Copy My Trip: a week of island hopping around the Azores

24.07.2024 - 00:46 / lonelyplanet.com

Jul 23, 2024 • 6 min read

Lonely Planet editor AnneMarie McCarthy recently returned from a jam-packed week in the Azores, exploring four different islands in 7 days. 

As the lucky destination editor in charge of Lonely Planet’s Portugal coverage, I can tell you one thing with absolute certainty: you all love the Azores. Week after week, I see how readers like you are reading up on these green islands, which all your well-traveled friends are raving about. 

When I got an invite from Visit Azores, I quickly packed up my rain jacket and sunscreen to check it out the archipelago for myself. Over the course of a week I visited the islands of São Miguel, Pico, Faial and Terceira, traveling between them mainly by plane but also by ferry.

The most touristy activity I did was also my favorite: a dolphin- and whale-watching tour that set out from from Ponta Delgada on São Miguel. I’ve never had much luck with wildlife spotting, but since the Azores is one of the best places in the world for spotting cetaceans, I was optimistic. Between April and early July is an optimal time to set off, since the whales are on their annual migration and there are more species in the surrounding water. During nearly 3 hours at sea, we saw dolphins, orcas, sperm whales and pilot whales. All the whales kept their distance – but the dolphins got up close, chasing each other in front of the boat. 

There are a limited number of companies in Azores with a license for this activity, and they all operate under strict “rules of engagement” – such as never approaching the animals from the front, and keeping a reasonable distance (the more vessels in the area, the further away they all have to be). None of this affects your chances of seeing them, however. I went with Futurismo, which offers two to three trips a day. The team is so confident you will have a successful sighting that if you happen to be unlucky, you can take a subsequent tour for free. 

My rain jacket. Although the sun did shine a lot, showers would blow through with little warning. The weather forecast on the islands is often not reliable – and when you’re spending so much time outside on hikes, you will want to be prepared for all eventualities. A lightweight, waterproof jacket will mean you can hike for hours without fear.

Yet no matter how well prepared you are, never hike off-trail, since you run the risk of damaging delicate endemic vegetation. What’s more, wild camping is not allowed anywhere on the islands. You’ll always be close to somewhere official to stay.

This shot was taken at the bottom of a dormant volcano, Algar do Carvão. There are only three places in the world you can go inside one of these: Indonesia, Iceland and here, in the center of Terceira island. While