The Azores – a winter escape to a natural paradise

Posted on 10/31/2023

It’s closer than you think.  Nonstop flights year-round with SATA Azores Airlines from Toronto brings Canadians to Ponta Delgada, the capital city of São Miguel, one of nine volcanic islands that make up the Azores in 5.5 hours.  

From there, Ponta Delgada acts as a hub for SATA which offers inter-island flights to explore sights on other islands in the Azorean archipelago. 

The Azores is recognized and awarded the world’s first leading sustainable tourism destination, Europe’s leading adventure tourism destination and one of Europe’s safest destinations.

What the Azores has to offer:
- Enjoy a relaxing vacation surrounded by spectacular nature and year-round mild weather temperatures
- Relax at a spa with a volcanic massage, bathe in a geothermal spring, swim in pools formed in volcanic craters
- Take a whaling tour in one of the world’s largest whale sanctuaries 
- Golf with jaw-dropping ocean views
- Explore one of the few safe-to-visit volcanic caves in the world (Algar do Carvão)
- Enjoy over 80 kms of trails that accommodate visitors of all levels (wheelchairs, children, up to the hardcore hiker)
- Use a car, bike, horse or simply walk through the scenic and isolated trails 
- Enjoy a unique dining experience of Furnas – a stew cooked using volcano geothermal heat
- Stroll through the historic, charming and Unesco World Heritage capital city, Terceira, on Terceira Island
- Learn about the interesting history and culture of the Azores due to its strategic location in its museums
- Bird watch in quiet destinations with close to 400 species of migrating birds between North American and Europe.  
- Enjoy adventure sports – scuba diving, cavern tours, rock climbing, coasteering, surfing 
- Explore shipwrecks and navigate challenging swim-throughs to secret caverns
- Enjoy local culture, traditional activities and festive parades and celebrations throughout the year
- Visit the islands’ ancestral history with monuments, churches and castles built and preserved since the 16th century
 

Whether it’s an extreme sport adventure or a relaxing holiday, whether solo or family travel, the Azores offer numerous tours and customized packages for their visitors.