The Azores Part 2: Pico, Faial, and São Miguel Islands — June 21–28, 2022
From Santa Maria island we flew to Pico, one of a triangle of islands anchoring the central group of the Azores. Pico was an obvious choice for us, dominated by an imposing volcano just asking to be climbed, along with being the center of the Azores’ unique wine industry. (Tim & Clara have a particular interest in all aspects of wine; the rest of us just enjoy drinking it.) Fittingly, the bungalows we stayed in were set amidst basalt-walled volcanic vineyards, with a stunning view of Mount Pico when it wasn’t shrouded in clouds.
Pico is much bigger than Santa Maria — by the end of our short stay on Santa Maria we were frequently bumping into people we’d gotten to know— and wealthier. Apparently there’s significant investment in the island based on its UNESCO World Heritage status, and a sense that it could eventually become a tourist magnet.
Climbing Mount Pico is a signature Azores adventure. It’s the highest point in Portugal and is billed as “one of Europe’s best hikes” — which is a stretch given the Alps, but it’s still a great hike! The trail is a relentlessly steep 3000'+ vertical feet to reach the crater, then an additional even steeper scramble to reach the summit of Piquinho, a 300' cone inside the main crater (visible in the bungalow photo above, if you look carefully). The trail is well-marked, but it’s easy to imagine how challenging or even dangerous it could be in bad weather; presumably that’s why the protocol for hiking the mountain is so involved: Only a limited number of slots are available and must be reserved in advance, with many of them occupied by guided individuals or groups. Independent hikers like us are charged 25€ per person, shoes and water are checked before setting off, and individual GPS units are issued to track progress up and down the mountain. Despite the rigmarole, we found it to be fairly typical for a significant volcano climb, which meant we worked hard while enjoying a variety of lava landscapes, some steam vents, and spectacular views throughout.
For our dedicated wine tasting on Pico (on top of the many local wines we tried during happy hours and meals), we set out by bicycle on roads winding through vineyards and small villages. Our most notable stop was the Adega A Buraca winery in the town of Santo António, where a talkative and knowledgeable caretaker from a many-generations Pico wine family engaged us in a lengthy session.
After exhausting the main activities on Pico, it was time for Tim & Clara to head home, with flights to mainland Europe departing from the neighboring island of Faial, reached by a 30-minute ferry ride from Pico. The rest of us decided to come along on the ferry and spend the day on Faial. We reserved three electric scooters, picturing a carefree day tootling around the island with stops here and there including a reportedly spectacular crater-rim hike at the island’s top. Instead, we had long stretches with combinations of dense fog, high wind, and rain (along with some sun), the crater was completely socked in so there would be no view from the trail, a crucial road across the island was closed, and the scooters continually reminded us that we might run out of battery — which we eventually did, and had to be rescued by the rental guy with fresh batteries. That said, we had fun overall, with highlights being periodic sunny stretches with amazing views, an annual festival in the highlands with local food and music, and the interesting Capelinhos volcanic area created by an eruption less than 70 years ago.
Horta, Faial’s main town, is well known as a major port of call for yachts sailing across the Atlantic. The atmosphere of the harbor area is captivating, especially given our own excursions into the sailing world. Before catching the ferry back to Pico we enjoyed the signature gin & tonics at Peter Café Sport, which has been called “the globe’s greatest yachting watering hole.”
Lastly, Alex, Jennifer, & Emily returned to São Miguel for a couple of days before heading home. This time we stayed in Ribeira Grande on the north shore, a bit less busy than the main town of Ponta Delgada, but still bustling. One motivation for the additional time on São Miguel was so Alex & Emily could get in a few more surf sessions. That turned out to be an utter failure. They tried five times to go out, each time meeting one or more obstacles: a jellyfish infestation (which had already sent one surfer to the hospital); waves too big for their intermediate skills on one part of the island; no waves at all on another. The experience does make one wonder if surfing is a suitable activity to plan vacations around, especially given that we live near one of the world’s great surfing meccas. Perhaps warm water and variety can make travel-surfing worthwhile, as with Alex & Emily’s Mauritius extension to our Réunion Island trip, but neither of those features was on offer in the Azores; we’ll likely think twice before making surfing a featured component of future family trips.
We didn’t waste our time on São Miguel however. We took a couple of great hikes, including a complete circumnavigation of the stunning Sete Cidades lakes in the island’s crater (socked in during our first visit to the island), and we enjoyed some final excellent fish dinners, a bonus throughout our time in the Azores.
