The Formigas Bank - Biological Features

The shallowest areas of the reefs are believed to be unique in the Azores, due to their dense and all cover of Cystoseira spp., as well as the high abundance and diversity of pelagic species occurring in large schools at large individual size. No similar subtidal Cystoseira stands have been recorded elsewhere in the archipelago and hence, they are supposed to be the marine biotope with the highest plant biomass in the Archipelago.
Likewise, this is the only site in the Azores where laminarians (Laminaria ochroleuca) are known to occur. The fronds of Cystoseira are generally 20-30 cm long and provide shelter for large numbers of fish such as juvenile ornate wrasse (Thalassoma pavo), emerald wrasse (Centrolabrus caeruleus) and juvenile dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus).
The deep crevices, which are common, provide a habitat for many benthic species such as locust lobster (Scyllarides latus), conger eel (Conger conger), moray eel (Muraenidae spp.), and larger forkbeard (Phycis phycis), and the vertical faces are colonised by sponges, cup corals and jewel anemones.
The algal beds start to thin out below 30 m and are gradually replaced by communities dominated by encrusting species. Large colonies of the black coral (Antipathes wollastoni) occur on the vertical faces of the bedrock in these deeper areas.

Sicklefin mobulas (Mobula tarapacana)

The pelagic communities are particularly rich on and around the reefs, with large numbers of jacks (Seriola rivoliana and Seriola dumerili), striped barracuda (Sphyraena viridensis), Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda) and grey triggerfish (Balistes carolinensis), as well as smaller species that make up the basis of the food web, like boarfish (Capros aper) and snipefish (Macroramphosus scolopax).
Large oceanic predators like manta rays (Manta birostris), sicklefin mobulas (Mobula tarapacana), Galapagos sharks (Carcharinus galapagensis) and the shortfin mako (Isurus oxirhyncus) are also often registered in the area. Large individuals of demersal species such as seachub (Kyphosus sp.), comb grouper (Mycteroperca fusca), black-tail comber (Serranus atricauda) also occur frequently.
Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis), pilot whales (Globicephala sp.) and loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) are frequently observed.

Swimming, Sailing and Water Activities - Flores Island

Flores is a paradise for fishermen. The craggy seashore gives them an endless number of fishing grounds where they can catch large fish such as bluefish bream, amberjack, conger eels, stone bass, grouper, mackerel, snapper, etc. But if the sports fishermen find abundant catches in Flores, underwater sportsmen have, in the depths, fringed by multi-coloured rocks, an abundance of animal and vegetable life and in the island's caves, attractions for many days spent appreciating the beauty beneath the sea.

For the same reasons the underwater diving-dress practice increased a lot those past years, not only due to those wonderful sea conditions, but also due to the rising of specialised and well-equipped clubs on that particularly practice - Clube Naval das Lages das Flores - Phone: +351-(0)92-53145 and fax: +351-(0)92-53605.

Clear, lucid waters, lapping pebble-covered beaches between rocks, await swimmers along the coast of the island, particularly in the area of Lagedo and Castelo (Ponta dos llhéus), Fajãzinha, Ponta do Albarnaz and Cedros. Santa Cruz, Lajes and Fajã Grande have natural swimming-pools.
Flores also offers excellent conditions for practising sailing and windsurfing, using the natural indents of the coast.

The Central Mountain Range - Flores Island - The Charm of The Landscape

The island of Flores is Nature in all its exuberance. Deep valleys cut by streams. Peaks and hills marking the horizon, breaking up the landscape. Rolling countryside that descends to the coast and ends in vertical cliffs. Cove, mild sharp, rocky capes. Everywhere is greenery plants and flowers, and edging the fields, in strips that stretch for miles and miles up and down mountains and valleys, the sky blue hydrangeas.

The central mountain range, formed by Morro Alto which has the highest altitude on the island, together with Pico da Burrinha, Pico dos Sete Pés and other peaks with lower altitudes, provide magnificent views over the lakes, valleys, streams and the irregular outline of the coast.

The hill called Madeira Seca, fairly easy to climb, offers a dazzling view over Lajes valley.

The Rock Formations - Flores Islands - The Charm of The Landscape

The island of Flores is Nature in all its exuberance. Deep valleys cut by streams. Peaks and hills marking the horizon, breaking up the landscape. Rolling countryside that descends to the coast and ends in vertical cliffs. Cove, mild sharp, rocky capes. Everywhere is greenery plants and flowers, and edging the fields, in strips that stretch for miles and miles up and down mountains and valleys, the sky blue hydrangeas.

Galo Cave - Guluseimas Gallery

The basalt and lava of the island of Flores have been formed into fantastic shapes by the wind and rain. On the Frades hill (literally, Friars), overlooking Fajã de Lopo Vaz, two rocks resemble the figures of a friar and a nun. Near Galo Cave, you can imagine the profile of a graceful cockerel (galo in Portuguese), in a large rock.

The Islets - Flores Island - The Charm of The Landscape

The island of Flores is Nature in all its exuberance. Deep valleys cut by streams. Peaks and hills marking the horizon, breaking up the landscape. Rolling countryside that descends to the coast and ends in vertical cliffs. Cove, mild sharp, rocky capes. Everywhere is greenery plants and flowers, and edging the fields, in strips that stretch for miles and miles up and down mountains and valleys, the sky blue hydrangeas.

All round the island, there are numerous small islets that lend colour to the blue of the sea and bear picturesque names such as Alvaro Rodrigues, Fragata, Maria Vaz and Cartório. Abrões islet is crossed by a curious grotto and Monchique islet is the westernmost part of Europe, having served, in the times of navigation by astronomy, as a reference point for adjusting routes and checking navigational instruments.

Waterfalls - Flores Island - The Charm of The Landscape

The island of Flores is Nature in all its exuberance. Deep valleys cut by streams. Peaks and hills marking the horizon, breaking up the landscape. Rolling countryside that descends to the coast and ends in vertical cliffs. Cove, mild sharp, rocky capes. Everywhere is greenery plants and flowers, and edging the fields, in strips that stretch for miles and miles up and down mountains and valleys, the sky blue hydrangeas.

Cut by torrential streams that curl as they leap from mountain to mountain in small, transparent waterfalls, the island of Flores has a bucolic nature that is in harmony with the scenery of hues of green intersected by the blue of the hydrangeas and rainbow colours of other flowers.
The most important waterfall is Ribeira Grande, at Fajãzinha, which has a drop of hundreds of metres. In the area between this parish and Ponta da Fajã alone, there are about twenty waterfalls, many of which drop into the sea.

Enxareus Grotto - Flores Island - The Charm of The Landscape

The island of Flores is Nature in all its exuberance. Deep valleys cut by streams. Peaks and hills marking the horizon, breaking up the landscape. Rolling countryside that descends to the coast and ends in vertical cliffs. Cove, mild sharp, rocky capes. Everywhere is greenery plants and flowers, and edging the fields, in strips that stretch for miles and miles up and down mountains and valleys, the sky blue hydrangeas.

An enormous volcanic cave at sea level, about 50 metres long and 25 metres wide. There is an interesting boat ride, allowing the visitor to appreciate the attractive coast fringed by rocks and small caves. On the shore of the island, there is the Galo cave, with interesting volcanic formations and an entrance that resembles the portal of a giant cathedral.

Rocha dos Bordoes - Flores Island - The Charm of The Landscape

The island of Flores is Nature in all its exuberance. Deep valleys cut by streams. Peaks and hills marking the horizon, breaking up the landscape. Rolling countryside that descends to the coast and ends in vertical cliffs. Cove, mild sharp, rocky capes. Everywhere is greenery plants and flowers, and edging the fields, in strips that stretch for miles and miles up and down mountains and valleys, the sky blue hydrangeas.

Lugui Gallery

A curious geological phenomenon, originated by the solidification of basalt in high, vertical channels, forming a majestic headland. Near the base and at sea level, are the "Hot Waters", small hollows filled with boiling, sulphurous water. In some coastal areas there are other basaltic formations, though of a smaller size.

The Seven Lakes of Flores - The Charm of The Landscape - Flores Island

The island of Flores is Nature in all its exuberance. Deep valleys cut by streams. Peaks and hills marking the horizon, breaking up the landscape. Rolling countryside that descends to the coast and ends in vertical cliffs. Cove, mild sharp, rocky capes. Everywhere is greenery plants and flowers, and edging the fields, in strips that stretch for miles and miles up and down mountains and valleys, the sky blue hydrangeas.

The seven lakes of Flores are lovely expanses of water set in volcanic hollows surrounded by flowers. Lake Funda or Verde, which has small stretches of sand and is bordered by vegetation and hydrangeas, is doubtless the prettiest. The other six - Branca, Seca, Comprida, Rasa, Lomba and Funda das Lajes - also have a serene and attractive beauty that makes them worth a visit for moments of calm and relaxation.

Volcanic Curiosities - Pico Island - Azores

Pico mountain, the lava beds of the mistérios and the caverns and grottoes that pierce the solidified magma are not the only visible results of volcanic activity in the island. If you walk over the plateau area, with an average altitude of 800 metres, you will find dozens of small volcanic cones and craters covered by basaltic slag, dominated by Pico do Topo with a height of 1,007 metres. On the cone of Pico mountain, at an altitude of about 1,500 metres, there is a series of secondary craters called Furnas where people usually spend the night when they climb the height. In the channel separating the islands of Pico and Faial there is an enormous underwater crater with a diameter of about 4 km.

Quinta das Rosas - Matos Souto - Pico Island - Azores

Quinta das Rosas
Park with a great variety of species of trees, including many exotic ones. Belvedere.

Matos Souto
Forested park, with some rare species of trees and an appreciable garden. A place to spend your leisure time. Magnificent earthen pots with species that are being carefully grown and tested.

Arcos do Cachorro - Pico Island - Arches of the Puppy - Azores

Impressive group of lavas next to the sea, perforated by many grottoes and tunnels. Volcanic arches over the sea. Rocks with curious shapes, one of them resembling the muzzle of a dog which possibly gave the place its name (Arcos do Cachorro means Arches of the Puppy).

The Grottoes and Caverns - Pico Island - The Charm of the Landscape

The cooling of the lava and the escape of volcanic gases caused the appearance of cavities that take the form of grottoes covered with volcanic stalactites and stalagmites or long corridors stretching into the depths of the earth. Deserving a visit, accompanied by a guide and suitable equipment, are the caverns (furnas) called Frei Matias (connected with the legend of a hermit), Silveira (with long galleries) and Montanheiros.

The Mysteries - Pico Island - The Charm of the Landscape

Lava beds originating in eruptions that took place after the settlement of the island, they have locally been given the name of mistérios or "mysteries" since the people knew no explanation for the volcanic phenomena and mainly for the effects of the eruptions which destroyed cultivated lands, making them inproductive. Covered by more or less dense woods, they are spread all over the island, the dark lava marking the surrounding landscape. The mistérios of Prainha (1572), Santa Luzia/Bandeiras and São João (1718) and Soldão (1720) are spectacular.

The lakes - Pico Island - The Charm of the Landscape

The lakes of Capitão, Caiado, Rosada, Paúl, Peixinho, Ilhéu, Negra and Landroal are situated in the central plateau area which stretches to the eastern tip of the island. Of modest size, they are surrounded by the original vegetation of the island cedars, laurels and the tree called vinhático.

The mountain - Pico Island - The Charm of the Landscape

Majestic volcano dominating the island, with an altitude of 2,351 metres. It is crowned by Pico Alto, a round crater with a perimeter of about 700 metres and a depth that reaches 30 metres. At the extremity of the crater lies the volcanic cone Piquinho or Pico Pequeno, with a height of about 70 metres and with fumaroles at its base, and which constitutes the summit of the mountain. It is covered with thick forests up to about 1,500 metres, but above this altitude the vegetation is reduced to shrubbery ending at 2,000 metres. After that there is only the cone of bare, naked lava, which is covered by snow in the winter. Provides magnificent views, including glimpses of the islands of Faial, São Jorge, Graciosa and Terceira. Sunrise viewed from the top of the peak is a spectacular and unforgettable sight.

The Windmills - Graciosa Island - Azores

The landscape of Graciosa attracts and fascinates the visitor. It is made up of plains, round hills covered with trees, vineyards lying between dark stone walls, chequered fields of tilled land and the constant presence of the blue sea. What also attracts and fascinates is the atmosphere of calm isolation that is lived and felt, the unusual situation of an island that is almost cut off from the world and where life maintains the rhythm of the seasons.

The windmills
The arms and wooden lattices which are covered with cloth when greater speed is desired or the wind is weak. The walls of the cone-like trunk are while-washed. The door and the small windows are edged in blue or red. The whole is covered by an onion-shaped dome ending in a point. That is what the picturesque windmills of Graciosa are like. Flapping their wings at the tops of hills, particularly in the Praia area, they can be considered the true symbol of the island.
The outline and shape of these windmills recall those which for centuries ground flour or pumped water in the fields of northern Europe. But is their origin connected with the presence of Flemings in the settlement of the Azores? The answer to this question is neither simple nor positive. It is known that in the Azores wheat was formerly ground by water-mills where streams existed or by mills where the stones were moved by patient oxen or donkeys. These mills - which are still in operation in some islands - were a royal privilege entrusted, as a reward, to the captains-donees and nobles. It was only with the end of absolutism in the early l9th century that milling was freed from feudal rights and made tax-free. Researchers believe that the first windmill was built in 1818 at the initiative of a priest on Terceira island. Others followed and the windmills spread all over the archipelago, except for the island of Flores where there are many water-mills.


The windmills used in the Azores vary from island to island. On Graciosa it is the dome that is moved to accompany the direction of the wind, using for the purpose a long wooden pole that almost touches the ground. On Faial, for example, it is the whole body of the windmill, built of wood and other light materials, that rotates on the stone tower on which it is based. The enigma of the origin of the windmills of the Azores therefore remains But the windmills fit so well into the green landscape that they deserve to have been there at the very beginning, awaiting the first settlers.

Hills, Islets and Caverns - Graciosa Island

The landscape of Graciosa attracts and fascinates the visitor. It is made up of plains, round hills covered with trees, vineyards lying between dark stone walls, chequered fields of tilled land and the constant presence of the blue sea. What also attracts and fascinates is the atmosphere of calm isolation that is lived and felt, the unusual situation of an island that is almost cut off from the world and where life maintains the rhythm of the seasons.

The hills
With the names of Serra Dormida, Serra Branca and Serra das Fontes, these hills are like belvederes, affording views of the island and sea. Low-lying the altitude of Pico Timão is only 398 metres while that of Serra do Facho is 375 metres - with soft curved lines, covered with their original vegetation of beech-trees, heather, incense, vinhático and also Japanese cedars, they are the natural framework for restful walks, communion with Nature and quiet picnics.

The islets
Rocks inhabited by birds that crop out in the sea, they are one of the charms of Graciosa, surprises that await the visitor at the end of a bay or a cape. The most suggestive is Baleia (literally, Whale), which looks like a giant mammal anchored by the shore. The others have names such as Bordo do Pico, Gaivotas, Pesqueira, Vermelho, Comprido, Grande and Agulha.


The caverns
The insides of the island can be viewed from other places, less spectacular than the Sulphur Cavern (Furna do Enxofre) no doubt, but still fascinating. Because here and there you will find more or less deep fissures that invite braver persons to discover the secrets of the volcanic formation of Graciosa. Such is the case of the caverns (Furnas) of Bolos, Linheiro, Manuel d'Avila, Lembradeira, Queimado, Labarda, Cardo, Cão, Gato, Castelo, Calcinhas, Vermelho, Urze, Furada and Luis. Recommended: equipament and a guide.

Sulphur Cavern - Furna do Enxofre - Graciosa

The landscape of Graciosa attracts and fascinates the visitor. It is made up of plains, round hills covered with trees, vineyards lying between dark stone walls, chequered fields of tilled land and the constant presence of the blue sea. What also attracts and fascinates is the atmosphere of calm isolation that is lived and felt, the unusual situation of an island that is almost cut off from the world and where life maintains the rhythm of the seasons.

Sulphur Cavern
Volcanological phenomenon, geologically unique in the world. In the interior of Caldeira, the crater of a former volcano, there is a deep tunnel with a depth of about 100 metres. At the bottom lies a huge grotto, with an 80 metres high vault covered with stalactites and an underground lake of cold, sulphurous water with a diameter of about 130 metres and a maximum depth of 15 metres. Besides the entrance tunnel there are two other openings in the flanks of the crater. You can walk down the tunnel by a stone stairway, The recommended visiting time is between 11 a.m. and 2 pm., when the sunlight penetrates the interior of the cavern and creates dazzling effects.


From inside the Furna do Enxofre (Sulphur Cavern) lookup up at the cave entrace. The stone tower to the right contains the stairway you use to get down to it.

Prince Albert of Monaco, the famous l9th century oceanographer who led several expeditions in the waters of the Azores, was one of the first visitors of the cavern, having gone down into it by a rope ladder in 1879.
After visiting the Sulphur Cavern you should walk about Caldeira and circle its crater. Magnificent vistas. Possibility of catching sight of the islands of Terceira, São Jorge, Pico and Faial.

The Charms of The Landscape - Terceira Island

Caldeira de Guilherme Moniz
Huge volcanic crater (the largest in the archipelago), with a perimeter of 15 km. Flat and verdant interior. Rounded edges, covered with trees.

Algar do Carvão
Grottoes with a depth of about 100 metres. Stalactites and stalagmites. Close to the fumaroles of the Sulphur Caverns called Furnas do Enxofre (manifestations of volcanic activity). The caverns of Agua and Cabrito and many others that exist in Terceira (totalling about 40 and resulting from the passage of gases during the cooling of lava at the time of volcanic eruptions) are an invitation to the thrilling experience of plunging into the bowels of the Earth. A guide and suitable equipment are necessary for visits.

Biscoitos
Layers of lava resulting from former volcanic eruptions, which take on interesting shapes. Curious vineyards planted on lands devoid of vegetation, protected by stone walls - the typical curraletas.

Pico da Bagacina and Pico do Cabrito
Volcanic heights set in large areas made up of lava. Pasture area for wild cattle.

Mata da Serreta
Forest with luxuriant vegetation on the slopes of a volcanic peak. Excellent vista from the place known as Peneireiro, taking in the sea. Ideal place to relax and commune with Nature.

Serra de Santa Bárbara
A ridge that affords magnificent views of the island. Road crosses a verdant area, with rows of hydrangeas.

Lagoa do Negro and Lagoa do Ginjal
Small lakes that surprise the visitor because of the calm and beauty of the surrounding countryside.