The Azores are an amazing chain of islands in the north Atlantic Ocean, filled with historic charming cities and towns, calderas, beautiful green hills, hot springs and thermal pools.
When I was young, I was an avid collector of National Geographic magazine. Every month, I anticipated the upcoming issue to see and explore exotic places I had never seen or heard of. One of the articles I remember reading was about the Azores, an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean, nine hundred miles off the coast of mainland Portugal. The Azores is considered an autonomous region of Portugal, consisting of nine islands. Seeing photographs of the lush green islands full of volcanic calderas, blue hydrangeas, fishing villages and hardy people fascinated me. The Azores is often described as ‘Ireland meets Hawaii’. I knew a trip to this beautiful and interesting chain of islands would be in my future.
Over thirty years later, in late 2014, I found a great deal through Azores Getaways for a week long vacation for the following spring to Sao Miguel, the largest, and most populated island of the Azores, also nicknamed “The Green Island”. My decision was made. While tourism of the Azores has traditionally been marketed to Europeans, more recent promotion has been aimed at travelers from the United States and Canada, and the number of visitors is growing.
The following May, my partner and I flew to Boston, where we boarded a SATA flight destined for Ponta Delgada, the capital and largest city in the Azores located on the island of Sao Miguel. In the nineteenth century, many Portuguese, especially from the Azores, immigrated to coastal Massachusetts to work in the whaling industry. Their descendants still have ties to the motherland. As a result, today there are direct flights to Ponta Delgada through Boston, and recently flights have been added from New York.
As we approached Ponta Delgada, I looked out the window and noticed the many white stucco buildings with red clay roofs. It looked cool and rainy, and I hoped it wasn’t a prelude to the weather for the entire week. While the weather in the Azores is generally mild and comparable to San Francisco, it can also be very unpredictable, and the weather can change quickly. The locals often say that you can experience all four seasons in one day.
The best way to get around Sao Miguel is by car, although there are bus lines that go to various parts of the island. After going through customs, we picked up our small rental car, and headed to our hotel, the Caloura Hotel resort, located nine miles east of Ponta Delgada, in a spectacular setting on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Atlantic. Hotels with good rates can also be found at both Trivago and Booking.com.
Soon after, the sun came out and I felt much better. Over the next week, we would explore pretty much every corner of this beautiful island, driving the entire coast, as well as throughout the interior. Sao Miguel is a photographers’ paradise, full of green pastures and rolling hills dotted with grazing cows, blue and purple hydrangeas and the bright blue ocean as a backdrop. In addition, there are lakes within calderas, quaint whitewashed villages, waterfalls, hot springs and thermal pools. There are too many sites to see to describe here, but below are the key places that we visited. In addition, a variety of tours and activities can be reserved ahead of time through Viator.
Cities and Towns
Ponta Delgada – Ponta Delgada is the capital of the Azores, and its largest city. This charming city, located on the south part of the island, is filled with cobbled narrow streets and squares, colorful buildings, palaces, beautiful gardens and churches. Most of the buildings are whitewashed, and striped with a black basalt.
The harbor is the main port of Sao Miguel, and was the main supply station for shipping between Europe and the Americas and Africa, from the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries. It’s a great place to stroll and look back toward both the historic and modern architecture of the city. It’s here that the various whale watching tour companies can be found. At the west end of the harbor is Forte de São Brás, a sixteenth century fort with a military museum. At the east end of the harbor is a large public swimming pool.
Just off the harbor is the main square, called Praça Gonçalo Velho Cabral, named after the discoverer of the island, and you can find a statue of him here. The square is designed with white and black cobbles in an intricate pattern. On the north end of the square is the Portas da Cidade, an eighteenth century city gate that has three arches made of local stone, and adorned with the royal crown and coat of arms of the city.
North of the city gate is Igreja de São Sebastião, a sixteenth century church with a clocktower and elaborate façade, facing a small plaza with outdoor cafes. Surrounding the church are a number of narrow streets with stores, cafes and restaurants. A few blocks to the east is the Mercado da Graça, the city’s primary farmers market.
We walked through the pleasant Jose do Canto Botanical Garden, filled with many plant species and trees including Eucalyptus, Caledonia Pines, and Magnolias. The garden is named after its founder, who started the garden in the mid 1800’s, building a plant collection that eventually had several thousand species.
Vila Franca do Campo – Vila Franca do Campo is a pretty fishing town with whitewashed buildings, located on the south side of Sao Miguel. It was founded in the 15th century, eventually growing to be the largest city on the island and designated the capital city of the Azores. A major earthquake destroyed the town in 1522 killing 5,000 residents, and the capital was moved to Ponta Delgada. The harbor is filled with colorful fishing boats. The town has a couple of nice squares, and two attractive churches including the Church of Sao Miguel, and the Church of Sao Pedro.
Off the coast is a small island nature reserve that was formed from the crater of an ancient submerged volcano. The island has a near perfect circular lake formed by the crater, that is linked to the ocean via a small channel. The island can be accessed during the summer months by regular boat service.
Ribeira Grande – Ribeira Grande is located on the north side of the island. This attractive town is separated into two sides by a stream lined with a public park, and the buildings are more colorful than in the other towns we visited. One of our interesting stops here was to the Mulher de Capote liqueur factory. The liqueurs are primarily of different fruit flavors, including passion fruit, pineapple, blackberry, cherry, lemon and others. We were able to take a guided tour to view the production process and taste some of the various flavors.
Furnas – An interesting and unique place to visit on Sao Miguel is the town of Furnas, known for its hot springs. Furnas is located in the interior of the eastern side of the island, and started as a spa town in the 19th century, attracting visitors from all over. The springs are primarily located in the Parque Terra Nostra, a beautiful park filled with meandering paths along streams and lakes, rare species of flowers, a large camellia collection, topiary gardens, and thermal pools filled with a brown colored volcanic water from the hot springs.
Lakes and Calderas
There are numerous calderas throughout the Azores, including on Sao Miguel. These large depressions are formed from collapsed volcanoes. Many of the calderas are now filled with lakes.
Lagoas das Sete Cidades – The Sete Cidades region is one of the most photographed places on Sao Miguel. Here, you can view down to the beautifully colored twin lakes Lago Azul and Lago Verde located within the crater of a dormant volcano. Literally, the Blue Lake and the Green Lake, they are so named because each side of the lake reflects the sunlight in different colors. Sete Cidades is located on the far western section of Sao Miguel, and there are multiple viewing areas and trails off of Highway EN9-1A.
Lagoa do Fogo – this is the highest lake on the island, located within a crater in the center of the island. A number of viewpoints from the main road above it, Road EN5-2A, offer spectacular views. We hiked down to the lake, and walked a trail around half the lake and back. Because the lake is so high, the weather can be unpredictable. When we started our hike down it was pretty clear out, but by the time we made it to the bottom, it became cool and overcast.
Lagoa do Congro – Lagoa do Congro is one of the smaller calderas, but it’s size is outmatched by its spectacular beauty and color. This hidden treasure is located off of Road EN4-2A, where you follow the sign to the lake via a dirt road where parking is allowed. From there, you hike down a trail through a dense forest before reaching the lake. Once you arrive, you’ll be welcomed by a multitude of green hues. The still lake itself also a pure green, surrounded by trees covering the caldera walls.
Waterfalls
There are a number of waterfalls on Sao Miguel, mostly on the eastern side of the island. We went to a few, each varying in size.
Salto do Cabrito – This 60’ waterfall is south of Ribeira Grande in a nature preserve, and is free and open to the public. We accessed the waterfall by hiking a long trail from the spa town of Termas das Caldeiras. We parked in a lot across from a spring pool, and hiked along a narrow road that leads to a trail that includes catwalks and stairs. The trail goes near the Barragem Dam and through an electric station before reaching the falls.
Ribeira dos Caldeiroes – Cascading waterfalls, streams and trails are located within a park, called Natural da Ribeira dos Caldeiroes. The park is located on the northern side of the island, in the town of Achada. It also includes historic water mills, one of which has been repurposed to an Ethnographic museum.
Whale Watching
Whale watching is a major tourist activity in the Azores. The Azores is one of the best places in the world for whale watching, with over twenty species found in the surrounding water. Whaling used to be a major part of life in the Azores, and while the whaling industry has happily ended, there are now many opportunities to see these magnificent marine mammals. Whale watching tours can be found primarily in Ponta Delgada. We used Futurismo Azores Adventures, the largest operator on the island, offering tours in all seasons, using catamarans or zodiac boats. Our 3 hour excursion was a fun way to spend an afternoon seeing both whales and dolphins.
Beaches
In general, the Azores is not known for its beaches, but we did find some nice ones. The beaches on Sao Miguel are generally black sand, and are scattered on both the north and south sides of the island. We went to two beaches during our visit, and both times, we were about the only people on the beach, most likely due to the season.
Baixa d’Areia Beach – Located near our hotel in Caloura, a narrow road goes downhill to the beach. The beach is in a pretty setting on a bay, set back against a steep hill with a cave on the back side of the beach. There is a lounge bar with outdoor seating near the beach.
Praia do Fogo – This decent sized beach (the beach of fire) is located on a pretty bay just west of the town of Ribeira Quente, on the south side of the island. Its name comes from the underwater hydrothermal vents that warms the water. The beach includes a large parking area, and there are nearby restaurants.
Coastal Viewpoints
Almost everywhere you drive, walk or bike in Sao Miguel are stunning views, but there are a couple of viewpoints looking out to the ocean that we stopped at that are especially worth noting.
Ponta do Sossego – On the eastern side of the island, south of the town of Nordeste, is a park with a lookout point called Ponta do Sossego. It is accessed from the twisty Road EN1-1A. This park has beautiful gardens, and as you continue to the viewpoint, you’ll be captivated by the stunning views of the tree covered cliffs that drop straight down to the ocean.
Mosteiros – On the opposite, western side of the island, we drove along a road near the town of Mosteiros that offered beautiful views from above a cliff, looking down to the a rocky coastline as well as a few small rocky offshore islands.
Plantations
Tea Plantations – Europe’s only two commercial tea plantations are located on the north side of Sao Miguel. The tea plantations (along with pineapple – see below) were started in the 19th century after orange plantations were wiped out due to blight. At its peak, in the 1850’s, there were 14 tea factories in the Azores, but today, only two remain. The Gorreana Tea Factory is located in Ribeira Grande, covers 32 acres and produces 33 tons of tea leaves per year. The factory is open to visitors and there is a tea shop on the premises.
Arruda Pineapple Plantation – Like tea, pineapples were introduced in the Azores in the 1850’s as a replacement to oranges, which became blighted. Due to the cooler weather of the Azores, the pineapples are cultivated in large greenhouses. The Arruda plantation, located near Ponta Delgada, provides free tours as well as tastes of the pineapple, pineapple liqueur and other sweets.