While many people travel to the ends of the earth seeking undiscovered places full of nature, culture, and fresh adventures, I’ve found all of that and more just a four-hour flight from the East Coast. The Azores, an archipelago of nine volcanic islands 900 miles west of Lisbon, feels like a patchwork of New Zealand, Ireland, and Hawaii’s Big Island. In less time than it would take me to fly from New York City to L.A. I could be hiking, surfing, diving, and spotting blue whales in a place with more centuries-old churches than all-inclusive resorts.
Discovered by Portuguese navigators in the 15th century, the autonomous region has its own government, but the food is Portuguese with local twists, and the language is Portuguese but with a local accent. The people, however, have a distinct culture, largely shaped by their isolation, and each island has its own character and attractions: Flores is known for its spectacular diving; Pico is a bucket-list stop for bird-watchers; São Jorge draws surfers with its long, tube-shaped waves. São Miguel, the largest and most populous of the islands, with around 150,000 inhabitants (more than half the Azorean population) is the gateway to island-hop around the archipelago. The island’s mix of hot springs, botanical gardens, beaches, and otherworldly volcanic lakes also makes it a great base if you only have a long weekend to spare.
Before I explore the island’s interiors, I spend a night in São Miguel’s capital, Ponta Delgada, where cobblestone streets and historic whitewashed buildings still feel trapped in time and a high-rise–lined marina feels very much in the present. I bypass the business hotels that line the harbor and check into Solar da Glória ao Carmo, a 300-year-old manor house turned guesthouse, set on a quiet street near the popular beaches of Pópulo and Milícias. Owners Eduarda and José direct me to beautiful old churches, including the Gothic-style Church of São Sebastião and the hilltop Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Paz, just a short drive away, and rightfully insist I stop at Cerâmica Vieira Lagoa. Family-owned since 1862, the ceramics studio is the perfect spot for authentic souvenirs like gorgeous Portuguese tiles, and you can still watch artisans molding clay and working the kilns.
Not all of the island’s traditions have been preserved. São Miguel’s booming whale industry has thankfully been replaced by whale viewing, and today the Azores is considered one of the top whale-watching destinations in the world, attracting 25 species of whales and dolphins year-round. I spend an afternoon aboard a catamaran with eco-outfitter Futurismo. A pioneer in sustainable tourism in the Azores, Futurismo’s staff of trained marine biologists spout geeky facts about striped dolphins and direct me to the boat’s bow just in time to catch a blast of spray from three breaching fin whales—the world’s second-largest mammal.
As incredible as the coast may be, the interiors of the island are the star attraction. São Miguel is nicknamed the Green Island, and I discover why the next day when I journey to its center to hike to Lagoa do Fogo—the Lake of Fire. An eight-mile trail winds through Lord of the Rings scenery of oversize ferns, dramatic cliffs, and dive-bombing seagulls. When I reach the rim and gaze down at the jewel-toned lake within the Agua de Pau volcano, I think this must be the island’s most Instagram-worthy spot. But then I see Sete Cidades, a twin crater lake located on the west side of the island. Separated by a small bridge, the contrasting blue and green lakes were rumored to have been created from the tears of a blue-eyed princess and her green-eyed peasant lover when they were forced apart. Windy conditions dash my plans to kayak, so I instead rent a mountain bike from Futurismo’s lakeside activities center and follow a trail around the lake, veering off eventually to explore empty roads fringed with hydrangeas and pastures of cows, which outnumber residents.
Nothing is more than an hour’s drive away, so I cross to the east side of the island to meet Paulo, a guide with adventure operator Azorean Active Blueberry. After I’m outfitted in a full wet suit, booties, and a helmet, we hike 20 minutes into fern-filled Ribeira dos Caldeirões Natural Park. Paulo rappels me between two cascading waterfalls embedded in an imposing basalt wall. I cinch my helmet tighter and turn on my GoPro, and he yells for me to jump. The roar of water competes with my shrieks while I slide down water chutes and cannonball off a 14-foot waterfall. I’ve just been introduced to a local pastime called canyoning—basically Mother Nature’s version of a waterslide park, with slippery rocks and waterfalls taking the place of man-made slides.
After a jam-packed day of adventures, I’m ready to slow down and continue east to experience the hot springs of Furnas. This small parish situated within a huge volcanic basin is dotted with boiling springs, geysers, and a mirror-like lake. The region reminds me of Iceland’s Blue Lagoon, just with muddier waters. Furnas Lake Villas, a collection of 10 rectangular Japanese cedar bungalows with Scandinavian furnishings, wood-burning fireplaces, and floor-to-ceiling windows to soak in the surrounding nature, is a cocoon of comfort. Set on 103 acres, this eco-paradise is lined with trails for horseback riding, hiking, and mountain biking. Each morning a large picnic basket arrives at my door packed with a breakfast spread of local cheeses, fruit, yogurt, homemade jam, and honey from the property’s bees, along with a thermos of hot coffee. It’s exactly what I need to fuel me for the day ahead.
I rent a bike and pedal 15 minutes downhill to the sleepy town of Furnas to wander the gardens, grottoes, and serpentine trails of Terra Nostra Park. One of Europe’s largest botanical gardens, Terra Nostra boasts a mind-blowing diversity of plant life—rhododendrons from Malaysia, more than 600 species of camellias—yet visitors seem to be more interested in the large thermal water pool, which is full of locals splashing and soaking in the mineral-rich waters.
These steamy waters, I learn, fuel the social life of the town. Manuel and Helena Gago da Camara, the husband-and-wife owners of Furnas Lake Villas, have invited me to join their ritual Sunday soak at Poça da Dona Beija, a complex of five thermal pools designed by Helena’s architect brother, complete with changing rooms and wooden boardwalks connecting the springs. Afterwards, we prepare an early picnic dinner of cozida, a unique Portuguese dish of meat, yams, potatoes, vegetables, and salted codfish. Manuel throws the ingredients into a large pot that he buries underground, close to the heat of the calderas. While our stew cooks, we walk over to a local woman selling milho cozido, corn on the cob boiled in the bubbling craters. I leave captivated by the island’s stark beauty, but also marveling at the local ingenuity that has reimagined an outdoor kitchen, a spa, and even a waterslide park in the humblest of ways.