Terceira Island (known as “The Lilac Island”) is located approximately 90 miles from Sao Miguel and 66 miles from Faial, and has a surface area of 148 sq. miles (382 km2). The international airport, located in Lajes about 2 miles from the city of Praia da Vitoria, serves both civilian and military needs and includes both the Military Command for the Azores as well as an important American Air Force Base located in Lajes. Terceira is the second most populated Azorean island with 58000 inhabitants and the third biggest in surface area after S. Miguel and Pico.

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.