Gem of the Atlantic – The Azores
This group of nine lush islands are perhaps the Atlantic Ocean’s best kept secret. Shh!!! Let’s keep it to ourselves. Want a preview? Close your eyes and imagine yourself in an idyllic climate where there is an abundance of wildflowers; stunning volcanic crater lakes; relaxing thermal springs; picturesque black sand beaches, and world class whale watching. It’s only a matter of time until this gem is uncovered.
When planning a trip to the Azores it is difficult to know which islands to visit. Each of these pristine nine islands is spectacular in its own way. Our group of six spent one week exploring Pico Island, Faial Island, and São Miguel Island. The Azores is a great destination for families! Children will enjoy the beaches, hiking, kayaking, and whale watching. The beauty of these islands will leave you speechless.
Pico Island
Madalena
We flew from Boston, in the United States, to São Miguel Island to Terceira Island to Pico Island. Our flights between islands were on a prop jet. As we took off from São Miguel Island, we had an impressive view of the Sete Cidades Massif and crater lakes. Then as we neared Pico Island, we flew over São Jorge Island’s stunning coastline. As we approached Pico Island we beheld the highest mountain of Portugal. At 7,713’, Pico Mountain looked impressive from above. Our 15 minute drive to Madalena from the Pico Airport, took us past stone houses with laundry hanging to dry; hydrangea bushes; and stone-walled vineyards rising up the hillside. Across the ocean was the Island of Faial.
Pico Island is known as the Black Island with its black volcanic rocks. Not surprising considering all the volcanic rock we saw along the way. What was surprising to me was the wine vineyards. As we neared the small town of Madalena, that sits along the western coast of Pico in the shadow of Pico Mountain, we approached several whale and dive shops located across from the ferry terminal. Around the corner from the whale and dive shops was a food stand. We waited in a 30 minute line at Quiosque Carapinha for waffles and ice cream. It was well worth the wait! Just take a look at our photos.
Our family of six rented a charming villa located outside of São Jao. Prior to arriving at our villa, we shopped in Madalenda at Sol Mar. There was a good selection of food at inexpensive prices. There is also a market in Lajes do Pico, but it was not open at the hours we needed. We drove along the coast through small towns with homes nestled on the hillside and red windmills on hilltops toward Lajes.
40 minutes later we arrived at Casa do Ananas. This beautiful property sits on a hillside overlooking the ocean. It is located near a natural swimming pool as well as walking paths, and has a view of Pico Mountain. The owners left various items near the swimming pool for use, such as snorkeling equipment, water noodles, and sand buckets. The villa was luxurious however there were some unanticipated guests at our villa at night. Bats!!! They never bothered us, but the eerie noise they made while flying around our villa at night was disturbing. Due to no air conditioning or fans in the villa, we kept our windows – without screens – open at night for ventilation. I felt restless falling asleep at night while listening to the bats and imagining them flying into my room!
Another route between Lajes do Pico and Madalena is over the mountain pass (near Pico Mountain). It is a picturesque drive through hydrangea bushes lining the road; dense shrub forest of juniperus brevifolia (vegetation endemic to the Azores), and cows grazing in rolling green hills. We drove this route a couple of times and were in dense fog for part of the way. The visibility was low and cows were along the side of the road. We had a close call with one. Exercise caution!!!
Things to do on Pico Island
Gruta das Torres
Join in a 1.5 hour tour through lava tubes on Pico Island. We made reservations ahead of time online for a tour, but were unable to make our tour time. We tried to rebook, but were unsuccessful since they were already fully booked. For more information visit. http://parquesnaturais.azores.gov.pt/en/pico-eng/what-visit/interpretation-centers/gruta-das-torres-visitors-centre
Whale watching
My seven year old son, his Dad, and his grandparents, went on a whale watching excursion. I stayed behind with our two year old. The following is my son’s account of his whale watching experience.
First, we got out of the car and went inside the whale watching building where they told us about whales and dolphins. I learned a couple new things about whales and dolphins. Then we went onto a medium sized dinghy and put on life jackets. I was feeling a little scared and nervous at this point, but very excited. I was feeling excited because I couldn’t wait to see the whales and dolphins for my first time! I was excited because whales and dolphins are my second and third favorite sea creatures. Then the crew started up the dinghy and we zoomed away. I was seated in the middle next to my Dad. Grandpa was behind us and Grandma was in front of us. The dinghy was full of people. After about 10 minutes we couldn’t see the island and I thought we were going to fall off the ocean as if it was flat. After 15 minutes the crew told us we were close to a whale. Then we saw the back of the whale going into the water with its tail coming up about 60 feet away from us. After that one we saw dolphins, more dolphins, and even more dolphins in groups of six. They were all around us!!!
There were a couple pods swimming around us and jumping in and out of the water at the same time. I was leaning over the boat looking at them putting my hand in the water. I felt like I was close enough to touch a dolphin! Although I was wearing my rain jacket, I was getting quite wet! By this time, I was feeling super excited! And then we saw a sperm whale’s back and it was blowing water into the air from its blowhole! I thought that was very neat! After a little bit he dove into the water and was gone. I was hoping I would see more whales and then we saw a group of scared seagulls. That helped us know that there were dolphins under the seagulls and the seagulls were scared because they thought that the dolphins were going to eat them!
Then dolphin pods jumped out of the water! They weren’t that far away from us. It seemed as if I could touch one. This was super cool! I wished we could have stayed longer but we needed to head back to the port. Once we got back to the port we took our life jackets off and got into the car. My favorite part of the whale watching excursion was when I got to see the sperm whale deep dive.
Lajes do Pico
Stroll the narrow, cobblestone streets of this quaint village by foot. Enjoy the Portuguese colonial architecture accented by hanging flowers, the Holy Trinity Church, and antique door knobs. We happened to be visiting in August during Whalers Week. This festival is a tribute to Pico’s whalemen. At night there was a market featuring items for sale, such as whale bone carvings.
Museu dos Baleeiros – Whalers’ Museum
In the second half of the 18th century, the Azores became part of international whaling when American and British whaling ships were looking for the islands’ seaports. The Island of Pico played a particularly important role in whaling. Whaling is the act of hunting whales for usable products, such as oil or meat. Although the last sperm whale was caught in the Azores in 1987, the art of whaling lives on in the museum.
The Whalers’ Museum is located in three old houses from the 19th century where the whalers kept their boats and equipment. The museum is small, but has interesting items to view, such as, row boats, harpoons, and photos of whalers. There is also a gallery of beautiful scrimshaw work. Scrimshaw is the art of drawing on or carving of whale bone. The 20 minute documentary on the history of whaling from the 1960s was informative and helped us better understand the history of whaling.
Faial Island
It was easy to catch the Atlantico car ferry from Madalena, Pico to Horta, Faial. The ferry terminal on both Pico Island and Faial Island have tourism information. There is parking at the Pico ferry terminal, but it is limited so we had to park our rental car in town. Tickets for the ferry can be purchased in advance, or up to 30-60 minutes before departure. It was lightly raining as we departed Madalena. We sat on top of the boat and unfortunately due to the weather Pico Island was nearly invisible. The 30 minute journey took us past two rocky islands as we neared Faial Island. White washed buildings with terracotta rooftops and typical Portuguese churches rose up the green hillside. After departing the ferry we visited the tourism office and then hired a driver from the taxi stand outside the ferry terminal. We paid 65 euros for a three hour tour of the island. Although our driver did not speak English we were able to communicate with her in Spanish. Our tour included some of the highlights of the island: The Caldeira, Capelinhos, and downtown Horta.
The Caldeira
The road from the Horta ferry terminal to the Caldeira was stunning as we drove over green rolling hills up to a viewpoint overlooking the ocean and terracotta rooftops nestled in the valley below. The narrow, windy road passed through pine trees as well as bushes of hydrangeas: blue, white, orange, and purple colored. Cows roamed the sleepy green hillside.
As the road climbed higher toward the caldeira we were soon blanketed in the mist as we drove to the island’s highest point. Obviously visiting the Caldeira on a sunny day would be more enjoyable, but we did not have a choice. The Caldeira is a vast crater from an extinct volcano located in the center of the island. With its green slopes covered in ferns and junipers, it is a most unique landscape. We walked through purple hydrangea bushes to the overlook but we were completely enshrouded in the mist. It was slightly eerie standing near the hidden volcanic crater! It seemed as if we would plummet over the edge into the clouds. I can only imagine on a clear day how beautiful it must be!
Capelinhos
Leaving the Caldeira we drove toward the other side of the island to visit Capelinhos. The 30 minute drive took us through small villages, past Baroque-era churches. This monogenetic volcano is located on the western coast of the island of Faial in the Azores. And is considered the westernmost point of Europe. It is actually part of the larger volcanic complex of Capelo, which includes 20 scoria cones and lava fields. The most recent volcanic eruption that began in 1957, lasted for 13 months, and may have been two overlapping volcanic eruptions. Viewing the bare landscape and hard basaltic rock helped me to better understand the islands original process of formation. Visiting Capelinhos was a good insight into the original landscape of this archipelago of islands. The wind pelted black volcanic sand against our faces as we walked toward the lighthouse overlooking the ocean. There is a small museum and it is also possible to visit the lighthouse. We walked around the barren landscape while taking in the view of the waves crashing against the carmel candy-like landscape. The landscape here was completely different from anywhere else we had seen in the Azores. And it was amazing to think that the eruption happened not that long ago. That it happened in my parents lifetime.
Horta
Leaving the barren landscape behind, we drove toward Horta. Our driver left us near the marina. The Horta Marina is an important stopover for the yachts that cross the North Atlantic. Many years ago sailors began painting the harbor walls while stopping over. Now the mosaic wall is quite colorful with its unique paintings. Legend has it they painted the walls to secure good luck on their journey. The paintings depict such things as mermaids, pirates, whales, as well as the sailor’s country flag. Despite the rain, we walked down narrow cobblestone lanes in and out of souvenir shops. It was a wet ferry ride back to Pico. As we sailed away from Faial Island we could not see Pico Island in the distance. We knew the volcanic island was there but it was hidden in the clouds. It was an ominous feeling knowing we were heading toward the island even though we could not see it. I can only imagine how sailors must have felt many years ago.
São Miguel Island
It was a quick flight on SATA Airlines over the beautiful islands from Pico Island to São Miguel Island. We only spent one day in the town of Ponta Delgada since we came to São Miguel to experience the natural beauty of the island.
Ponta Delgada
We stayed at the Hotel Marina Atlantico conveniently located to the pier, shops, and tourist sites. It was a pleasant walk from our hotel along Avenida Infante D. Henrique past sailboats in the harbor toward the Portas da Cidade.
These monumental city gates sit in the plaza decorated with beautiful flowers. Near the city gates is the Igreja Matriz de São Sebastião church. This 16th century Baroque church is of typical Portuguese architecture.
A stroll down the cobblestone lane would not be complete without an ice cream cone, so we found a gelateria. The Gelateria AbraCadabra serves a delicious ice cream on waffles dish that was the perfect snack on a warm afternoon. Another interesting stop is the Fort of São Brás. It was constructed in the 16th century to defend the area against the pirate raids. Today it serves as the base for the Portuguese navy.
Sete Cidades
The drive from Ponta Delgada to Sete Cidades was picturesque with a couple of nice viewpoints along the way.
We rented a modern villa located in the heart of Sete Cidades, next to the Blue Lagoon. The House of the Camellias is a modern villa with a lovely backyard and view of the lagoon. It was a short walk to the lagoon. I awoke one morning to the sound of horse hooves clopping on the road. The horse was pulling a cartload of milk cans for delivery. In the town are a couple of restaurants, a post office, and a tiny grocery store. The grocery store (see photo) had basic food items to offer, such as bread, cheese, pasta, chips, and eggs. I would recommend shopping in Ponta Delgada at Sol-Mar prior to arriving in Sete Cidades for a better selection of items.
Vista do Rei (hike and abandoned hotel)
Monte Palace is a former 5-star hotel built in the 1970s that was abandoned after a couple of years. It is open to the public for its eye-catching view of Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde (blue and green lakes). We entered through the back of the building into a nearly dilapidated concrete structure with debris on the concrete floor, graffiti on the wall, and water dripping from the ceiling. By the light of our cell phones we managed to proceed further, but decided to try another entrance since it was too dark to see. We walked along the road to the main entrance and entered the building. A spiral staircase led us up to the top floor. This crumbling hotel was quite precarious with its open elevator shafts, strewn debris, and lack of handrails. But the view from the top of the abandoned hotel of the blue and green lakes was spectacular! Oh, I can only imagine how it must have been staying at this hotel in its glory days!
Near the parking area by the abandoned hotel is a hiking trail heading toward Sete Cidades village. The dirt road was lined by hydrangea bushes, grazing cows, and hillsides blanketed with roca-de-velha “old house” flowers. From one side of the trail we had a view of the Atlantic Ocean, while from the other side we had a view of Lagoa Verde and Lagoa Azul. Although a scenic trail, we did not continue all the way to Sete Cidades village.
Lagoa do Canário
This is the famous view featured on all the Azores travel brochures. It is simply stunning!!! Once you turn off the main road, continue along the dirt road until coming to a set of picnic tables and stairs. Climb up the stairs and continue along a narrow dirt path with beautiful views of steep, green hillsides toward the top. It’s only a 5-10 minute walk to the top for an incredible view of the sea, Lagoa do Canário, as well as Rasa Lagoon, and Santiago Lagoon. The photos say it all! Don’t miss it!
Kayaking on Lagoa Verde
Within walking distance from our villa in the village of Sete Cidades is Lagoa Verde and Lagoa Azul (green and blue lakes). These twin lakes are located in the crater of a dormant volcano. They are connected by a narrow strait where a bridge crosses over it.
There is a legend that says that once upon a time a shepherd and princess fell in love, but were forbidden from seeing each other. When they met for the last time, they cried so much that the Sete Cidades lakes were formed. The blue-eyed shepherd formed the blue lake, while the green-eyed princess formed the green lake.
We rented a kayak for four people from Hawaiian Canoe Tours – stall at the lake – for one hour and paid 10 euros (August 2017). It was a bit windy as we kayaked past ducks swimming in the water, but the water was surprisingly warm! We crossed from Lagoa Azul beneath an old stone arched bridge to Lagoa Verde while watching horses running on the lakeshore. Steep, green cliffs surrounded us. It was a beautiful area to kayak in! When was the last time you kayaked in a dormant volcanic crater lake?
Mosteiros
This quiet village surrounded by steep coastal cliffs is located on the northwestern part of São Miguel Island. It is a 15 minute drive from Sete Cidades village. We drove here for the sunset and parked our car at an overlook on a cliffside overlooking the sea. Mosteiros is known for its group of islets that lie offshore. The largest of the islets is shaped like a church, appropriate for the name of the village, which means “monastery” in Portuguese. The view was gorgeous! The cliffs reminded me of layers of a chocolate cake that plunged into the sea. The rocky outcroppings being hit by large waves had an ominous feel to them. My son and I imagined a pirate ship hiding behind the cliffs ready to attack us.
Following the sunset we drove to the beach in Mosteiros. Although it was too dark to play, it was a beautiful beach as there was just enough light left to see the steep cliff walls next to the black sandy volcanic beach. When the last of the daylight left, a quarter moon and stars appeared in the sky.
Lagoa do Fogo
The drive to this lake was picturesque as the road wound up the mountainside past hills lined with roca-de-velha “old house” flowers. These fragrant flowers look like pineapples and are in abundance in the Azores.
Lagoa do Fogo is a beautiful crater lake surrounded by steep green cliffs located in the center of São Miguel Island. If you are fortunate to be here on a clear day, visit Pico da Barrosa for a magnificent view of the north and south coasts at the same time. We happened to be visiting on a cloudy day. Yet, the sun did peak through the clouds a couple of times revealing the turquoise color water of the lake.
There is a steep, rugged trail leading to a sandy beach below where you are not allowed to swim. Parking is limited at the overlook and it is a popular stop so plan on parking along the side of the road.
Furnas
Furnas, is a beautiful village with narrow streets and white washed buildings nestled in a green valley. It is known for its sulphur springs, thermal pools, and traditional cooked dish known as “cozido”.
Sulphur springs
Furnas is located in an active volcanic complex. As such, the Caldeiras das Furnas are hot springs located in the village with geysers and boiling water springs. One must visit them while in Furnas, however, the sulphur stench is strong. In fact we smelled the sulphur springs while driving before we saw them! While walking around the hot springs, our young children scrunched up their noses and said multiple times, ‘I don’t like that smell!’ Corn was being sold at a nearby stand, after having been cooked in the geyser, but I did not have much of an appetite for it.
Thermal pools
Furnas is known for its geothermal pools. We chose to visit the thermal pools at Poca da Dona Beija. There are approximately six different “youth pools” to enjoy. Known for their therapeutic benefits, the pools are located in beautifully landscaped gardens, including a couple of benches to sit on. The Ribeira dos Lameiros stream runs through the gardens. There are locker rooms for changing. At the time of writing it was four euros per adult to enter. The pools range in temperature from 28 degrees celsius to 39 degrees celsius. Our children enjoyed the 28 degrees celsius pool the best since it felt like a warm bath. The 39 degrees celsius pool felt like a hot tub and colored my legs orange! There was also a faint sulphuric smell, but it did not bother us. We enjoyed our visit to the pools. They were relaxing and intimate. For more information on visiting the thermal pools visit our information page.
Cozido Dish
A cozido is a traditional Portuguese dish consisting of vegetables and meats – such as carrots, potatoes, cabbage, sauerkraut, pork, beef, and chicken – cooked for six hours by placing a pot in the ground which is heated by volcanic steam. We were lucky to get a table for lunch at the popular Restaurante Tonys in Furnas. The cozido dish was a generous portion for 20 euros for two adults to share. It was quite delicious, at first, with a slight sulphuric taste to it. However, the more I ate, the less delicious it tasted to me. It would not be my favorite dish, but I am glad I tried it.
Ribeira Quente – Fogo Beach
In this small town where homes are nestled against the steep hillside leading down to the coast sits a sheltered crescent moon shaped beach. Fogo Beach is located on the southern coast of São Miguel in a bay where submarine hydrothermal vents are located. These vents make the water warm. Ribeira Quente is a 15 minute drive from Furnas. We visited this beach in the early evening. The crowds were gone and we practically had it to ourselves! Our children played in the fine, black, powdery sand, and ran along the shore while seagulls flew past them. A golden sunset shone on the sea beyond the steep, rocky cliffside. It was 1-1/2 hours by car to return to Sete Cidades – where we were staying – from here.
One week in the Azores is simply not enough! One week can easily be spent on São Miguel Island alone. Although we were not able to see it all, we loved the the places we visited. Don’t miss whale watching on Pico Island; scenic hiking on São Miguel Island; and Capelinhos on Faial Island. We loved driving along the pristine highways while admiring the flowers and views! The Azores are packed with beauty.
Next time I visit the Azores, I would like to hike on breathtaking São Jorge Island’s coastline; stroll the historic center of Angra do Heroismo UNESCO world heritage site on Terceira Island; and swim on the waterfall island of Flores.
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