Our 3-month Boundless Life Experiences allow ample time to really get to know a place. In the case of Sintra, there is so much to see and do locally that you could easily stay put and not be short of sights to admire and activities to experience. However, Portugal has such a beautifully diverse landscape that it would be a shame not to take advantage of the opportunity to sample its delights via one of our optional ‘Getaways’.
We have ventured south to the sun-soaked Alentejo region in previous cohorts, but we decided to go BIG during our September-November cohort and have an EPIC Boundless Adventure to Azores - a Portuguese archipelago in the mid-Atlantic often referred to as the ‘Hawaii of Europe’. It’s easy to see why Azores draws this comparison. The islands are characterised by dramatic volcanic landscapes, emotive coastline, green pastures (tonnes of cows!) and hedgerows of huge pom-pom -like hydrangeas.
Seven intrepid families ventured forth from Sintra to enjoy five unforgettable days on São Miguel - the largest island of the archipelago. Here is a quick rundown of what we got up to…
The Floor is Lava!
On landing, we were greeted by both brilliant warm sunshine and the local guide for our entire stay - the brilliant Bruno. He suggested we let the kids stretch their legs a bit on a local beach close in Ponta Delgada, the capital of São Miguel.
The kids immediately went off to explore, dig in the black sand, observe lizards basking on the warm stone walls and traverse volcanic rock pools - immediately initiating a game of the ever-popular ‘Floor is Lava’ jumping from rock to rock. Imagine their delight and surprise when they learnt that the rocks themselves were formed from lava!
Next stop was our wonderful hotel - perched on a dramatic cliff overlooking the Atlantic. We enjoyed a wonderful meal together before retiring to bed ready for our first full day of adventure. The sound of the ocean waves the perfect lullaby.
A Whale of a Time
One of the main reasons people go to Azores are for the fantastic opportunities to observe wildlife - including at sea. We boarded our catamaran with high hopes of seeing some dolphins and perhaps even some whales. Our expectations were in check as the Marine Biologist accompanying us warned that there are no guarantees when it comes to wild animal spotting - especially whales 😬.
It wasn’t long though before we spotted our first dolphin. Then another…and another until we were surrounded by them! They loved riding our waves and followed the boat for some time. We were lucky enough to observe two species: the native Common Dolphin and the Atlantic Spotted Dolphin and enjoyed the company of three of four different pods.
The boat’s search path is aided by expert spotters on land who alert the crew to any sightings they should head towards. There was suddenly great excitement when the crew directed our collective gaze to a very rare and special sighting: a Minke Whale - the smallest of the whale family. To put this sighting in context, our Marine Biologist guide, who is at sea almost daily, had only spotted this species 7 times!!
We also got to release two Cory’s Shearwater seabirds at sea which was a really special moment for the children. The juveniles sometimes get worn out and get stranded on land. The locals and police work together with the dolphin and whale watching crews to return them to the sea. Later in the week, our families coincidentally found and rescued a stranded bird and - armed with their new knowledge and a towel - took it to the local police station!
Swimming in the Rain
Next on our agenda of adventure we headed to Parque Terra Nostra in the Furnas Valley. The centrepiece of the beautiful botanical gardens is the thermal pool where temperatures range from 35 - 40℃. The water is a shade of orangey-brown owing to the mineral content of the water - including iron. The result: beautiful soft (albeit slightly ‘bad-fake-tan’ looking) skin!
The cool rain whilst experiencing the warm waters just added to the overall experience. It felt like swimming in a bath in the middle of a jungle at times!
All the swimming made for lots of rumbling tummies so we headed to a local restaurant to try ‘Furnas Cozido’. This is a very special dish of meat and vegetables slow-cooked underground using the thermal heat. It’s not every day you can say your lunch was cooked with the help of a volcano!
Sete Cidades: Fun by foot, wheels and kayak!
The lake (Lagoa) das Sete Cidades is probably the most famous landscape of the Azores and the area sits in a volcanic crater 3 miles across! To get perspective and the most magnificent views we took a short hike up a ridge overlooking the green and blue lakes below. It is very hard to articulate just how beautiful this location is. It really feels like the verdant jewel in the crown of Azores.
Everyone was keen to see the lakes closer up so we headed down for another hearty lunch followed by a cycling expedition around the water’s edge and taking to the water itself via kayak. The peace and tranquillity of being out on the water was bliss!
Caves and Pineapples
Our final day! Time does indeed fly when you are having fun. We were going out on a high though by going low…underground low to the ‘Gruta do Carvão’ or Coal Cave. Our guide informed us that the name is a little misleading as the cave is, in fact, made of basalt and not coal. The person who discovered the caves had misidentified the black rocks as coal and the name stuck.
The children in particular were thrilled to don helmets and explore the caverns!
Blinking back into the daylight we headed for our last stop: a famous Pineapple Plantation. We got to see pineapples and different stages of their growth and Bruno talked us through their life cycle. The tour concluded with pineapple jam for everyone and pineapple liquor - just for the grown ups 😉.
Memories were created in this unique place that will last a lifetime! Getting to share the Azores experience with each other, to watch our children play and learn surrounded by all the immense natural beauty, to learn a bit more about each other - and ourselves - was a huge privilege.
.avif)
