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Flores Island, Azores
Enjoy nature in the Flores Island, in Azores Archipelago, Portugal
Flores Island, Azores
© Floreesha
The Flores Island is one of the islands of the occidental side of the Azores Archipelago. This island is full of nature where you will observe a synthesis of all the landscapes from Azores, as it has craters, lakes, cliffs, bays, fajãs, laurisilva forests, isles, viewpoints, natural pools...
Flores Island
© Maurício de Abreu DRT
Lagoon Flores Island
© Mauricio de Abreu DRT
Fajã de Lopo Vaz
© Faber
The general landscape of this 141 square kilometres island only confirms the reason why this place is named this way, although the original yellow flowers have been replaced by gladiolus, hydrangeas, and other foreign species. When you arrive, you feel the isolation, as you are in an abandoned place to its own fate. And it is not surprising, since the island has less than 4,000 inhabitants.
Here you will find peace, rest and the needed contact with nature to get rid of stress. The island has a great number of natural spaces, among which you will find some reserves. In the central area, and the vicinity of Morro Alto there are seven lakes of volcanic origin. Also stand out the Rocha dos Bordões Formation, and the waterfalls of Ribeira Grande.
Regarding the cuisine, this place stands out for the quality of its fresh products, especially seafood and fishes.
Because of its orography it is impossible to plan a route along the island’s coastline. Thus, it is better to take as a reference point Santa Cruz das Flores, the capital city, and visit the island for at least two or three days.
On the first day it is convenient to visit the interior, where you will find the numerous viewpoints and two lagoons groups, and the Southern area of the island; and keep Santa Cruz das Flores, the capital of the island, for the following day. There you will find fascinating places such as the Casa Pimentel de Mesquita House Museum, the Flores Museum, the Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Conceição Mother Church, the Baleia Factory and the Enxaréus Grotto; and the Northern coast.
It is recommendable to spend the third day exclusively making some of the hiking routes which go all over the littoral coast, or down to the fajãs.
The island is full of beautiful viewpoints from where you will calmly admire the beautiful landscapes. Some of the most visited ones are the Miradouro da Fajã do Conde Viewpoint and the Miradouro da Caveira Viewpoint, both located on the highway to Lajes; the Miradouro de Ladeira de Cima Viewpoint oriented towards Ribeira da Cruz and Ponta do Caveira; the Miradouro Pico da Casinha Viewpoint, located at 511 metres height with views over the village of Santa Cruz, the Miradouro de Arcos Ribeira da Cruz Viewpoint, situated in the centre of the island with views to a gorgeous waterfall which flows down through the cascades full of laurisilva, from where you can go down to the Nossa Senhora das Flores Chapel and the Lagoa da Lomba Lake, with a circular shape lake of 15 metres depth which is full of frogs, toads, seaweeds and fishes; the Miradouro Craveiro Lopes Viewpoint, and the Miradouro de os Cambros Viewpoint, with views over the Atlantic Ocean with Corvos Island as background, closing a wild bay where it is frequent to practise scuba diving.
Another must-visit cities are Lajes das Flores, Fajãzinha, Fajã Grande and Ponta Delgada.
Why "Portugal Travel"?
Portugal Travel is an organization of Portuguese agencies whose objectives are:
- ✓ To make Portugal, its culture and its heritage known.
- ✓ To promote sustainable tourism.
In collaboration with:
Escola Superior de Hotelaria e Turismo do Estoril
Turismo de Portugal
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