Active Travel

Azores hiking trails are gaining popularity with visitors and locals alike

Friday, 06 August 2010 00:00

There are 60 hiking trails across the Azores archipelago. On the whole, hikers around the Azores are happy with the trails and not put off by the changeable weather.  "Very nice landscape, very nice nature here, We come especially for the nature and to make walking tours here in São Miguel", said a Dutch visitor. For others, the absence of touristic pressure common to many island destinations is what keeps them coming back.

"We like the Azorean welcome and there are few tourists, especially in the islands of the Central group", said a French visitor.

"We were worried there would be too many tourists in São Miguel but there seems a nice balance", added his wife.

This week, a group of environmentalists from the Canary Islands travelled to São Miguel, Faial and Pico to assess the state of the trails.  Their visit, which was part of a reciprocal agreement between various environmental associations in Macaronesia and locally-based Friends of the Azores, will end at the top of Pico mountain.

Tom Curren in the Azores

Thursday, 05 August 2010 17:14

Tom Curren, João Guedes and Luke Egan are the three of the stars of the Azores Islands Pro taking place between Aug 10-15 in Ribeira Grande, São Miguel.

Curren still surfs in contests on the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS.) He is also often invited to surf in World Championship Tour (WCT) trials or contests as a wildcard. He has competed in the Annual Switchfoot Bro-Am Surf Contest for 3 years in a row, surfing on the Switchfoot team. The Billabong Azores Islands Pro will be held in São Miguel Island, the largest of nine islands that compose the Azores archipelago.

This event will take place in Ribeira Grande ­ Santa Bárbara beach. The best surf spots in the Azores are found off the island of São Miguel, where its north coast provides powerful and uncrowded surf.

The surf generally ranges in size from 3-5 feet during summer, reaching up to 15 feet in the winter months. Under the influence of the Gulf Stream, the climate of the Azores is temperate, with a high rainfall and a narrow temperature range: an annual temperature of 14º, with an average summer temperature of 24º, when the sea temperature is 22º.

UNESCO supports new Biosphere Reserves Parque Gerês/Xurés

Sunday, 01 August 2010 00:00

The Gerês-Xurés reserve, covers almost 260,000 hectares of territory in Spain and Portugal. It is a mountainous area between northeastern Portugal and the southeast of Orense in Galicia, and is protected in both countries. The population on each side of the border shares a similar way of life, and UNESCO’s aim in naming it a Biosphere Reserve is for both countries, and their local communities, to benefit from each other’s experience under a joint management plan for sustainable management of the area’s ecosystems. Biosphere Reserve covers Gerês-Xurés a total of eleven municipalities, six in Galicia (Lobios, Entrimo, Muiños, Lobeira, Calvos of Randín and Bande), and five in Portugal (Melgaço, Arcos de Valdeve, Ponte da Barca, Terra of Bouro and Montalegre) This area is distributed in both countries in the three types of areas that provides a biosphere reserve, on the basis of the following percentages of the total: core area, 4.6% E, P 8.7%, buffer zone, E 6, 9%, P 27.6%; transition zone, 12.8% and P E 39.4%. These territories and people share lifestyles and customs, agricultural, ethnography, traditions and legends, archaeological and historical heritage, ecosystems, plant and animal species, and are protected areas.

High value and high adventure biking Portugal’s Algarve coast

Sunday, 20 June 2010 00:00

Cyclists who had put the brakes on a European bicycling vacation in these economically challenging times can get their bikes back in gear! Easy Rider Tours has rolled out a new 6-day “Biking Breakaways” trip, priced at a budget-friendly $1,995 per person. The “Algarve Blue” tour is a scenic spin along the southwest coast. Cloudless skies, miles of scenic shoreline, and colorful architecture combine. Cyclists’ most memorable ride might be the trek to the land’s end at Cabo de São Vicente, the southwestern most point in Europe and once considered the edge of the Western world. Plenty of “off-bike” time is planned for relaxing along the region’s famed beaches and visiting historic landmarks from Roman ruins to an ancient Moorish fortress. The tour finishes in the historic seaport of Lagos, known for its museums, gardens, sidewalk cafes, and, of course, inviting ocean waters. Cost is $1,995 per person price includes all accommodations, most meals, use of a 24-speed bicycle, two experienced guides, and a support vehicle to carry luggage (and the occasional tired cyclist). Airfare is not included in the tour price. Tours are offered from June through mid-October.