These Atlantic islands rival Hawaii, but with fewer crowds. Welcome to the Azores.
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If you're looking for warmth, culture and beauty, try The Azores in Portugal instead of Hawaii.
What’s the perfect island chain? The default has always been Hawaii: Its eight principal islands rising from the Pacific’s deep are verdant and vibrant. But if you switch your gaze to the Atlantic, you will find a nine-island archipelago that’s equally lush, with flowering landscapes, cascading waterfalls, black sand beaches, volcanoes, and marine wildlife refuges swarming with animals. Like the Aloha State, the Portuguese Azores are islands where the locals both nurture and protect their unique culture, determined to keep the natural beauty safe from overdevelopment.
And there’s a lot in the Azores worth protecting. The islands are located in the North Atlantic, 2,390 miles (3,850 km) east of Boston and 870 miles (1,400 km) west of Lisbon. Colonized by Portugal in the early 15th century (the Vikings were rumored to have stopped by, too), today the Azores are an autonomous territory with a population of 242,796 (about two-thirds that of Honolulu). Thanks to the warm Gulf Stream and the archipelago’s latitude, the temperature is usually mild throughout the year, ranging in the 60s to 70s Fahrenheit (midteens to 20s Celsius), though it does rain. The islands’ many volcanoes are active, but so far fairly quiet this century. The last big eruption occurred in 1958.
Like in Hawaii, each of the islands of the Azores offers a distinct experience.
? The eastern part of the chain is home to Santa Maria, with its numerous vineyards and white-sand beaches. S?o Miguel is equivalent to the Big Island. Like the island of Hawaii, it exerts a strong influence over the rest of the archipelago and is a dynamic and geologically active place. Its landscape features geysers, volcanic lakes and thermal hot springs.
? The central Azores consist of the islands of Terceira, S?o Jorge, Pico, Faial, and Graciosa. Terceira is home to the oldest city in the Azores, Angra do Heroísmo, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its fertile soil supports numerous vineyards. On Faial, visitors can hike to the extinct Capelinhos volcano. S?o Jorge is celebrated for its cheese. Rugged, rough-hewn Pico Island is home to the highest mountain in Portugal, 7,713-foot-tall (2,351 m) Mount Pico. Graciosa is known for its iconic star-shaped pastries and red-peaked, Flemish-style windmills, brought by immigrants from Belgium.
? The western islands are Flores and Corvo. The former, known as the Island of Flowers, offers a rugged coastline, high cliffs marked by waterfalls (Po?o Ribeira do Ferreiro (Alagoinha) being the most famous to see), and seven crater lakes. Flores’s dramatic, verdant landscape and the surrounding turquoise waters often spark comparisons to Kauai.
As more travelers discover the Azores’ allure, the future looks both bright and worrying. Luckily the islands have begun the task to ensure their biodiversity will be safeguarded for the future. In 2019 the Azores became the world’s first archipelago to be named a sustainable tourism destination by EarthCheck, an Australia-based international advisory board. Four of the islands – Flores, Corvo, Gracioso, and S?o Jorge – are UNESCO biosphere reserves, and the government has established several marine reserves to protect seabirds, fish, sea turtles, whales, and dolphins. The fight to protect paradise is only just getting started.
The Amazing Flora of the Azores
Indigenous or imported, the flowering plants of the Azores play an important role in giving the islands their iconic Instagrammable look. Being one of the world’s most isolated archipelagos, the Azores harbor many unique species, including one of the world’s rarest flowers, Myosotis azorica. Called n?o-meesque?as, or forget-me-nots, the purple flowers were considered extinct before a cluster of plants was discovered growing on Corvo, the Azores’ smallest island, in 2014. Despite Corvo being a protected UNESCO biosphere reserve, these tiny flowers remain endangered thanks to the appetites of the island’s insatiable goats and sheep.
In contrast, colorful hydrangeas are not native to the island chain. They are an invasive species believed to have been brought to the island by the Japanese in the late 19th century as decorative plants. Though they’re imported, the flowers have become a symbol of the Azores and grow throughout the archipelago. Faial Island is often called the Blue Island for the azure hydrangeas that blanket its fields and roadsides. Their hue is due to the island’s acidic soil, which deepens the hydrangeas’ rich color. Volcanic eruptions in 1957 and 1958 only added to the fertility. It was Azorean immigrants to the United States who are credited with popularizing the flower in America, especially in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, where many of these immigrants settled in the mid-20th century.
This is an excerpt from “Here Not There: 100 Unexpected Travel Destinations,” published on April 2 by Disney Publishing Group. Author Andrew Nelson is an award-winning writer and editor for National Geographic Traveler, who has roamed all 50 states as well as numerous countries for the magazine and website, based in Washington, D.C.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Portugal’s Azores may be the perfect island destination. Here’s why.