The Azores Islands have been called by USA Today as "some of the best kept secrets in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean". It is composed of 9 salt-sprayed, rugged islands and have been considered an unspoiled paradise. UNESCO designated the Azores a Biosphere Reserve in 2009 for the impeccable preservation.
The islands are located 800 miles of the coast of Portugal. It is less than a five-hour flight from the East Coast. They have their own airline, called SATA: Hop a plane from one of its hubs in the United States, or make a stop in Europe and fly from there.
You can explore areas such as bathing areas, landscapes, natural monuments, natural reserves and many more. You are introduced to scenes of emerald beaches, dazzling blue lakes, volcanic caverns, bubbling mud pots, verdant pastures, sprawling sunrises and waterfalls cascading deep into ravines.
Some of the things to experience are hopping from island to island: Free-diving, volcano hikes, whale watching, waterfall rappelling, are everyday activities here. You can also explore ancient fishing towns, manor houses and 15th-century churches. Magnificent manors and chapels and an underground lake dot the island of Graciosa. Many islands have been named after their natural elements, like the "Mountain Island," which is also called Pico, or the "Flower Island," which is also called Flores.
Some of the many things you can you can experience in the Azores Islands are geotourism, birdwatching, kayaking, whale watching, scuba diving, paragliding, and much more. They also have scheduled events which you can join, so you can have a better feel of the local culture, like the Montanha Pico Festival. Here they celebrate the mountain culture through the arts with programming around the mountain island of Pico. January 2 to 30th 2017.
Another cultural event you can experience at the Azores Islands this January is the performance of Noiserv. He is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter and is presently known as one of the best alternative Portuguese acts. During live performances, Noiserv uses various instruments like metallophone, megaphone, guitars, vocals, melodic, bells, several synths, omnichord, all combined with a loop station, taking you into a unique concert experience.
