Faial Island (the blue island) is part of the Azores central group. It is located about 66 miles from Terceira, 4.5 miles from Pico and 11 miles from S. Jorge. The surface area of Faial Island is approximately 67 square miles (173 km2). The island has about 15,000 inhabitants and its main municipal seat is located in the city of Horta. Different colors of blue decorate the houses and divide the fields and line the roadsides giving Faial the name “Blue Island”.

This remote archipelago simply abounds with adventures; it is, in fact, the Hawaii of the mid-Atlantic. It has world-class whale watching, sailing, diving, hiking and canyoning; excellent surfing and other watersports; rich opportunities for on horseback, on bikes or, for the daredevils, by paraglider. Then there is the landscape itself: a wonderland of seething mud pots, fantastical caverns, and vivid crater lakes that speak of a volcanic origin.

The Azores contain two of Portugal’s 15 Unesco World Heritage sites – the vineyards of Pico and the old town of Angra do Heroismo on Terceira – and three biospheres (Graciosa, Flores and Corvo). The regional government has bolstered this with an award-winning network of natural parks and marine reserves to safeguard the unspoiled environment.

With liberalization of the airline industry making the islands more accessible than ever before, the Azores look well placed to finally capitalize on their vast potential as a world-leading example of sustainable tourism.