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Island of Flores

Vista Panorámica
Place: Ilha das Flores nos Açores
Photo: Paulo Magalhães
Photo: Paulo Magalhães

Don't miss
  • visit the Boqueirão Environmental Visitor’s Centre

As a part of the global network of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, the island of Flores, the westernmost territory of the Azores and Europe, has landscapes that are true havens. Together with the island of Corvo, this island is part of the western group of the Azores archipelago.

If there are places privileged by nature, the island of Flores is one of them. Its 141.4 km2 surface divided into two municipalities, Santa Cruz and Lajes, plus the friendliness of its people, make it a must see destination in the Azores.

It is estimated that its discovery was around 1452, by the navigator Diogo de Teive, and although initially called the island of São Tomás or Santa Iria, its name was quickly changed to Flores, due to the abundance of yellow flowers, the goldenrod, which covered the entire island.

Characterised by a heavily indented and extremely rugged coastline, Flores is an island of water: waterfalls, lakes, streams and wells form a catalogue of unforgettable experiences, which seem to concentrate within themselves all the natural beauty that is scattered across the other islands of the Azores.

Due to its small size it is not hard to cover the entire island, and a good suggestion to set out on your exploration is to start the day on a boat trip, from which you can have a different view of the breath-taking rock structures and caves. This is the case of the Santa Cruz das Flores Arch and the islet of Maria Vaz, which are visible only from the sea, like the Enxaréus and Galo caves.



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