AZORES: A SAFE HAVEN FOR NATURE LOVERS
Portugal’s mid-Atlantic archipelago is a wildlife-lover’s dream – nine verdant islands offering the ideal destination for a safe and sustainable holiday among marine giants.
THE AZORES
won the geographical lottery. The volcanic beauty of these nine Atlantic islands, 1,500km west of mainland Portugal, is evident at first glance – verdant slopes carpeted with vineyards and tea plantations, striped with waterfalls, studded with volcanic crater lakes, and fringed by black-sand beaches. But scratch – or, rather, dive beneath – the surface and you’ll discover the real riches. Perched on the ‘Azores Triple Junction’ at the convergence of three continental plates, the ocean floor plunges steeply just offshore, where cold, nutrient-rich currents from the north meet the warm Gulf Stream. It’s a recipe for a seafood feast attracting a cast of hungry giants: whales.
A WHALE OF A TIME
With some 25 species of cetacean found around the Azores, the archipelago is among the world’s best whalewatching destinations. Star of the show is a year-round resident, the sperm whale; the planet’s largest toothed predator hunts giant squid at depths reaching 1,000m. Visit late summer to encounter mothers and calves.
Join a whalewatching tour from Pico, directed by an expert vigia (spotter), to meet these torpedoshaped leviathans, plus dolphin species including common, bottlenose, striped, Risso’s and, in late spring and summer, Atlantic spotted. The biggest behemoths also arrive in late spring: blue, fin and sei whales en route to summer feeding sites off Iceland and eastern Greenland. Their return migrations pass through in September and October, when you might spot humpback, northern bottlenose and Sowerby’s beaked whales, too.
ADVENTURE, CULTURE, CUISINE
Away from the water, each of the nine islands – easternmost São Miguel and Santa Maria, central Faial, Pico, São Jorge, Graciosa and Terceira, and far-flung Flores and Corvo – has its own attractions. Azaleas dazzle in summer, and you can admire the archipelago’s 60 endemic plant species in Faial’s botanical gardens. Birders seek the Vulnerable Azores bullfinch on São Miguel, as well as breeding colonies of Cory’s shearwater on Pico and Corvo. These are islands of adventure, with ample opportunities for cycling, climbing, horseriding, paddleboarding, kayaking and surfing. No trip to the Azores would be complete without a visit to the spectacular Lagoa das Sete Cidades (Lake of Seven Cities) on São Miguel, voted one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Portugal, and more than 80 signposted hiking trails span over 800km, including five multi-day ‘Grand Routes’ and the ascent of Mt Pico – at 2,351m, Portugal’s loftiest summit. At the end of the day, refuel with Azores specialities, including seafood and creamy cheeses, pineapples and bananas, Pico’s renowned wines and tea from Europe’s oldest plantation.
Thanks to stringent hygiene and covid security measures – the Azores was considered by European Best Destinations as one of the safest holiday locations for 2021 – the archipelago offers a safe, uncrowded destination, ready to welcome wildlife-lovers with confidence.