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The Azores - the Archipelago Experience

Azores - Europe's westernmost frontier

Holiday information
Nights: 14
Grade: 2, some long days and ascents 
Terrain: coast, meadows, mountains
Hotels: one manor house; one 2-star hotel; one 4-star hotel
Meals: 14 breakfasts, 7 picnics (pay locally for dinner)
How our holidays work
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  • self-guided, three-centre walk
  • whale-watching excursion included
  • unique volcanic landscapes
  • hire car included
The Azores, some 800 miles west of mainland Portugal, remain one of Europe’s most impressive and least-discovered outposts. This extraordinary archipelago has historically formed a vital link between the Old and New Worlds, with a distinctive history and culture. The fusion of vivid green landscapes (the result of the humid climate) and haunting volcanic scenery lends them a unique feel, and culturally, too, the mix is fascinating - striking Baroque churches built by the pioneers, bustling ports, great religious festivals.

On this two-week holiday, you visit São Miguel, São Jorge, Faial and Pico, on all of which walking is by far the best way to discover their volcanic landscapes and lush vegetation. You will see pockets of ancient laurisilva forest, tropical plants, hydrangeas and cedars, and to fully show you the great scenic variety, we suggest walks in different corners of the islands, all accessed using your hire car in the case of São Miguel, or taxis on the other islands.
No two walks are the same, thus showing you the archipelago's full scenic variety, from glittering lakes to stark lunar landscapes, and from green volcanic cones to the rugged coastline.
     
The holiday begins with a week on São Miguel, which is the largest and most varied of the islands, making it a great introduction to the Azores with its crater lakes, hot springs and mist-shrouded peaks. North-west of São Miguel, the most picturesque island, São Jorge, is characterised by its fajas (fertile plains by the sea framed by steep slopes and planted with crops and fruit trees) and by the chain of mountains that runs the entire length of the island. Further west still, Faial may be one of the smallest islands, but is one of the best known because its harbour, Horta, has traditionally been a port of call for ships crossing the Atlantic.

Beyond the handsome port is an equally beautiful island, with windmills, a varied coastline and hedges of blue hydrangeas. So different are the east and west sides, however, that they could be two different islands. Finally, Pico earns its name from its distinctive mountain whose summit, at 2,351 metres, is one of the highest in the Atlantic. Beneath it are densely wooded lava flows and groves of cedar and laurel.
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