.
Important naval battles were fought in the waters of the Azores in that period, during the attacks by corsairs and pirates. The following centuries were calmer, but in the Azores returned to the pages of history with the role played by Terceira in the struggle against the absolutist forces, and as the base for the liberal forces invading the mainland Portugal to regain power.
The archipelago developed during the 19th and 20th centuries with the introductions of new crops, the developing of industries, and progress made with stock-breeding and fisheries. The last few years have witnessed a slow but progressive improvement in the economic and social well-being of the population. Most of this improvement is due to the inflow of capital donations from emigrants almost all from North America , the annual leasing of the Lajes Air Field to the United States, and grants from the European Community.
Statistically the driest month is July and the wettest November. Frost is non-existent in Azores. The average annual rainfall increases from east to west, with annual precipitation of mm The Azores high, an area of high atmospheric pressure, is named after the islands.
Light clothes, with one or two sweater or jacket pieces for the cooler days or nights, are enough all year round. In the winter slightly warmer clothing may be necessary. It is better to bring along a light raincoat, however, as there are sometimes showers followed at once by sunshine. The official language in Azores is Portuguese. In most of the nine islands, the variety of Portuguese spoken is very similar to standard European Portuguese.
What started as a client showcase has turned into something more soulful. There, Pontes picks up some fish that is practically still breathing, and gets to work. They end up at a private home, where a table is set up on the lawn, overlooking the bay and the beautiful church, and then piled high with local cheese, volcanic bread, mackerel ceviche, and fresh salads. Pontes and his team cook everything outside, over fire, and the procession of dishes that come out is impressive: fish stews, local shellfish limpets , tuna steaks, and sweets.
Couto pours wines from Pico, and the feast lasts for hours. This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here.
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