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I’ve been wanting to write about the Azores for ages only because it’s so beautiful and untouched… and I’m smug and I used to live there !
As a fresh, young tour leader for Explore! it was the first place I was sent to work. For my sins I spent six months leading volcano treks around a few of these teeny islands waaaay out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. There are worse ways to spend your time.
So if I were to tell you about my top 5 favourite things to do, these would be up there:
1) Hike the Pico Alto volcano (2,351m) on Pico island – you need to be relatively fit for this one and it’s around four hours to the top if you’re going at quite a pace. Camping overnight in the crater is amazing for sunset and sunrise viewing as well as for watching shooting stars. Being on top of the highest mountain in all of the Atlantic Ocean is also pretty romantic in itself. There’s also something of an adventure in dossing down on a volcano that is also only sleeping…
2) São Jorge is a special island – long and thin with some of the most beautiful walks in the whole of the Azores, especially during June and July when the hydrangeas are at their bluest and most breathtaking. Take a walk down from the spine of the island to the coast at Santo Cristo. This famous fajã (small, flat piece of land that sticks out into the sea, formed by lava and rock falls from volcanoes and earthquakes) is only accessible by foot or quadbikes… and only about 12 people live there at any given time.
3) Experience a bull run. They happen on all of the islands in some village or other from May to September and there are often a few happening at the same time so you shouldn’t miss out. Make sure you’re viewing the action from a HIGH wall as it can get quite rowdy. Watch the bravest villagers ‘dancing’ with the bulls using umbrellas and coats. NB note: the animals aren’t hurt in any way… but sometimes a villager does get tossed onto his backside !
4) No matter how spoiled you are by where you live in the world (Cape Coast – South Africa or Newfoundland – Canada), whale watching in the Azores is special because of how many different species can be viewed in one go. Being in the middle of the Gulf Stream, whales and dolphins migrate through the islands at certain times of year. I remember seeing a Fin whale (second largest whale in the world after the Blue whale), Sei whale, Minke whale and Sperm whale in one afternoon. And that’s not to mention the Pilot, Risso, Common and Bottlenose dolphins we spotted on the same trip too.
5) The town of Horta on the island of Faial is the centre of fun, with plenty of yuppie yachtie action at Peter’s Cafe Sport. Make sure you don’t miss this establishment as it’s always packed with people from all over the world telling tall Atlantic tales ! Also take a trip down to Capelinhos and see the moonscape of the most recent significant volcanic erruption (between September 16 and 27, 1957 and ending October 25, 1958) which ruined buildings and extended the land by 1km. It’s like a film set.