São Miguel
Most people have never heard of the Azores. To be honest, I hadn’t heard of them until recently before travelling to the remote island chain. When scrolling through the list of direct flights out of New York airports, I noticed one to a city named Ponta Delgada. Without knowing what Ponta Delgada was, I began doing my research. I quickly realized that the Azores were not only a scenic destination not yet overrun by tourists, but that they were only a 5 hour direct flight away from New York. With a spare week in August circled as a possible time for a summer vacation, the Azores became a frontrunner destination.
Diving deeper into research landed me on a 7 day trip to the Azores with 3.5 days in Sao Miguel, 1 day in Pico and 2.5 days on Terceira. Sao Miguel, as the largest, most populated and most diverse island, was the trip’s crown jewel. From tea farms to striking atlantic views, and hot springs to swimming with dolphins, here is an overview of my time in Sao Miguel.
The Tea Farms
When thinking of the Azores, I certainly never had thought about tea farms. However, to my surprise, the Azores (and Sao Miguel in specific) is not only the oldest place but the only place to still commercially grow tea in Europe. Cha Gorreana is the prime ‘tea tourism’ destination on the island, having grown tea continuously since 1887. While I am not a tea drinker myself, the history and gorgeous setting of the tea fields were an opportunity I couldn’t miss.
The half hour drive from Ponta Delgada got me onto the north side of the island and to Cha Gorreana Tea Factory. With a first stop at the visitor center, I was able to comb through the exhibits on the farm’s history and of the history of tea in the Azores. The well placed building opened to expansive Atlantic Ocean views and terraced tea fields. Looking almost like asian rice terraces, the tea farm consists of rows of squared off vegetation matching the field terrain. With this, the farm gives a textured patterned look. Walking through the fields feels movie-like. Miles and miles of rolling hills almost instantly collapse into perfectly groomed tea rows. Every twist and turn gave way for different photography angles. However, perhaps the most interesting angle was from above. The flat parking lot at the visitor center gave ample space to fly my photography drone over the tea fields. With a direct overhead view, I was able to photograph both the patterns of the fields, and the nearby ocean views.
The Atlantic Coast
Being a volcanic island largely stranded in the middle of the Atlantic, of course the ocean viewpoints are a main selling point of Sao Miguel. For this article, I am going to cover my experiences on the far west of the island, Mosteiros, and the far east, Nordeste.
Mosteiros, the westernmost town on Sao Miguel, was the perfect first-day sunset spot for me. The tiny village is nestled alongside a black sand beach with the striking Islands of Mosteiros in the distance. Although they are quite small, the Islands of Mosteiros protrude sharply out of the Atlantic Coast and create a perfect frame for otherwise ordinary ocean photographs. Although the sky was filled with clouds around sunset, there was one small patch of clear skies around the horizon. Luckily, it was the patch directly behind the 2 most prominent islands. Heading back a few hundred feet and using a telephoto lens allowed me to flatten the scene, making both the islands and sunset larger in the frame. The results were great!
Instead of beaches leading into the Atlantic Coast, the east side of Sao Miguel is home to sheer cliffs dropping straight onto rocky ocean coastline. The lighthouse at the edge of the town of Nordeste is the clearest view of these striking cliffs. Despite the steep cliffs, a narrow winding road does make its way past the lighthouse and to the ocean shoreline. But be forewarned, the road is not for the faint of heart. I tested my luck going down the road. The road, which barely fits one car despite being a two way road, consists of about a dozen heavily exposed bends before ending up at a small swimming spot on the coast. Very happy for the automatic rental car we got (most Azorean rentals are manual), we slowly but surely meandered down the road, avoiding bumps with the stone guardwalls. Reaching the bottom, I was able to take my drone up and photograph the jagged coastline.
Islands of Mosteiros from the shoreline
The Hot Springs
After a day of exploring, hiking, and stressful driving, bathing in a relaxing hot spring sounds great! Luckily, Sao Miguel’s volcanic history gives the island natural hot springs. At Parque Terra Nostra, natural hot springs are seamlessly integrated into the forest environment. Upon paying the small entrance fee, I was rewarded with gorgeous botanical gardens lining the paths of the park. While tourists primarily know of the park for its springs, Terra Nostra is also regarded as one of the best gardens in the Azores, with plants imported globally. For the next few hours, I enjoyed both the comfort and the scenery of the hot springs, ready to continue the journey back to Ponta Delgada.
The Dolphins
What the Azores lack in land animals they certainly make up for in marine animals. Taking advantage of their marine biodiversity, both whale and dolphin watching trips frequent the ports of Ponta Delgada. Even though I have whale watched quite a few times, I have never been up close with wild dolphins. Good thing I was in Sao Miguel! Booking a ‘Swimming with Dolphins Trip’, I was unsure what to expect. But quickly, swimming with dolphins became a highlight to the entire Azores trip.
After a quick safety briefing, my group boarded the RIB type vessel and headed out into the Atlantic. With spotters on and near the shore keeping an eye out for local dolphin pods, it took only about 20 minutes before approaching our first dolphins. As this was a wild animal encounter, there was certainly no shaking dolphin fins or acrobatic dances as you may see at SeaWorld. Instead, this was more of a: jump in the water and watch as the pod shoots by within a matter of seconds. But, the speed, adrenaline, and ‘wild-ness’ of the adventure made it far more rewarding than an aquarium experience. After completing the first ‘pass-by’ everyone reboarded the vessel and we followed the pod or looked for more. The photographer in me also wanted a clean photograph to document my great experience. Without underwater camera gear, I was left trying to catch a dolphin in mid-air. I took a couple of ‘rounds’ of swimming off and instead prepared my camera gear for some high speed shooting. After a couple of passes, I got it! With both a great overwater and underwater experience, we returned into the Ponta Delgada port.
There wasn’t room for all my Sao Miguel adventures in this article. In addition to the ones mentioned, I also had a great time in the charming town of Ponta Delgada, visiting the Sete Cidades Craters, photographing the island’s waterfalls and much more! Below are some photos from the adventures that didn't come up in writing.
