For 5 days we explored the spectacular natural beauty of Sao Miguel Island.
This island is rugged and wild and breathtakingly beautiful.
These volcanic islands were created a mere 15,000 years ago, which is a blink of an eye in the great geological timeline. If measured from the bottom of their base on the ocean floor to top of their peaks, which thrust high above the surface of the Atlantic, the Azores are actually some of the tallest mountains on the planet!
And so our 5 days exploring the unspoiled beauty of the natural wonders of this island included lakes, hot springs, waterfalls, and miradouros (overlooks)- all the things that the Azores do best! Here are just a few of the amazing hikes and views we were lucky enough to experience.
On one especially beautiful day, we hiked from the lovely Lagona do Canario up to the Boca do Inferno.
Boca do Inferno is perhaps one of the, if not THE, most famous viewpoints in the Azores.
We hiked to this stunning view of Boca do Inferno of Sete Cidades lakes within the caldera.
In the foreground below is Lagoa Verde (Green Lake) and on the right is Lagoa Azul (Blue Lake).
So why do the lakes have two different colors? Legend has it a beautiful princess fell in love with a Shepherd boy. Her father, the king, was incensed and made her marry a prince from the neighboring larger kingdom. Before the wedding, the princess and the Shepherd boy met one last time, held each other and cried. The blue lake is filled with tears from the beautiful princess' blue eyes and the green lake is filled with the tears of the Sheppard boy's green eyes.
The patchwork green fields were very reminiscent of the green fields we saw in Ireland this past May.
It was a beautiful hike!
What we found so fascinating was that the Gorreana Tea Factory was founded in 1883 by Ermelinda Gago da Camara and her son,
Jose Honorato. After hiring two Chinese tea experts, one of whom was Lau Teng
who taught the art of production, cultivated the plantations' tea plants and taught the preparation of tea, the tea plantation flourished.
The Gorreana Tea Factory is currently in its 6th generation of a family business.
There are 32 gorgeous acres.
We walked around some of the lovely grounds.
We also toured the inside where there were some interesting historic photos of the many female workers hand-picking tea leaves.
In addition, there are the actual machines they use to dry, process and produce the tea leaves and I have to admit, it actually was fascinating.
Currently, the plantation produces 40 tons of tea per year!
The free tea we had inside the factory was delicious.
We were so impressed that this exquisite tea could be grown on an island in the middle of the Atlantic.
Each day as we drove and hiked the north side of the island we were in awe of the sprawling landscape and sea.
This island is rugged and wild and breathtakingly beautiful.
These volcanic islands were created a mere 15,000 years ago, which is a blink of an eye in the great geological timeline. If measured from the bottom of their base on the ocean floor to top of their peaks, which thrust high above the surface of the Atlantic, the Azores are actually some of the tallest mountains on the planet!
And so our 5 days exploring the unspoiled beauty of the natural wonders of this island included lakes, hot springs, waterfalls, and miradouros (overlooks)- all the things that the Azores do best! Here are just a few of the amazing hikes and views we were lucky enough to experience.
On one especially beautiful day, we hiked from the lovely Lagona do Canario up to the Boca do Inferno.
Boca do Inferno is perhaps one of the, if not THE, most famous viewpoints in the Azores.
We hiked to this stunning view of Boca do Inferno of Sete Cidades lakes within the caldera.
So why do the lakes have two different colors? Legend has it a beautiful princess fell in love with a Shepherd boy. Her father, the king, was incensed and made her marry a prince from the neighboring larger kingdom. Before the wedding, the princess and the Shepherd boy met one last time, held each other and cried. The blue lake is filled with tears from the beautiful princess' blue eyes and the green lake is filled with the tears of the Sheppard boy's green eyes.
We had a gorgeous day for our hikes.
It was such a beautiful day that we decided to hike up to the top of this volcanic cone and check out the view.
Beautiful hydrangea bushes were still in bloom and lined the trail for miles!
In other areas, the trail also had vegetation of huge ferns towering overhead.
Now on the ridgeline, the views were remarkable!
Great views from the top to the sea and the islands beyond!
Back down the trail.
One day we traveled to the lovely Lagoa Verde. We hiked along the trail which surrounds only half of the lake and ate our picnic lunch. Interestingly, two bicyclists rode by and parked their bikes beside a large tree near the water's edge. They took turns climbing the tree and hoisting the bicycle up to the treed person.
Each one took photos of the other and then down came the bike and the rider and off they rode. I love Instagram photos.
Hiking back, the fog rolled in, but the bucolic views of the cows grazing on the hillside were lovely to see.
Even though the season was over for hydrangeas,
there are still many with their vibrant blue hues.
Speaking of hydrangeas, the Azores are known for this beautiful ubiquitous plant. On San Miguel, as we found true on the other Azores islands we visited, thousands of hydrangeas line the roadsides creating quite literally a sea of blue.
Below are some highway photos that are not mine, but do show what roads in San Miguel, and on each island of the Azores, look like from April until September when the hydrangeas are out in all their glory!
In addition, many hydrangea hedges line the trails and hillsides. On the majority of our hiking trails, many hydrangeas were still in bloom and were stunning!
Hiking back, the fog rolled in, but the bucolic views of the cows grazing on the hillside were lovely to see.
So many of the pastures were divided by both stone walls and massive hedges of hydrangeas. One can see a few blossoms that are left on these hedges in the above photo.
The hydrangea blossoms are quite large!
Even though the season was over for hydrangeas,
there are still many with their vibrant blue hues.
Speaking of hydrangeas, the Azores are known for this beautiful ubiquitous plant. On San Miguel, as we found true on the other Azores islands we visited, thousands of hydrangeas line the roadsides creating quite literally a sea of blue.
Below are some highway photos that are not mine, but do show what roads in San Miguel, and on each island of the Azores, look like from April until September when the hydrangeas are out in all their glory!
In addition, many hydrangea hedges line the trails and hillsides. On the majority of our hiking trails, many hydrangeas were still in bloom and were stunning!.JPG)
Miradouro Santa Iria
Throughout our days hiking and traveling around the northwestern coast of Sao Miguel, we stopped at numerous miradors or viewpoints each one of which had stunning views! This one, in particular, had something special to offer in addition to the view.
Shouldn't every viewpoint have a hot dog stand ready and waiting for visitors?
Yet another beautiful day with which to enjoy the stunning vistas from one side to the other!
Gorreana Tea Factory
On another day as we traveled the north coast of Sao Miguel, we ventured out to the Gorreana Tea Factory. It is the only tea plantation in Europe.
While one might think that the European climate is too harsh for tea to truly be cultivated and prosper, one would be incorrect, for the Azorean climate is different and perfectly suited for growing excellent tea!
The first plantation in the Azores was created by the Azorean Jacinto Leite in the 1820s. He imported tea seeds from Rio de Janeiro. About this time the orange economy had declined, however, knowledge of tea cultivation did not exist among the local farmers.
Jose Honorato. After hiring two Chinese tea experts, one of whom was Lau Teng
who taught the art of production, cultivated the plantations' tea plants and taught the preparation of tea, the tea plantation flourished.
The Gorreana Tea Factory is currently in its 6th generation of a family business.
There are 32 gorgeous acres.
Rows and rows of tea bushes!
We walked around some of the lovely grounds.
We also toured the inside where there were some interesting historic photos of the many female workers hand-picking tea leaves.
In addition, there are the actual machines they use to dry, process and produce the tea leaves and I have to admit, it actually was fascinating.
Currently, the plantation produces 40 tons of tea per year!
The free tea we had inside the factory was delicious.
We were so impressed that this exquisite tea could be grown on an island in the middle of the Atlantic.
Each day as we drove and hiked the north side of the island we were in awe of the sprawling landscape and sea.
We explored the breathtakingly beautiful rugged coastline Our hikes took us far and wide. From the wild rugged coast
From there we ventured down
to Picco Das Camarinhas e Ponta Da Ferraria, the lava arch.
Then we headed to the famed swimming "holes" of the Ferraria.
Amazing, naturally warm swimming holes as the tide ebbs and flows.
We really enjoyed our time on Sao Miguel exploring and hiking to spots so rich in spectacular volcanic scenery.
