Like its sisters of the triangle it forms with the islands of São Jorge and Pico, Faial has natural wonders that exist nowhere else in the Azores.
Sailors from all over the world know it in particular for its colourful port, Horta, an essential stop to rest and resupply during their Atlantic crossing. This port is, moreover, made all the more magnificent by all the chalk drawings made by them directly on the stone along the jetty, depicting every boat that has docked at Faial; a true open-air work of art. Travellers, for their part, are captivated by the geological and volcanic formation of the island, which has given rise to absolutely breathtaking creations of Mother Nature.
Come aboard with us to discover the origin of the island, its history and what you’ll discover there during your stay.
1 – The formation and history of Faial
Belonging to the category of the youngest islands in the archipelago, Faial appeared around 800,000 years ago, following a tectonic fracture of more than 350 km, which also contributed to the formation of the island of Pico, located a few kilometres from Faial, yet having risen from the waters hundreds of thousands of years later.
With an area of 173 km², Faial is part of the central group of the Azores islands, and in particular of the triangle, with Pico and São Jorge, and was discovered in 1427 by Portuguese and Flemish settlers. The latter, moreover, brought part of their culture with them when they settled on Faial, and the presence of the red-coloured windmills is one of the most striking pieces of evidence of this.
Its name “Faial” was given to it thanks to the presence on the island of numerous beech trees, called “faias” in Portuguese. Today, the island is home to around 15,000 inhabitants. It bears the colour blue thanks to the presence of the hundreds of thousands of hydrangeas that cover it. Discover why the islands of the Azores each have an assigned colour.
2 – The treasures of Faial
Beyond the magnificent town of Horta and its famous port, the island is made up of other attractions, and notably of 2 main volcanoes:
- the Caldeira at the centre of the island, with a depth of 450 metres and a height of 1,043 metres
- the Capelinhos, the youngest volcano in the Azores, which emerged from the waters to the west of Faial, then joined the island in 1957/1958. Ash still covers the entire area, which is nevertheless beginning to be dotted with green, as nature always regains the upper hand. Thanks to it, you get a small idea of what the humans who walked on the Moon may have felt!
Faial is, moreover, blessed with a sublime natural amphitheatre surrounded by the bays of Horta and Porto Pim: Monte Gordo.
The annual temperature is perfectly similar to those of the neighbouring islands: 13 degrees in winter, and 22 degrees in summer. It is therefore ideal for hiking, each hike as sublime as the next, and notably the famous 10 Volcanoes hike (PR 6), lasting 7 hours.
With its rich and wonderful nature, the island of Faial has several protected areas, a natural monument (Monte dos Capelinhos), and endemic species, notably 59 species of vascular plants unique to the Azores archipelago. As for the fauna, one can cite, for example, the Gietella faialensis beetle, which lives only in the area of the Capelinhos volcano.
The surroundings of Faial are also a wonderful area for observing cetaceans, such as whales, dolphins, flying fish, turtles, rays… In short, a true paradise on earth, especially if you’re a diver!
3 – Visiting Faial
Travel to the Azores hasn’t yet revealed all the secrets of Faial to you, far from it… and that’s normal, it’s what we propose to have you discover during your stay, by creating your personalised, eco-responsible travel programme. It’s very important to us to create discovery itineraries respectful of nature and of the local culture and to offer you services (accommodation, dining, activities…) that share this same ethic. This is one of the reasons why you’ll never find any address or suggestion of local or secret places on our site. They are precious, must not be spoilt by mass tourism and are reserved only for our travellers.
The idea is simple: you have nothing to do, we take care of everything and we negotiate the prices so that your trip is as economically attractive as possible and so that our organisation fees blend into these discounts. Our goal is to always respect your budget, your wishes and your traveller profile. Indeed, a family won’t travel the same way as a couple, especially with little ones.
As you’ll have gathered, our proposal is made entirely tailor-made. Why not receive a free quote from us? Contact us by filling out the contact form or by sending us your request by email at: contact@voyage-aux-acores.com.
