Why move to the Azores
A collection of volcanoes with cattle gently grazing upon the hillsides zigzagged by country lanes lined with hydrangeas leading to cities bursting with culture. These enigmatic islands manage to be both laid back and bubbling with life.
The Portuguese first colonised these islands in the 15th century. After they established agriculture and shipping ports, an influx of Portuguese Jews, banished by the Inquisition, arrived and settled. Later came Flemish, French and Galician seamen. The slave trade first introduced Africans then later, Moorish prisoners were also exiled there. In the 18th and 19th centuries, tourism began, and the green island of Graciosa attracted prominent visitors like Chateaubriand, Mark Twain, and Prince Albert of Monaco. During the Second World War, the Brits established an airforce base on Santa Maria.
Each island is distinct: the large island of Sao Miguel hosts the capital city of Ponta Delega, home to a university, a lively bar and music scene, several quality restaurants and a well-honed tourist industry, including beachside honesty boxes for beers, boat tours, volcanic walking trips and various marine life excursions. Despite being quite far north, the passing gulf stream means temperatures remain moderate throughout the year. Santa Maria is the most southern point, combining warm weather with some of the best beaches on offer.
Terceira’s main town of Angra do Heroismo was the first anchorage for Portuguese Galleons, so it’s full of attractive merchant houses. The centre is excellent for shopping and eating and there’s a botanical garden featuring horticultural influences from global travel. Pico is home to Portugal’s highest peak, Mount Pico. Faial has a naval maritime history and the principal city, Horta, is home to the Azorean regional parliament. Sao Jorge is mostly agricultural, whereas Graciosa is wild and beautiful. Corvo and Flores are barely inhabited by people. The latter 3 islands are each protected under UNESCO as biospheres.
Between all 9 islands, there is an extraordinary range of habitats, including fumaroles, hot springs, mineral-coloured lakes, forests, grassy pastures, dark basalt boulders, waterfalls, cliffs, gold or black sanded bays and underwater lava tubes. Each island has individual areas of protected land and marine reserves. It’s estimated that a third of the world’s dolphins and whales dwell in the waters around this archipelago or at least pass by on their annual migration routes.
Because of this enormous capacity for life, the Azores has become a destination for sustainable tourism and many of the activities there reflect this. There are tours for whale watching, swimming with dolphins or diving with manta rays. On top of that, there are also ample opportunities for sailing, snorkelling, diving, canyoning, kayaking and hiking. Most of the energy on the Azores comes from renewable sources and even though the primary industries are cultivation, dairy farming, fishing and tourism, an agreed code of conduct makes sure they remain symbiotic with the environment.
European and North American airlines fly into Sao Miguel, but each of the islands has an airfield and ferry port for easy inter-island travel. The combination of Portuguese customs, religious festivals and traditional holidays blends seamlessly with unique regional events such as carnival, the Azores Fringe Festival and the Cordas World Music Festival on Pico, making for a varied social calendar. Local specialities include meat slow-cooked in underground hot-springs, fish soup and grilled shellfish. The housing stock is largely located on Sao Miguel but it is ample in size and very affordable in price.
