Want to know a secret? The Azores are amazing
THERE are few corners of the world that remain blissfully oblivious to tourism. The Azores can be counted as nine of them as this is the number of islands that make up the Portuguese archipelago, Europe’s westernmost point in the Atlantic Ocean.
My first glimpse from the air of craggy volcanic cones and brilliant blue lakes in ancient craters didn’t disappoint. These captivating castaways, all with their own individual charms, are a nirvana for nature lovers.
The lushness of the countryside with green pastures and tidy stone walls seemed at times as familiar as the Yorkshire Dales. But the further we drove from Ponta Delgada’s airport towards Furnas on Sao Miguel island, the wilder the foliage became.
Waterfalls tumbled down sheer cliffs, fantastic ferns fanned gently in the breeze, and puffs of vapour hissed an escape from deep underground. It was like stumbling on to the film location of Jurassic Park without the dinosaurs.
At our stylish, Art Deco Terra Nostra Garden Hotel, there was a thermal pool in the grounds. The water looked murky, but on hearing that the mineral mix is an elixir of youth, I plunged straight into the balmy bath and didn’t want to get out again until I looked half my age.
The hotel’s restaurant is one of many in the area that serves up ‘Cozido das Furnas’. After one active morning canoeing in the crater of Furnas Lake, we stepped ashore to watch men unearthing these meaty casseroles that had been slow-cooked underground by the heat of the volcano. Seafoodlovers will relish specialities such as octopus in red wine, and fish you’ve never heard of.
The island of Pico, a short flight away, produces some very good wine despite impossible-looking terrain – vineyards are planted on rocky lava shores, sheltered from strong sea breezes behind walls.
Pico is named after the volcanic peak at its centre, the highest mountain in Portugal, and is often shrouded in cloud. Our islandhopping plane flew just over the summit, subjecting some windowseat passengers to an unnerving view. Portuguese writer Raul Brandao gave all the Azorean islands colours to reflect their personalities, and it’s not surprising to find that Pico’s is as black as the basalt used to build houses here.
Pitch darkness is also what we were faced with in Gruta das Torres, one of the longest lava tubes in the world.
Nearby Faial, reached by a short ferry crossing, is the ‘Blue Island’, renowned for its turquoise hydrangea hedges.
Bustling Horta is a haven for yachts en route to and from the Caribbean. The quayside is like an open-air gallery as superstitious sailors follow tradition by painting multi-coloured murals to keep them safe at sea.
The whaling heritage of the islands can be relived at museums, but the only hunts carried out nowadays are with tourists keen to capture the mammals on film. Our tour tracked down fin whales (the second-largest) and bottlenose dolphins.
The Azores are full of scenes that will live in the memory long after you’ve left. Bathing in the natural thermal infinity pool in the mountain forest at Caldeira Velha is a must with its caressing cascades and chirping frog chorus.
My favourite lookout – the panorama over the Green and Blue Lakes from the Vista do Rei (or King’s View) at Sete Cidades – has been voted one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Portugal.
Now I’ve let you in on this wellkept secret, I doubt these serene hideaways will ever be forgotten – least of all by me.