Azores

Nine volcanic islands in the mid-Atlantic, an autonomous archipelago known for crater lakes, hot springs, whale watching and green pastures.

The Azores are an autonomous region of Portugal, made up of nine volcanic islands in the mid-Atlantic and divided into eastern, central and western groups: the eastern group of São Miguel and Santa Maria, the central group of Terceira, Graciosa, São Jorge, Pico and Faial, and the western group of Flores and Corvo. Together with the "Madeira Islands", they are one of Portugal's two outlying autonomous regions, separate from the five mainland tourist regions. São Miguel is the gateway and the most popular island: the two-colored lakes of Sete Cidades, Lagoa do Fogo, the hot-spring park of Furnas and its geothermal stew (cozido), the old town of Ponta Delgada, and tea plantations rare in Europe; on Terceira, the old town of Angra do Heroísmo is a World Heritage Site; Pico has Portugal's highest peak, Mount Pico (2,351 m), and its cultural landscape of lava-wall vineyards is also a World Heritage Site; on Faial, Horta was a stopover for Atlantic sailors; and Flores has pristine waterfalls and cliff scenery. Whale and dolphin watching is a shared activity on every island. First-time visitors often spend 4–5 days on São Miguel, plus 3–4 days in the central group on Pico, Faial or Terceira. Lisbon and Porto have direct flights to Ponta Delgada (about 2 hours), and in some seasons there are direct flights from Europe and North America; between islands, travel is by SATA flights and summer ferries, and renting a car on the islands is recommended. The weather can change many times in a day, often called "four seasons in one day", and views of the crater lakes are often hidden by cloud, so keep your plans flexible; some popular trails require online registration.

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