Far
beyond the horizon, where the Atlantic touches the sky and the world seems to slow its pace, lie the islands of the Azores.
Scattered like magical ships across 400 miles of ocean and untouched by mass tourism, they are the perfect destination for
travelers who want to know the true meaning of the phrase "Getting away from it all".
To the east lie the islands of Santa Maria and Sao Miguel, home of the capital, Ponta Delgada. With hot thermal springs, volcanic lakes, steaming geysers and deep verdant
valleys, Sao Miguel sometimes seems like a lost world, while its sister island offer gentler, more tranquil lanscapes.
The five islands that make up the central
group are Sao Jorge, Graciosa, Terciera, Faial, and Pico; this is where whale lovers maker their pilgrimage to watch theses magnificent animals breaching and spy hopping in the deep
ocean. But the delights don't stop with whales - the island of Pico shares its name with the majestic volcanic peak
that rises above 2,350m above a lava-strewn landscape, whilt the forests, hills, and stone-walled fields of Terciera offer
more scenic delights. Faial has
an altogether more cosmopolitan flavor, with a superb yachting marina and harbour.
Futher west lie Flores and Corvo. Remote and wild, theres islands were once the haunt of pirates and buccaneers. They now offer
modern adventurers the chance to enjoy some of the most beautiful walking imaginable. Corvo is particularly blissful
- the island's single policeman often has little more to do than warn sleeping dogs not to get in the way of one of the island's
two taxis.
The nine islands of the Azores are each endowed with their own special landscapes
and charm. Each is enveloped in shades of green patures, flowers, phenomenal volcanoes, breath taking lakes located at the
bottom of craters and other mysterious caves and carverns. Pico (in the background of this picture) has its own spectacular
mountain which is a sight to see. Visiting the Azores means entering a world where nature's beauty is on show the presence
of man is a distant memory as you are swept away into a a heavenly paradise.
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