Faial and Pico – July 2023 (by Luke, June/July 2024)

Islands number three and four were Faial and Pico. We’d had such an exciting time in Flores and were really looking forward to continuing that on these islands. We used Faial as our base and from here made the trip over to Pico. Pico dominates a lot of the views from Faial due to it being so big and so close. The channel between Faial and Pico is sheltered and home to a wide array of marine life.

day 8 – Faial (01/07/23)

We landed on Faial mid-afternoon and got picked up for the transfer to the capital, Horta. Horta is home to one of the most visited marinas in the world due to its position as a first (or last) stop for Atlantic crossings. There was a totally different vibe here compared to anywhere else we visited in the Azores. It was cosmopolitan and bustling, due in part to the history of visitors from across the world.

We checked in to the Estrela Do Atlantico hotel and went for a walk. Every time we looked out to sea we had a different view of the island of Pico that we’d be visiting in a couple of days but for now the focus was on Faial.

The town was buzzing due to the annual White Party taking place so we enjoyed a lively dinner and cocktails.

day 9 – Faial

The hotel was an old colonial house. It was amazing, the sort of place that you’d imagine the mayor living in back in the day. Massive windows, great views of Pico from our room, beautiful garden views from our balcony…just brilliant! The staff were fab as well, felt like we were part of the family for the time we were there. Breakfast was served overlooking the gardens and was a great way to start each day.

After breakfast we headed down to the marina for a whale watching trip. The weather was beautiful, brilliant sunshine and really still – perfect for being out on the sea. From the boat we had amazing views of Pico as well as Sao Jorge and Graciosa islands. We saw loads of dolphins and multiple sperm whales. One sperm whale fully breached just in front of us, this was amazing! Our guide estimated that it was around 10m long and had probably come up all the way from as far as 1500m underwater to fling itself out!

The boat was guided to the whales by land base spotters. Armed with ridiculously powerful binoculars the spotters use the same whaling huts that were built to spot whales to hunt. The huts have all been repurposed now and are used for tourism/conservation instead. All sightings were diligently recorded by the crew, with details fed back to the relevant government department.

The captain and crew were great – they were all knowledgeable, respectful and really good fun. It felt like we stayed a safe distance away from the whales so as not to interfere with them, but close enough to get the experience we wanted. The crew knew most of the whales by name and almost seemed to think of them as family. They were as excited as us to see the breaching whale which made us feel even more lucky to.

After arriving back at the marina we ate some lunch (Café Iceberg) before setting off for a very hot walk up Monte da Guia. This protected area consists of two volcanic cones – Monte da Guia and Monte Queimado. Within this area there are craters, slopes, sea-cliffs, bays, inlets, pebble and sandy beaches, rocky reefs and sea caves. Looking out one way there were views of Pico, another way was an aerial view of the city, and turning around slightly gave uninterrupted sea views. It was well worth the long walk to the top for the views.

We ate dinner at Restaurant Atletico, we’d booked the night before as we had heard how busy it gets – this wasn’t an exaggeration. There was a huge queue for the majority of the time we were eating. We both ate fresh fish – they were presented on ice in a cooler so you could chose what you wanted dependant on what had been caught. The food was lovely, and the Azorean wine we drank with it was delicious.

day 10 – Faial

After breakfast we were collected for a private tour of the island. Our guide was brilliant. As is often the way in the Azores the weather can play a big part in the day. He continually checked the crater webcams online to give us the best chance of seeing the crater when not covered clouds and timed our arrival perfectly for this.

Just after leaving Horta we stopped at Poça da Rainha (the Queen’s Pool). These natural pools with man-made walkways were beautiful – fit for a queen!

Next up was Reserva Florestal Natural do Parque do Capelo. This diverse wooded area contains an abundance of endemic Macaronesian plants. There is also a traditional house showing what life would have been like in Faial years ago and some deer which were cool (and strange) to see.

The Capelinhos Volcano Interpretation Centre was the next place we visited. This was a really interesting museum which gave insight into the Capelinhos volcano and also the geology of the Azores as a whole. The Capelinhos volcano erupted in 1957 and gave scientists a chance to study an underwater eruption from up close.

After the museum we climbed to the top of Farol da Ponta dos Capelinhos. The lighthouse is now inland due to the new land formed by the eruption. You can see the new land on the below picture, and also notice the lighthouse being part buried in ash. Following the eruption the ash raised the ground level up to the top of the downstairs windows!

We headed inland for lunch then up to Caldeira do Cabeço Gordo. We walked through a small tunnel to get to the caldera viewpoint and this made it even more dramatic!

From the caldera we went down towards the coast to visit an old whaling hut and meet a spotter. We were able to go into the hut with him and see what he could see (sort of!). The binoculars he used were so powerful. We could barely see the boats with the naked eye but he could see signs of whales to be able to guide the boats towards them – amazing!

We were treated to views of Horta and Pico from Miradouro do Monte Carneiro before being dropped back at the hotel.

This evening we ate dinner at Cantinho das Provas. It was delicious wine and tapas – the perfect way to prepare for our busy day on Pico!

day 11 – Faial to Pico to Faial (04/07/23)

We had to be up early to make sure we were ready for the 0730 ferry. The ferry terminal was a short walk from the hotel so was easily done after collecting our packed breakfasts. The crossing itself was smooth and quick.

We successfully met our guide once off the ferry and he took us by minibus to Casa da Montanha (the mountain house). This was our starting point for the climb up Pico. Here we signed in, were given our GPS trackers and set off with the rest of our group.

Pico is a stratovolcano and is Portugal’s highest mountain at 2351m above sea level. The total round trip walking distance was about 10km.

We walked through rain, then clouds, then eventually into the brilliant sunshine above the clouds. In an attempt to be prepared I had checked the forecast the day before – sea level was due to be 23°c, dropping to -4°c with the windchill at the summit. It felt even colder than this at times but eventually we made it to Pico Alto. Pico Alto is a 500m diameter crater which is about 30m deep. The climb down was painful having just scrambled up the mountain, and made even worse knowing that we were getting further from the top of Piquinho (a small volcanic cone that is about 70 metres high and is the highest point of the mountain).

Piquinho was a ‘proper’ climb but after a bit more leg pain we were at the very top! There were a couple of fumaroles at the top which vented warm gas. It was bizarre to feel the heat coming out of the mountain as if it was a living, breathing thing. After some photos and admiring the view it was time to head down for lunch on Pico Alto. The journey down was definitely worse than the journey up, and that was just the start of things to come!

Lunch was much needed and tasted so good. After we had eaten our guide encouraged the group to collect any litter that could be found before bagging it up and carrying it off the mountain. It was really nice to see how he wanted to protect the environment and make it better for everyone

The walk down was painful on the knees, as well as being very loose. It felt like we spent more time sliding than walking, despite having proper walking boots on. On our way down a girl joined our group who had tried to go up alone and had fallen over multiple times. Our guide took her under his wing and made sure she got down safely. Not that we ever doubted it but this really reinforced the need for a guide unless you were 100% certain what you were doing!

After what felt like the longest walk ever we made it back to Casa da Montanha, then down the steps from there to the carpark (after the walk/climb the steps felt like they went on forever) and back down to sea-level in the minibus.

On the way down we saw the first traffic jam of the holiday (cows crossing the road!) and this, coupled with the relatively slow descent led to us missing our ferry back to Faial.

‘Not a problem’ said our guide. ‘I was going to go out fishing on my boat this evening anyway so I’ll run you across’. He dropped us at a bar and said he’d be back with his family and his boat. I was certainly a bit sceptical but after about 20 minutes he arrived with his wife, son and boat! It took a bit of time to get the boat off the trailer and into the sea at Madalena harbour but before too long we were on our way and travelling past the islands of ‘Standing Up’ and ‘Lying Down’ just off the coast of Pico island.

The crossing back to Faial was slower and a lot more bumpy than on the way out but it was nice to be that bit closer to the sea.

Once back in Horta we grabbed some food from the first place that we saw. We were both absolutely shattered after what had been a really demanding (and rewarding) day.

day 12 – Faial

We were collected after breakfast and transferred to airport. The previous flight was the smallest plane and they now started to get bigger again! Again it was an easy flight, the most noteworthy things were views of the islands of Pico, Sao Jorge and Terceira.

Our final destination was where we had started the holiday – Sao Miguel. You can read about our second visit to Sao Miguel here.