Travelling to the Azores is the promise of breathtaking landscapes, splendid nature, a waking dream. The variety of landscapes you’ll observe is matched only by the authenticity of the places you’ll visit. Andréa, the founder of Travel to the Azores, creates for you a tailor-made travel programme, on your budget, eco-responsible and respectful of the local culture.
Discovering this archipelago is a true gift, and you can do many unusual activities there, 10 of which will catch your attention!
1 – Watch whales and dolphins
How many times in a lifetime do we have the chance to approach and observe these magnificent cetaceans, which have made us dream since our earliest childhood? Whales, dolphins… these splendid beings thrive in the Azores archipelago. They are protected there and come to feed, or to give birth to their young, in families and in groups.
Travel to the Azores offers you an unforgettable boat tour, to meet these wonderful creatures. The trips are carried out with absolute respect for the animal and the environment.
2 – Sleep at the top of a volcano
Above the clouds! Yes, you read that right. After a sublime hike to climb the highest volcano in Portugal, Pico, on the eponymous island, you’ll have the chance to observe the stars a little closer by sleeping, with all the necessary equipment, at more than 2,000 metres of altitude. Your guide will of course be there to accompany you and prepare you for one of the most unusual nights of your entire life!
The unique sunset and the speechless-inducing sunrise are yours.
3 – Relax in hot springs
If it’s a brand-new experience you’re after, it’s a soak in the hot springs you’ll have 🙂
Thermal hot springs only exist on São Miguel, the main island of the Azores. Several spots on the island offer them, including the town of Furnas, which was built in the heart of a volcanic crater. The baths range between 35 and 41 degrees, and are rich in minerals, which gives your skin, at the same time, a completely free natural treatment. These “jacuzzis” offered by nature are accessible, for example, in the heart of lush vegetation, or in a spa that also offers volcanic-stone massages… In short, an infinite combination of treatments to enjoy during your stay in the Azores!
4 – See rainbows and flying fish
Because the Azores have the immense honour of hosting, in addition to cetaceans, other fantastic marine animals such as flying fish, turtles, rays… If you visit several islands, we particularly recommend São Jorge, which is teeming with them. Taking a boat trip along the coast to observe the island up close from the sea is an incredible experience.
In fact, on each of our sunset crossings, it never fails: several rainbows accompany us along the tour of the coast.
5 – Taste a traditional dish cooked in the steam of a crater
The active volcanic nature of the Azorean islands makes them one of the most prized scientific reference points for geothermal observation in the world. For centuries, since the introduction of humans to the islands, the inhabitants have become one with the nature around them. And there’s a very original culinary tradition born from this relationship: the cozido (a traditional Portuguese dish similar to a pot-au-feu) cooked in the heart of the volcanoes’ fumaroles.
In several places on the main island, and particularly in Furnas (yes, again!), many people busy themselves every morning, at dawn, to lay down the prepared dishes, which will cook for several hours at a temperature ranging between 65 and 95 degrees. It’s therefore a steam cooking, with sulphurous fumes, giving a completely unique taste to the cozido. An absolute must-try during your stay!
6 – Do some of the most beautiful hikes on the planet
There are no photos or videos eloquent enough to convey what you’ll experience during your stay in the Azores. From tropical forests to oceanic cliffs, by way of grandiose waterfalls, views over lines of volcanic cones, palettes of incandescent colours, wild animals, jaw-dropping lookouts, flowers by the millions, age-old rocks, mind-blowing caves, misty hiking trails worthy of the biggest film productions… You’ll be captivated.
Every hike in the Azores is a truly unique experience, and Travel to the Azores helps you choose the best ones, based on your traveller profile (couple, family, sporty, laid-back…), the number of travel days, the weather… So that you can get the best, and the most spectacular, out of them.
7 – Cool off under a waterfall falling onto a volcanic-sand beach
The most beautiful places in the Azores are reserved for the most seasoned travellers. On São Miguel but also on Flores, and other islands, absolutely extraordinary places exist: waterfalls falling onto black-sand beaches. It’s not a legend, it’s soon to be your reality 🙂
8 – Drink oceanic tea and volcanic wine
The islands of the Azores are a European exception, in that they produce tea and wine that grow in exceptional conditions, entirely unique to the archipelago.
Tea has been cultivated here since 1883 and the main island, São Miguel, has two plantations. Until very recently, these were the only two plantations in Europe! These plantations are located less than 1 km from the coast, which allows the oceanic sea spray to settle on the tea leaves, giving it a very particular taste, fresh and delicious.
The story of the wine is even more impressive because, through sheer courage and determination, the island of Pico has been producing an exceptional wine since the 15th century, whose grape varieties managed to win over the greatest Tsars of Russia. It’s in its making that the wine stands out: the roots grow directly into the volcanic rock. The vineyards are a true mosaic of small squares, each separated by low walls of volcanic rock. As such, the vineyards are protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
9 – Feel like you’re on Mars
At the end of the 1950s, the island of Faial in the Azores saw the birth of the very last volcano in the archipelago. From the sea, and for a whole year, the lava gushed forth so much that the new volcano ended up joining the west coast of the island. Its young age therefore makes it a particularly incredible place to visit. Covered in ash, the dunes evoke a lunar or Martian journey. Today, after more than 60 years of existence, nature is very gently beginning to reclaim its rights, and you can already glimpse a little green appearing. But we’re only at the beginning and the place is, for now, completely intact.
In fact, to get a privileged view of the volcano, you can climb the tower of the old lighthouse which, instead of standing at the edge of the cliff as it did before the eruption, now finds itself right in the middle of the site! The volcanic interpretation centre hidden next to the lighthouse is also a must-stop to understand more about the formation of the islands and of the volcano in question, the Vulcão dos Capelinhos.
10 – Swim in the most beautiful natural pool in the Atlantic Ocean
And this place is a secret that we only reveal to our travellers 😉
Because Travel to the Azores creates for you your personalised stay programme, made tailor-made based on your budget, your traveller profile and within the framework of healthy and sustainable tourism. Our organisation fees are included in your budget and we negotiate and book for you all the services of your stay (car rental, accommodation, dining, activities). If you accept our proposal, a personal travel diary and an interactive map will be provided to you to follow the planned itinerary. It’s simple: you’ll have nothing to think about or organise, just to enjoy it 😉
To receive your free quote, contact us at the following address: contact@voyage-aux-acores.com or fill out the contact form.
P.S.: if you want to see what your stay will look like in pictures, take a look at our Instagram feed!
