#HIDDEN ISLANDS IN EUROPE CODE#

Try it, pig’s ear and all, at the art deco Terra Nostra Garden Hotel and then slip into the thermal pool in the adjacent botanical gardens. Azoreans use the thermal heat to slow-cook their traditional cozido, a stew of meat and vegetables, under the ground. On Pico, you can descend into one of the world’s longest lava tubes, Gruta das Torres, to inspect rare stalagmites of lava, as well as bizarre forms resembling benches, balls and lengths of rope.Īside from a beautiful lake, the parish of Furnas on São Miguel has crowd-pleasing volcanic activity, including fumaroles and mudpots. The interpretation center beneath its now abandoned lighthouse does a superb job of explaining the Earth’s occasional convulsions. The Capelinhos Volcano that surged up from the seabed off Faial in 1957 is one of the best documented sites in the world. Cave systems, rock formations, hot springs and further mistérios (mysteries, the name given to lava-covered patches of land) await investigation. The islands’ topography speaks of their volcanic origin in dramatic fashion, but there is more to see than just craters and cones. When to go to the Azores Best land-based activities in the Azores GeotourismĪnyone remotely interested in geology will be in their element. Countless other species take up residence in the shipwrecks cluttering the seafloor. Jacks, bonitos and grouper patrol the walls of underwater cliffs, and more delicate lifeforms shelter in caves made from lava tubes. Marlin, tuna and shark swirl around the peaks of barely submerged volcanoes. Wrasse, damsel fish and moray eels dwell in the coast’s jade-green bays. The kaleidoscope of species – from yellowmouth barracuda and devil rays to loggerhead turtles and slipper lobsters – arises from the extraordinary range of habitats. Warmed to between 62☏ (17☌) and 75☏ (24☌), the seas truly teem, and visibility reaches to nearly 100 feet (30m) between May and October. This is also what makes the Azores one of, if not the, best diving locations in the Atlantic. Nutrient-rich water welling up from the deep – or rather the life it supports – is what attracts the whales to the Azores. The Whalers’ Museum on Pico and the Whaling Station at Porto Pim on Faial tell the story of the industry and its demise.īlue sharks and other large fish species are regular visitors to the Azores © Pommeyrol Vincent / Shutterstock Diving In one of many ironies, the vigia (watchtowers) once used for hunting these leviathans now help to steer tourist boats to their quarry. Whale hunting – introduced by Americans in the 18th century – played a part in the Azorean economy until as recently as 1987. Not so long ago, of course, people came armed with harpoons rather than cameras.

#HIDDEN ISLANDS IN EUROPE CODE#

A code of conduct governs how many boats can congregate near a whale, the direction from which they must approach the animals and how long they’re allowed to shadow them. Well-organized tours run from the larger islands and go to great lengths to whale-watch responsibly. Many other species (including blue whales, the largest animal in the history of the planet) pass through on migration routes. Year-round residents include sperm whales, common dolphins and bottlenose dolphins. The archipelago is a pit stop or home for about a third of the world’s cetacean species. The Azores are best known for whale and dolphin watching. Seven nights from £479 per person per week b & b with flights from four British airports ( ).Up to a third of the world's cetaceans can be found in the waters around the Azores, including bottlenose dolphins © James Kay / Lonely Planet Best water activities in the Azores Whale watching The 35-room Hotel Meganisi is inland but has a swimming pool and is about half a mile from the attractive port of Vathy, where there are quayside tavernas. There are beaches, but the island is particularly popular with walkers. You fly to Prevesa on the mainland and then have about an hour’s transfer by road and ferry. This is one of the smaller and more quaint Ionian islands, just off the east coast of Lefkas. Meganisi is one of the quainter Ionian islands. The four-star Hôtel Delos ( ), designed by Ricard, has its own marina and the best restaurant of the island’s five. There’s still an art gallery and artists’ studios, but tennis and water sports, too. Today it’s a holiday island, less frenetic than Bandol, just a few hundred yards away on the mainland. Salvador Dalí stayed, as did Melina Mercouri, Josephine Baker and Jean-Paul Belmondo.

In the following decade Ricard’s dizzy vision turned it into one of the most fashionable spots in the south of France. This French island was bought, uninhabited, by the pastis millionaire Paul Ricard in the Fifties.

Hidden islands in europe