The Azores: Terceira
After exploring São Miguel, it was time to head to the second island of our Azorean adventure: Terceira.
We stayed at the Terceira Mar Hotel in Angra do Heroísmo, and the view from our rooms was pretty hard to beat. Looking out over the Atlantic every morning was already a good introduction to the island. Even better, the hotel was surprisingly reasonable, which made the whole experience even sweeter.
Into the landscape
We started exploring Terceira with a hike around Serra de Santa Bárbara. The landscape was incredibly green, open, and quiet, and the higher we climbed, the more the island seemed to unfold around us.
We eventually made our way to Miradouro da Serra de Santa Bárbara, where the views opened up across the island and toward the Atlantic. This was one of those places where you naturally stop for a while and look, especially because we were quite literally above the clouds.
We spent the rest of the day driving around the island, stopping whenever something caught our attention. Around Quatro Ribeiras, we pulled over to contemplate the ocean for a while. There was something very meditative about standing there and watching the waves crash against the rocks. Sometimes you don't need to do much. Just stop and take it in.
Somewhere along the way, we also stumbled upon Taberna Roberto, a restaurant that immediately reminded me of Tony's in São Miguel. It had that same intimate, warm feeling that makes you feel like you're sitting in someone's home rather than at a restaurant. The food was delicious, but I think what really won me over was the atmosphere. There was even a bookcase filled with bottles of wine. My favorite kind of reading! That kind of stop is one of the things I enjoy most about traveling. You don't always need to know where you're going. Sometimes you just stumble into a place and end up remembering it.
Going underground
Given that we were exploring volcanic islands, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to go underground and explore one of Terceira's volcanic caverns at Algar do Carvão. The cavern was formed by ancient magma flows, leaving behind tunnels and passages that we could actually explore. We put on our helmets, squeezed through some of the narrower spaces, and eventually made our way into the enormous crater. There was something weird about standing inside a volcano. You can read about volcanic landscapes all you want, but being inside one makes it feel much more real. And having to crawl through some of the passages made the whole thing feel like a proper little adventure. Looking back at the pictures made realize how bad of a photographer I am…
One last look at São Miguel
Eventually, our time in Terceira came to an end and it was time to head back. Before leaving the Azores, though, we made one last stop on São Miguel. We headed to Sete Cidades and, more specifically, the abandoned Monte Palace Hotel. Doing a little climbing around the abandoned building paid off. From higher up, we were rewarded with a fantastic view of Sete Cidades.
It felt like a fitting final stop. We had spent the trip moving between islands, hiking, swimming, eating, exploring volcanic landscapes, and generally trying to take in as much as we could. Now we were looking back over one of the places that had started the whole adventure.
And just like that, our Azorean adventure was over. São Miguel and Terceira were different enough to feel like two separate experiences, but both gave us the same feeling of constantly discovering something new. Volcanoes, hot springs, ocean pools, hikes, food, small towns, unexpected stops and plenty of moments where we simply pulled over to look around.
Thanks for joining me on this adventure through The Azores! Thank you Rocco, Cermimi, Konecna and Vinny. There's nothing quite like discovering a place through the eyes of someone you trust. Here's the map I used throughout this trip.
Make sure to check out my Instagram 📸🎥 @wanderlust_aku, where I shared pictures and videos that don't quite make it into the blog.
