The Azores
São Miguel, Terceira, Pico and Faial
Back in the 15th century, in mid Atlantic, the wind caught the sails of Henry the Navigator's mighty fleet just as a magnificent Buzzard wheeled overhead. 'Açor!' shouted the captain, thinking the bird to be a Goshawk. He ordered his sailors to follow it back to its breeding grounds and that is how they discovered the nine beautiful islands which were promptly names Açores, or Azores as the anglicised version has it. Today very little has changed in The Azores. Buzzards still circle overhead while in the inter-island waters dolphins play with the boats and whales pass through the protected waters. There is wonderful scenery, each of the nine islands with its own personality and atmosphere.
The archipelago lies some 950 miles west of Lisbon in the Atlantic and is a semi-autonomous province of Portugal. Volcanic by nature, the islands are a nature-lover's paradise, combining beautifully unspoilt scenery and a wonderful relaxed, old-fashioned rural charm. For 2009 we're introducing a new programme which includes the remote islands of Flores and Corvo, not often included by 'normal' tour operators! We start on Terceira, the capital of which is one of two World Heritage Sites we'll visit during the holiday. Here we stay in the fabulous Quinta do Martelo which has been lovingly restored as a living museum and where the food is legendary.
From here we move to the largest island, Sao Miguel where we'll spend a couple of days walking in the fabulous scenery and exploring the further points of the island. The volcanic origins will soon become apparent and we'll also be looking for the island's only endemic bird, the endangered Azores Bullfinch.
Next comes Flores, one of the remotest of the Azorean islands and many people's favourite. We'll have three nights here and take one day to take the ferry over to the neighbouring island of Corvo. Our last base will be the island of Faial, renowned amongst international yachtsmen. Here we'll visit the caldeira and the new part of the island formed when a volcano erupted in 1957 and we'll also spend half a day at sea whalewatching -and last year this was the experience of a lifetime! We'll also visit the neighbouring island of Pico with its World Heritage Site vineyards - and if we're lucky the harvest will be in progress. This is a wonderful holiday for island and nature lovers alike and is run at a relaxed pace to suit island life.
Download detailed itinerary