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Azores Islands AçoresFloresUpdated 04.16.2006
Flores, the most western island of the Archipelago, is the last island we visited and, maybe, the most extraordinary one. The climate is quite different, more rainy and windy, with a lot of variations between its west and east coast. The luxuriant green of vegetation and the abundance of waterfalls and lakes are another characteristic. Motor vehicles are not yet the masters in this island where they are arrived quite lately. The roads cannot bring you to the best places and if you want to conquer the real beauty of this extraordinary wild landscape you have to walk. The climate is ideal for walkers, it isn't too warm and you can find clear spring drinkable fresh water almost everywhere. You only need to be aware from the sunburst, to take a cap, a wind jacket and a good pair of mountain shoes. You also need the "Walkers' Guide to Lajes old Footpaths, Lajes Das Flores Azores" from Pierluigi Bragaglia, a must. You can find it at the Tourist Office in Santa Cruz. I think that is not wise to leave Flores without have visited the magnificent Faja do Lopo Vaz, it is an hard 2 hours round trip with a quite steep climb on your way back, but it leads you to an extraordinary site with a privileged tropical micro-climate and a luxuriant vegetation, with sprigs and waterfalls almost everywhere. In this Faja are produced the most renamed bananas of Flores. The great sandy and pebbles beach is a wonderful place to take your rest. Another must is the long pedestrian trail from Ponta da Faja to Ponta Delgata at the north west wild side of Flores. It's a quite hard walk, but you have a lot of wonderful waterfalls and little pools where you can take a bath and refresh yourself to recover from the fatigue of the walking. Take also the time to visit the Caldeiras, volcanic lakes that are overabundant in the central mountainous side of the island, and to take a bath in the Poco do Bacalhau, a little pool under an high waterfall just near the road, and in the natural swimming pools at Santa Cruz. Useful addresses For an exhaustive list of accommodations take a look at the official site of Azores Tourist Office http://www.drtacores.pt/ingl/flo/flo.htm
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Have a good trip. I'll be glade if you want to share with me your experiences about islands you visited and addresses you think worthy to be added.
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