MadMountainMegan

AZORES

2022 October for Maddi

What is the Azores

They are 9 volcanic islands off the coast of Portugal. They are an autonomous region of Portugal. However they identify as Azorean. They speak Portuguese but apparently they have an accent. They also use the Euro. When we went we did not need a Visa, but always check the Canadian Government website for up to date info.

The Islands

We went to 3 out of 9 islands. Sao Miguel is the largest islands, it has the capital Ponta Deglada and the airport you fly into. Pico which has Pico mountain, the highest point in Portugal. Faial which has the last volcano that erupted in the 1960s. In summer it is possible to take a ferry between some of the islands, or they have small planes with multiple flights a day. We went near the end of season the there were less ferry’s. We flew to Pico and then took a ferry to Horta. We chose these two as the ferry ride is 20 minutes and you can bring your car. We would like to visit Graciosa, Terceria and Santa Marcia. We spent one week on Sao Miguel and one week between Pico and Horta.

Accomadation

We stayed at Airbnb’s the whole time. It was very customary for the owner or caretaker to meet you and show you the home. We also enjoyed Airbnb because we could cook and do laundry.

Food

We mainly shopped at the grocery store and ate our own food. They make there own wine, fruit, vegetables and milk. It is much cheaper at the grocery store. We went to one restaurant for seafood and Mcdonalds once. On Sao Miguel you can eat “cuisido” food using thermal heat, you must call ahead and make an order. I wish we did this.

Getting Around

Between islands we flew with SATA, these are small planes, check your bags. We also used a ferry between Horta and Pico, which took our rental car. We also rented a car because there is really no other way of getting around. They drive on the right side.

Things to do: Pico

• Whalers Museum-History on whaling in the Azores.
• Wine Museum
• Gurtas da Torres Lava Tube Tour- tour of lava tube cave.
• Moinho Do Frade- hike through the wine fields.
• Visit a natural pool- man made pools in the ocean.
• Climb Pico.-takes a day

*** it was pouring rain in a Tropical Storm so we drove around a lot***

Things to Do: Faial

• Hike Caldeira do Cabeco Gordo
• Lighthouse of Ponta dos Capelinhos- museum about the eruption, abel to walk through the black sand.
• Hike Monte da Guia.

Things to Do: Sao Miguel

• Hike Sete Cidades- There are plenty of lookouts but we parked by the old hotel and walked around in and then down through the town and then back up. It was a long but beautiful hike.
• Praia dos Mosteiros- black sand beach.
• Forte de Sao Bras- Military museum.
• Pineapple farm- see how pineapples are grown.
• Tea plantation- see how tea is grown.
• Viewpoint of do Pico da Barrosa.
• Hike Cascata do Salto do Cabrito- we did a big loop in the country side.
• Fumarolas Lagoa Das Furnas
• Visit Poca da Dona Beija
• Visit Tanque Termal Parque Terra Nostra
• Drink hot water from the taps in Furnas

Notes

• They are Azorean not Portuguese, they do speak Portuguese.
• They grow a lot of fruit, make milk and make bread on the islands so we just shopped at the grocery store.
• They use the Euro.
• They use European plugs.