- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Coaching Changes
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Has anyone been to the Azores
Posted on 11/23/22 at 5:20 am
Posted on 11/23/22 at 5:20 am
We thinking of booking a trip to go hike a couple of the Azores islands of Portugal. They kinda give me a Hawaii vibe. Has anyone been, and what were your experiences. Thank you
3
Posted on 11/23/22 at 7:09 am to luvdatigahs
Absolutely a great place. Very safe, clean, and amazing local meat / cheese / wine. Good fishing, amazing climate variation from sea level to the peak of the islands.
I'll probably go back again - I'm usually a one and done travel guy.
If they are running the bulls in the streets, it's a great time too!
I'll probably go back again - I'm usually a one and done travel guy.
If they are running the bulls in the streets, it's a great time too!
Posted on 11/23/22 at 9:52 am to luvdatigahs
The Azores are incredible. The Hawaii comparison is good, except that they aren't as warm.
I first went in late August of 2017 with my nephew. We started on Sao Miguel, the largest island.
This is the Furnas valley in the east of the island.
There are a number of hot springs here, and our hotel had a very nice pool of this fresh, hot water.
There's a great walk around the lake in the valley.
At the far side of the lake, there's a botanical garden that also has this pretty waterfall.
The water flowing in this stream through the town is very hot:
After leaving Furnas, we visited the old aqueduct that used to provide water to the city of Ponta Delgada:
Here's a valley on the western side of the island, near Sete Cidades:
I first went in late August of 2017 with my nephew. We started on Sao Miguel, the largest island.
This is the Furnas valley in the east of the island.
There are a number of hot springs here, and our hotel had a very nice pool of this fresh, hot water.
There's a great walk around the lake in the valley.
At the far side of the lake, there's a botanical garden that also has this pretty waterfall.
The water flowing in this stream through the town is very hot:
After leaving Furnas, we visited the old aqueduct that used to provide water to the city of Ponta Delgada:
Here's a valley on the western side of the island, near Sete Cidades:
This post was edited on 11/23/22 at 10:22 am
Posted on 11/23/22 at 9:58 am to GOP_Tiger
After Sao Miguel, we flew to Pico, famous for its vineyards and for Mt. Pico. On Pico, much of the island has been shaped by volcanic activity in the last 500 years.
The wines made in these vineyards are fortified wines: that is, some of the grapes are used to make brandy, and this is added back into the wine. So they are rather sweet wines, best used as an aperitif or as a dessert wine.
As you can see, the vines grow along the ground, only protected by 3-foot high stone walls from the sea wind.
The focus of this island for my nephew and me, though, was Mt. Pico. At over 7700 feet, it's Portugal's highest peak, and it can be hiked without any special gear or climbing skills. The views from the top are often blocked by clouds during the day, and the best opportunities are generally at sunrise and sunset, so we hiked with Tripix Azores so that we could camp for the night at the top, and Matteo was an outstanding guide.
At the edge of the caldera looking down:
From the top looking west over the neighboring island of Faial at sunset:
And again at dawn:
I recommend visiting one of the lava tube caves on the islands. In addition to this lava tube on Pico, there's another on Sao Miguel.
This is what you get when the lava has mostly cooled, and then some hot lava drips from the ceiling.
From Pico, we took the short ferry over to Faial. This is the city of Horta, as seen on approach. Horta is a major yacht center, as many of them crossing the Atlantic stop here.
Faial has a volcano, Capelinhos, that erupted in the late 1950s, and it's great to visit the lighthouse that was there and buried halfway during the eruption
There's another botanical garden on Faial -- this one devoted to native plants (much of the native fauna disappeared after Portuguese colonization).
A hike to the central caldera of Faial is wonderful. Here's a panorama that includes my nephew admiring it.
The hydrangeas all over the islands are incredible. July and August are the best times to visit to see them at the peak of their beauty. We're there just at the tail end of that time.
From Faial, we flew to Terceira. This island features Angra do Heroismo, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it's my favorite small city in the world.
While on Terceira, you simply must have a bowl of alcatra, a heavenly beef stew:
Terceira actually has an extinct volcano that you can climb down into and see the magma chamber. Highly recommended.
Looking back up:
The Azores aren't really a beach destination, but the beach at Praia on Terceira is the best.
Besides Sao Miguel, Terceira is the only island that has international flights, and we flew out from there.
The wines made in these vineyards are fortified wines: that is, some of the grapes are used to make brandy, and this is added back into the wine. So they are rather sweet wines, best used as an aperitif or as a dessert wine.
As you can see, the vines grow along the ground, only protected by 3-foot high stone walls from the sea wind.
The focus of this island for my nephew and me, though, was Mt. Pico. At over 7700 feet, it's Portugal's highest peak, and it can be hiked without any special gear or climbing skills. The views from the top are often blocked by clouds during the day, and the best opportunities are generally at sunrise and sunset, so we hiked with Tripix Azores so that we could camp for the night at the top, and Matteo was an outstanding guide.
At the edge of the caldera looking down:
From the top looking west over the neighboring island of Faial at sunset:
And again at dawn:
I recommend visiting one of the lava tube caves on the islands. In addition to this lava tube on Pico, there's another on Sao Miguel.
This is what you get when the lava has mostly cooled, and then some hot lava drips from the ceiling.
From Pico, we took the short ferry over to Faial. This is the city of Horta, as seen on approach. Horta is a major yacht center, as many of them crossing the Atlantic stop here.
Faial has a volcano, Capelinhos, that erupted in the late 1950s, and it's great to visit the lighthouse that was there and buried halfway during the eruption
There's another botanical garden on Faial -- this one devoted to native plants (much of the native fauna disappeared after Portuguese colonization).
A hike to the central caldera of Faial is wonderful. Here's a panorama that includes my nephew admiring it.
The hydrangeas all over the islands are incredible. July and August are the best times to visit to see them at the peak of their beauty. We're there just at the tail end of that time.
From Faial, we flew to Terceira. This island features Angra do Heroismo, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it's my favorite small city in the world.
While on Terceira, you simply must have a bowl of alcatra, a heavenly beef stew:
Terceira actually has an extinct volcano that you can climb down into and see the magma chamber. Highly recommended.
Looking back up:
The Azores aren't really a beach destination, but the beach at Praia on Terceira is the best.
Besides Sao Miguel, Terceira is the only island that has international flights, and we flew out from there.
This post was edited on 11/23/22 at 11:10 am
Posted on 11/23/22 at 10:01 am to GOP_Tiger
I've been to 41 countries and generally think that the world's a big place with lots of cool stuff to see, so I don't often return to places that I've been before, but I wanted my daughter and some friends to see the Azores, so we went the next year, in June of 2018.
We again started in Furnas, and this time, we stayed at the famous Casa Nostra hotel. If you can afford it, I highly recommend it. It has a very nice hot spring, and this is one of the views from their own, private botanical garden -- a very special place.
We drove a loop from Furnas around the east coast of Sao Miguel. Povoacao is famous for these pastries, which are delicious.
And the church there is also pretty:
The coastline is stunning. It's all like this.
The next day, we drove west toward Sete Cidades, and we stopped at the aqueduct again:
The valley of Sete Cidades and its twin lakes is incredible, if you can get a day without fog. (My nephew and I had visited the year before, and the pics weren't nearly this good.)
We spend a couple of days in Ponta Delgada. This church altarpiece is very intricate:
From there, we took a daytrip to the tea plantation on the northern part of the island, and we stopped at Lagoa do Fogo. From the edge of the lake, you can see both the northern and southern coasts of Sao Miguel. On a clear day, it's breathtaking.
We again started in Furnas, and this time, we stayed at the famous Casa Nostra hotel. If you can afford it, I highly recommend it. It has a very nice hot spring, and this is one of the views from their own, private botanical garden -- a very special place.
We drove a loop from Furnas around the east coast of Sao Miguel. Povoacao is famous for these pastries, which are delicious.
And the church there is also pretty:
The coastline is stunning. It's all like this.
The next day, we drove west toward Sete Cidades, and we stopped at the aqueduct again:
The valley of Sete Cidades and its twin lakes is incredible, if you can get a day without fog. (My nephew and I had visited the year before, and the pics weren't nearly this good.)
We spend a couple of days in Ponta Delgada. This church altarpiece is very intricate:
From there, we took a daytrip to the tea plantation on the northern part of the island, and we stopped at Lagoa do Fogo. From the edge of the lake, you can see both the northern and southern coasts of Sao Miguel. On a clear day, it's breathtaking.
This post was edited on 11/23/22 at 11:38 am
Posted on 11/23/22 at 10:07 am to GOP_Tiger
That was it for Sao Miguel on that trip. From there, we went to Terceira (only two islands on this trip).
In late June, Terceira has the Sanjoaninas festival, and it's a very big celebration in the Azores. There was no availability on the flights, so we took the 5-hour ferry from Sao Miguel to Terceira. With so many Azoreans headed to the festival, there was definitely a party atmosphere onboard, and it was nice watching the dolphins as they played alongside the ferry, but of the seven of us, I was the only one who kept the contents of my stomach in place, and I came close.
A connection had hooked us up with a friend who invited us to watch the parade from their balcony. This is the nighttime parade that opens the festival. It's somewhat formal, with the Sanjoaninas royalty presented.
That parade is followed up the next day with parades of groups of bands and dancers -- much more causal than the formal parade.
We also stopped in this pretty church in Angra, which I hadn't seen the year before.
In late June, Terceira has the Sanjoaninas festival, and it's a very big celebration in the Azores. There was no availability on the flights, so we took the 5-hour ferry from Sao Miguel to Terceira. With so many Azoreans headed to the festival, there was definitely a party atmosphere onboard, and it was nice watching the dolphins as they played alongside the ferry, but of the seven of us, I was the only one who kept the contents of my stomach in place, and I came close.
A connection had hooked us up with a friend who invited us to watch the parade from their balcony. This is the nighttime parade that opens the festival. It's somewhat formal, with the Sanjoaninas royalty presented.
That parade is followed up the next day with parades of groups of bands and dancers -- much more causal than the formal parade.
We also stopped in this pretty church in Angra, which I hadn't seen the year before.
This post was edited on 11/23/22 at 11:49 am
Posted on 11/23/22 at 11:07 am to GOP_Tiger
The summer is the best time to visit the Azores. The hydrangeas are blooming, and in the winter, it just rains all the time.
Sao Miguel and Terceira are the two islands that have flights from the US, and they are both well worth your time.
- Sao Miguel has some of everything, and you could easily spend a week just there.
- Terceira is great for the city of Angra, the beach at Praia, and the extinct volcano that you can go down inside.
- Go to Pico if you want to hike up Mt. Pico or you love wine.
- Faial has the recent volcanic destruction of Capelinhos, the beautiful central caldera, and the yacht culture of Horta.
_______________________________________________
I did not go to the other islands, but what I've heard is:
- Santa Maria: only go if you want to scuba dive
- Sao Jorge: supposedly great for hiking, with some towns high up on the cliffs, and others down by the water. Also famous for its cheese.
- Flores: famous for its waterfalls, it's more isolated and a great place for the outdoors
- Corvo: the smallest island, it's probably a daytrip from Flores for most people
- Graciosa: only go to this island if you want to go down into it's mostly-extinct volcano (you can't go all the way, because there are still toxic fumes)
Sao Miguel and Terceira are the two islands that have flights from the US, and they are both well worth your time.
- Sao Miguel has some of everything, and you could easily spend a week just there.
- Terceira is great for the city of Angra, the beach at Praia, and the extinct volcano that you can go down inside.
- Go to Pico if you want to hike up Mt. Pico or you love wine.
- Faial has the recent volcanic destruction of Capelinhos, the beautiful central caldera, and the yacht culture of Horta.
_______________________________________________
I did not go to the other islands, but what I've heard is:
- Santa Maria: only go if you want to scuba dive
- Sao Jorge: supposedly great for hiking, with some towns high up on the cliffs, and others down by the water. Also famous for its cheese.
- Flores: famous for its waterfalls, it's more isolated and a great place for the outdoors
- Corvo: the smallest island, it's probably a daytrip from Flores for most people
- Graciosa: only go to this island if you want to go down into it's mostly-extinct volcano (you can't go all the way, because there are still toxic fumes)
This post was edited on 11/23/22 at 12:02 pm
Posted on 11/23/22 at 11:37 am to GOP_Tiger
I'm happy to answer any questions that I can. If I were to retire outside of the country, I'd probably do so in the Azores. I really want to go back and visit the other islands that I haven't been to.
This post was edited on 11/23/22 at 12:00 pm
Posted on 11/23/22 at 12:50 pm to luvdatigahs
Other posts have given excellent advice and descriptions of these wonderful islands.
The Azoreans are very welcoming. Many have worked in the US for a few years or entire careers then returned to the islands making English very common. Infrastructure was upgraded several years ago when Portugal joined the EU. The roads are good but best for small cars.
There's a long history of agriculture innovation and careful forestry that gives all the islands a park-like feel. There is little tourist junk to buy, so spend money on the cheeses, wines, local bananas, local pineapple and tea.
When you travel look for direct seasonal flights from Boston and Sacramento. Both areas have large Azorean populations that like to visit their kin on the islands.
As to the Hawaiian connection, lots of Azoreans settled there working in agriculture and ranching.
The Azoreans are very welcoming. Many have worked in the US for a few years or entire careers then returned to the islands making English very common. Infrastructure was upgraded several years ago when Portugal joined the EU. The roads are good but best for small cars.
There's a long history of agriculture innovation and careful forestry that gives all the islands a park-like feel. There is little tourist junk to buy, so spend money on the cheeses, wines, local bananas, local pineapple and tea.
When you travel look for direct seasonal flights from Boston and Sacramento. Both areas have large Azorean populations that like to visit their kin on the islands.
As to the Hawaiian connection, lots of Azoreans settled there working in agriculture and ranching.
Posted on 11/24/22 at 10:57 am to Tree_Fall
Wow thanks so much, I am planning on going late April, since I have some leave that expires in may.
Page 1 of 1
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News