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Faial
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The
bluest Azorean Island |
We also offer the islands of Pico,
Sao Miguel and
Sao Jorge
The Island
Faial
is an island of two dominant colours – green and blue. Both are found in
the indigenous flora, from the grass covered hills to the many shades of
Hydrangeas bordering the fields and blending with the sea and sky. The
picture is completed with the intense blackness of the volcanic ash of
the barren ‘Capelinhos’ deposited only 40 years ago. The island is 21 km
long and 14 km wide and dominated by a Caldeira at just over 1000m One
of the must stunning aspects of Faial is the view across the short
channel to Pico and its dominant peak. We recommend a stay of at least 3
nights on Faial, or longer if you wish to use Faial as a base for
walking on Pico.
The
Walking
 Take
a walk around the rim of the Caldeira and peer into the wild often misty
centre some 300m below. Then descend to Horta across Hydrangea hedged
fields and sometimes following Levadas (water channels). Walk through
the ‘Capelinhos’; an extension to the island only formed 40 years ago
and see how nature is recapturing this barren landscape. For a contrast,
walk through the historic town
of Horta, a true crossroads for mariners and later airmen in their
flying boats, for centuries as they crossed the mighty Atlantic. Walk
through delightful villages dotted around the warm green hillsides and
pass the famous red picturesque
windmills.
Self Guided
Local transport is rare and of little benefit to a walker. Taxis to the
start and finish of each walk can be
arranged by our local representative.
Guided Walking
We do not offer guided walking on this island
When
to go
Walking is possible all year around in the Azores. Spring is early here
so April and May are good times and Autumn extends into November. Being
islands in the middle of the
Atlantic it does rain with the wettest months from October to March. The
driest are July and August. There is only a 9C variation (15 - 24C) in
temperature between the coldest and warmest months, so it is never very
cold nor are there prolonged hot days.
The hotels We feature two hotels on Faial both in the main town of
Horta, the
4* Horta and the
4* Pousada
de Santa Cruz How to get there There is a non stop service from London to
São Miguel, from where you can connect by flight to Faial. Also Faial
can be reached by daily flight
from Lisbon. There are flights to Lisbon from a number of UK points.
Getting about
Self guided walkers Local transport is
rare and of little benefit to a walker. Taxis to the start and finish of
each walk can be arranged by our local representative, distances are
small so they are inexpensive.
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