Discover the hidden magic of the AZORES (Portugal)
Last summer, I spent a week in the Azores. A few months before departing, I had never even heard of the islands of Portugal, and initially discovered them while searching for a place in Europe where I could swim with wild dolphins. A week later, my flight was booked. The Azores are a well-hidden haven from our modern world. A piece of ancient, natural history that has somehow survived mankind. If you’re in search of nature free from tourists and the buzz of humanity, this may be exactly what you’re looking for. I can’t count the number of times I simply gasped at the intense beauty of what I was seeing. And that’s not even taking into account the life-changing experience of swimming with wild dolphins.
Ways to get around Sao Miguel Island
There is much to explore on Sao Miguel Island. However, public transport is almost non-existent, so there are two options for exploring:- Rent a car or a motorbike
- Pay for group tours and day trips


Exploring Sao Miguel Island
Things to do in The Azores (Sao Miguel Island)
Swimming with Dolphins
We chose ‘Sao Miguel Island’, the largest out of the islands of the Azores, and booked our hotel as a package deal with a company that also provided three dolphin-swimming excursions. We were given a basic introduction, before being taken out by boat and literally thrown into an ocean of deep blue. Only two people were allowed in the water at a time, so everyone got a chance to have some ‘personal’ time with the dolphins. On the first day, we saw ‘regular’ dolphins. These were beautiful, but did not compare to the spotted dolphins we swam with on day 2. The spotted dolphins were truly incredible, highly spiritual creatures. Seeing and hearing them in the water around us is an experience I will never forget.
Swimming with wild dolphins in the Azores. Encounter with spotted dolphins.

Swimming with wild dolphins in the Azores. Pilot whale dolphin with baby.
Sete de Cidades
This is a MUST see on this island. The best viewpoint is, strangely enough, from the top of an old, abandoned hotel, Monte Palace. So not only do you get to walk through ghost-town, but once you get to the top…. you won’t believe your eyes….
Sete de Cidades Twin lakes

Monte Palace Abandoned Hotel

Sete de Cidades Lake
Ponta de Ferraria
On our way back from Sete de Cidades, we stopped at this volcanic beach where allegedly the water is warmed by the rocks. This was not the case, the water was just as cold as anywhere else! However it was a very beautiful place to swim, with a gorgeous natural pool full of little fish that you could dive directly into, and being surrounded by volcanic rock (which can easily be collected for a free souvenir!) was an exciting and unique experience. This was a lovely end to a beautiful day.
Ponta De Ferraria
Lagoa do Fogo
Another worthy day-trip is to this gorgeous lake, with many viewpoints as you drive up the mountain and then down into the crater to see the lake up close. An excellent opportunity for hiking, with many trail options, and opportunities to swim as well. This lake is probably the closest landmark to the town we were staying at, Ponta Delgada, and therefore easy to access for a half-day trip as well.
Lagoa do Fogo
Furnas
Furnas was another extremely exciting experience, with many more surprises than we had originally expected to see! For starters, we drove up to yet another lake (Furnas Lake), this one truly warmed by the volcanic activity surrounding this entire area. There is a long (roughly 3h if I remember correctly) hike around it, if you opt to take the detour (do opt!) and head into the woods, where you will find hundred year old sequoia trees and a waterfall! There is a small fee to pay to enter this area, but it’s well worth it. The fee also allows access to an old Gothic church, and the lady selling tickets was kind enough to come in with us and give us a little history on it. A little further down… a bamboo forest! Whatever next? Geysers. Next, we encountered the geysers; hot furnaces with strong-smelling sulfur oozing out of the earth! The most exciting part was finding a man that was selling corn that had been cooked inside these furnaces! This had a strange but quite delicious taste. I’d read about entire meals being cooked in these holes in the ground, but the restaurant in the area was closed. In any case… I doubt we would have found a vegan option, so we were happy to settle for the corn!
Geysers – Furnas

Las Furnas
Eleni Cosma
I currently live on the beautiful island of Cyprus, with my two trusty canines. I teach theatre to young people, and write and direct productions. I love what I do, but it can be exhausting, so when the holidays come I love to explore the world beyond, something that has only recently become feasible financially. I particularly enjoy solo travel, as there is a freedom to it that you can never achieve in company. As a vegan, discovering cruelty-free options in other countries is one of the most exciting parts of my journey. More than anything, I adore nature, and will always search for the places that can speak to my soul.