Untouchable Flores
Bite-sized trip
Day 1 – Arrival on Flores
After a flight from Terceira, Faial or Sao Miguel (approx 1.5 hour flight) you will arrive at the pristine and isolated island of Flores. There is a direct flight daily from June to the end of September, while you can fly a few days a week in the other months. Once on the island you pick up your rental car. Flores is the westernmost inhabited island in Europe. It is a rugged and unspoilt world full of waterfalls, crater lakes and high cliffs and of course the typical whitewashed villages.
On this small island there are few sleeping places and most options are very simple. The earlier you book, the more likely we are to be able to arrange our favourite accommodation for you.
Day 2 – Crater island Corvo
Anyone who goes to Flores should certainly not skip the neighbouring island of Corvo, accessible via a short ferry trip. The island is dominated by the huge volcano crater of the Caldeirão. This natural wonder has a diameter of 2 kilometres and is 300 metres deep. After the ferry trip you will arrive in the town of Vila do Corvo, from where it is almost a two hour walk to the viewpoint of the crater. It is definitely recommended to descend into the crater, where you will find a number of lagoons and many bird species. Count on about an hour in the crater and back to the ferry an hour and a half. At the end of the afternoon you sail back to Flores.
We plan this outing early in the day so you have extra time in case the ferry or speedboat can’t make the crossing due to the weather.
Day 3 – Waterfalls and dense jungle
Today you have plenty of time to discover the natural wonders of Flores. One of our recommendations would be to visit Poço Ribeira do Ferreiro. This series of waterfalls seems to come from a film set and is, according to some, the most beautiful waterfall in the world. If you drive a bit, the reserve will follow Morro Alto and Pico da Se. Take a walk along the seven lakes, which are all completely different in colour, and climb the highest mountain on the island: Morro Alto.
Do you have time left? A drive to the village of Ponta Delgada to the lighthouse of Albarnaz takes you along rugged coastlines that end into the headland of Ponta Delgada itself.
Day 4 – On to the next Azores adventure
Enjoy a leisurely morning or some last minute sightseeing. The flights usually leave at the end of the afternoon. Stroll through the narrow, characteristic streets of Fajã Grande or visit the iconic Lourdes church in Fazenda de Santa Cruz. In the natural pools of Fajã Grande or Santa Cruz you can also relax before continuing the journey to cosmopolitan Faial, the crater lakes of São Miguel or cultural Terceira.
Accommodation
For this bite-sized trip we offer the following options
Optional excursion: Visit Corvo with guide and transport
If you are curious about the windmills of Corvo and want more time at the crater of Caldeirao, we will arrange a day tour for you from Flores. You will be taken to Corvo by speedboat and once there a driver will take you to the huge crater that covers half of the island. This gives you just a little less haste and you save your legs a full day hike.
