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Portugal has soared in popularity and is now a travel hotspot. But while Lisbon is heaving, there are still some places you can visit to escape the crowds.
The Azores are sometimes referred to as ‘the Hawaii of Europe’, and it takes just one glimpse at their lush greenery and incredible beaches to know why.
You’ll be amazed at the beautiful riot of colors here.
477,000 tourists visited the Azores in June alone. The biggest source of those travelers? The United States of America!
19.7% of tourists in the Azores were from the U.S.
Here’s why these breathtaking Portuguese islands are soaring in popularity with American travelers:
Easy To Access From The U.S.
The Azores are a volcanic island chain 1,400 km (870 miles) west of Lisbon, halfway across the Atlantic between Portugal and the U.S.
So proximity is one factor in the popularity of the Azores amongst U.S. travelers.
This makes flight time reasonable and makes flights accessible.
You can fly directly to Ponta Delgada (PDL) – the main airport for the islands – from New York and Boston.
Flying from Boston for a week from October 4 to October 11 with Azores Airlines will cost $1,625 for a round trip and the flight time is 5 hours outbound and 5 hours 40 minutes inbound.
It is much cheaper to fly from New York, with flights on the same dates costing $596 for a round trip with Azores Airlines. The flight time is 5 hours 55 outbound and 6 hours 5 minutes on the return leg.
When you reach the islands, one of the best ways to get around is to hire a car.
Don’t worry if you want to explore more than one of the 9 main islands as part of your trip. On some routes, including the most famous Pico–Faial–São Jorge triangle, you can take your hire car on the ferry.
Explore The Great Outdoors
The Azores is a great vacation destination for outdoorsy types.
Walking, hiking, climbing—if immersing yourself in the local environment is your idea of the perfect vacation, then this is the place for you!
The tallest mountain in Portugal, Mount Pico, is located in the Azores and attracts serious climbers.
However, hiking is the main tourist attraction here: all of the islands have their own hiking trails.
And hiking is the best way to see the volcanic lagoons that they islands are most famous for.
Some of the best hiking trails include the Caldeirão trail which offers epic views and the Agrião Trail, which takes you to one of the islands most epic waterfalls.
Another great outdoor pursuit here is spending time on the beach.
This isn’t an obvious destination if you’re looking for a typical fly-and-flop vacation. But that doesn’t mean you won’t find beautiful beaches in the Azores.
There are some black sand beaches, and some spots where locals jump into the ocean from the rugged rocks of the island itself.
One popular spot is Fajã Grande on the west coast of Flores Island.
Many locals have second homes here in the summer. The beach itself is a small patch of black sand, but the facilities are excellent, and it’s a safe spot for ocean swimming.
The most popular beaches on the islands is Praia dos Mosteiros which is just 30km from Ponta Delgada.
Local surfers hang out here, and this is another black sand beach which only adds drama to its rugged appearance.
This is only for experienced surfers, though. If you surf as badly as me, then leave your board behind and pack your swimmers instead because the waves crash onto rocks here.
Incredible Animal Encounters
The Azores is also a great place to experience incredible animal encounters.
One of the most incredible and iconic of these is the chance to take a whale-watching tour. Futurismo Azures Adventures offers half-day trips to see these majestic creatures from Ponta Delgada.
The trip costs 65 euros ($71) per person.
This tour company boasts a 99% tour sighting success rate and will offer you another trip if you don’t see a cetacean during your tour.
While there is exceptional bird and plant life on the islands, it is what lies in the waters around them that is most exciting to animal lovers.
Sperm whales, blue whales, fin whales, beaked whales, pilot whales, dolphins, loggerhead turtles and manta rays all call the waters around the Azores home.
So one of the best things you can do if you’re visiting the islands is to get on a boat and go looking for them!
Because of this abudance of marine life, snorkeling and scuba diving are also popular in the Azores. CW Azores offer 2 hour snorkeling tours from Pico for 49 euros ($54) per person.
Although more expensive at 175 euros ($192) per person, you can also take a full-day snorkeling tour to the Princess Alice site.
This is known as one of the best dive sites in the world and is located 70km to the south of Pico island.
You can snorkel with an abundance of Manta and Mobulas rays here, an exceptional experience unlike anything you’ll find elsewhere.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
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