Azores
Dive into our site and find out about: the whales and dolphins of the Azores!
The Azores Archipelago is a group of nine distinct islands, lying on the same latitude as New York and Lisbon, around 950 miles from the Portuguese capital. Legend has that they are the tips of the lost continent of Atlantis but the stunning craggy scenery points to volcanic rather than mythical origins.
They were discovered in 1427 by Portuguese explorers and colonized shortly after by people of mainly Portuguese and Flemish descent.
Visitors have included Christopher Columbus, Sir Walter Raleigh, undersea communications cables, Trans- Atlantic flights and yachtsmen.
Mark Twain stopped by in the 1867 and described the islanders as "...all ragged and barefoot,...with brass rings in their ears and fraud in their hearts...!". Fortunately things have changed a lot since then.
The Azores are a haven of tranquility and calm and the stunning scenery of these lush green islands is breathtaking. Their main income is from agriculture and fishing and tourism has all but passed by the islands, so the people are still warm and genuinely friendly.
In the summer there are lots of colourful festivals to see.
The walking is great throughout the islands either down the quiet country lanes or up in the hills.
We are based in Horta on the island of Faial, in the central group of islands. You will have time to explore 1 or 2 of the other islands while you are visiting. Pico and Sao Jorge are short ferry rides away.
Weather is of a mild maritime Mediterranean type and summers are generally very good.
Average temperatures range from 15-22C (59-71F) with extremes being tempered by the passing gulf stream and although they do get rain year round the weather is generally very pleasant. Click here to see what the weather is like here today.
You can fly direct to the Azores from either Lisbon, Boston with SATA International. Connecting flights are available from the UK, the US and many airports across Europe. Most flights to Horta go via Lisbon or Sao Miguel.