Discover the magic among the isles of the Azores

Towering basalt peaks, bubbling hot springs, nutrient-rich waters, emerald green farmlands, and the fascinating history of the explorers, whalers, and farmers that called these remote islands home—this is just a sample of the beauty and vitality you’ll discover as we explore the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. All born from volcanoes, each island has a unique landscape and piece of history that we’ll uncover as we explore these remote gems. Experience the warmth and hospitality of the locals as they share a glimpse into their island life with traditional dishes, world-class wine and cheese tastings, fado music, and the beauty of each destination.

  • Aboard National Geographic Endurance, take advantage of the ship’s state-of the-art amenities, from wellness programs and spa treatments to gourmet dining options as we travel to the more secluded and seldom-visited islands of the Azores Archipelago

  • April is one of the best months to see the many whales that pass through these waters on their annual migrations. With the help of some of the best whale spotters in the world, search for fin, blue, sei, and pilot whales, just to name a few

  • Discover the varied past and the stories of explorers, whalers, and conquerors who all had a part in weaving the tapestry of island history

  • Experience the commitment the locals have to sustainable growth and protecting the natural beauty and ecosystems of the archipelago

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Duration

16 Days

Price

From $9,710 per person
(does not include flight)

Dates

Apr

Ships

Atlantic Isles

Day By Day

Sail among the Old World islands in the wake of the world’s great explorers, learning of their discoveries—and having plenty of your own. Balmy ocean breezes, dramatic island archipelagos, with extraordinary island geology. Flexibility is a hallmark of Lindblad-National Geographic expeditions, so our day-to-day itinerary may change as we choose to take advantage of a unique opportunity or photographers decide to linger in a village through the golden hour of light.

Standard

Embark

Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal

Disembark

Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal

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Dates, Rates & Cabins

Travel on this itinerary from $9,710 per person

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Daily Expedition Reports

10/4/2014

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National Geographic Explorer

Fogo, Cape Verde

The striking appearance of Fogo, a volcano sporadically active for at least the past four centuries, rising majestically from the ocean, has been remarked upon by sailors passing through these waters for generations. In 1683, the English navigator, pirate and naturalist William Dampier remarked upon it during his celebrated circumnavigation of the globe. Pico de Fogo, the island’s highest point, rises to 2,829 meters and was the focal point of one of our island excursions. A fleet of vans followed the circuitous route to Chā das Caldeiras, crossing the 1951 and 1995 lava floes to discover an engaging community of some 1200 souls living within the crater, where an emigré French nobleman fleeing from the 1848 revolution in Paris planted vines and sired children. The latter activities are much in evidence: a native wine industry, the only successful one in the Cape Verde archipelago and occasional blond-haired and blue-eyed children, blistering in the ferocious heat.  A variety of charming children offered models made from the local lava for sale; wine with local goat cheese was sampled and much appreciated. Another group explored the lower slopes of the island, concentrating on the human geography and natural history of the island. Places visited included the historic mission church of Sao Laurenco, the island’s oldest baobab tree at Curral Grande and a pleasant hike in misty conditions (for this is the beginning of the long-awaited rainy season on the island) at Rebeira Felipe. We saw a number of interesting agricultural crops being cultivated on small holdings: coffee, mango, corn and beans, the latter grown in symbiosis with the maize stem supporting the growing beans that in their turn provided nitrogen for the soil to assist the growth of the maize. Once again on this voyage we were witnessing New World flora brought over to the Old World. Back at sea-level, we visited the fishing village of Salinas where small-scale fishing from row boats was in operation, with small numbers of reef fish in the catch. There were good sightings of two endemic birds: the colorful grey-headed kingfisher and the “neglected” kestrel. The tour ended in the island capital of Sao Felipe, a delightful town exhibiting fine survivals of Portuguese colonial architecture; squares, esplanades and sobrado houses, with bougainvillea much in evidence. Local wine and cheese was sampled in a delightful restaurant where we were also treated to a dance performance by local school children. 

Daily Expedition Reports

10/3/2014

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National Geographic Explorer

Santo Antão Island, Cape Verde Archipelago

Today we arrived to the beautiful Cape Verde Archipelago; early in the morning National Geographic Explorer docked at the ferry terminal in Porto Novo, located in the island of Santo Antão. Santo Antão is the northern and westernmost of the nine main islands of the remote archipelago, approximately 500 km off the western coast of Senegal. It is also the second largest of the group, and a place of extreme contrasts. Shortly after breakfast we boarded a number of vans and headed to the opposite coast, passing through upper portion of the island. The southern portion of the island, including the area around Porto Novo, is extremely barren, with just a few short grasses and scattered acacia trees on the low hills. But as we gained altitude, the scene slowly changed completely. As the terrain became more and more rugged, it also transformed into a green landscape. By the time we reached the volcanic crater of Cova de Paul, at 3,859 ft above sea level, we were surrounded by conifers and other trees. We enjoyed the amazing view and had the chance to see the neglected kestrel, and endemic subspecies of the European kestrel only found in the archipelago. We continued our journey and constantly marveled at the incredibly high number of stone terraces used to raise crops built everywhere and oftentimes on amazingly steep hillsides. Most of those terraces, which are a used to slow down the flow of water and avoid erosion, as well as the cobbled road, were made by slave labor during the late 1500s and the 1600s. It is really impressive the amount of work and skill needed in such endeavors! The views of the rough pinnacles and cliffs, picturesque stone houses and terraces made for an enjoyable excursion. We eventually arrived to the northern coast where we visited the town of Ribeira Grande, Ponta do Sol and Fontainhas. After an abundant lunch at a local restaurant, where we enjoyed some traditional dishes and live music, we continued traveling along the northern coast, stopping for a visit at a local distillery. We all happily tried some pastries and several varieties of liquors, including some made of passion-flower, honey or sugar cane and the extremely strong grogue . A short distance away we visited the inscribed rock in Ribeira do Penedo; intriguing inscriptions and a crucifix are clearly seen and the identity of its creators remain a mystery, with theories pointing to early Portuguese, Phoenician and even Chinese. Eventually we came back to our floating home at Porto Novo for some welcomed rest, showers and dinner to regain our strength and prepare ourselves for a marvelous concert on board by Maria de Barros, one of the most popular and recognized singers from Cape Verde. We all enjoyed her music and many polished the lounge’s floor dancing at her funaná rhythms, making for the perfect ending to an amazing fist day at the Cape Verde islands.

Daily Expedition Reports

10/2/2014

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National Geographic Explorer

At Sea, Approaching Ilhas de Cabo Verde

Late last night the National Geographic Explorer officially crossed the Tropic of Cancer that this year lies 23 26’ 16” north of the equator.  There was no bump in the night, as this is an imaginary line so named because when the sun reaches its zenith on the northern summer solstice at this latitude, it is entering the astrological sign of Cancer. This is no longer true due to the phenomena known as the precession of the equinoxes. The International Astronomical Union tells us that the sun is now actually in the constellation of Taurus at the boreal summer solstice. The southern hemisphere counterpart is named the Tropic of Capricorn. When it was named, the sun lay in the astrological sign of Capricorn on the austral summer solstice, December 21. These imaginary lines are not fixed, but vary in a complicated manner over time. The area that lies between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn are officially known as the tropics, with the equator mid-way between the two. With the changes of latitude came a noticeable change in attitude.  Warm weather prompted sandals and shorts, with time to enjoy being on deck.  Even though it’s October all on board soaked up the sunshine as if it were a summer’s day. The northeast tradewinds were light and provided a comfortable breeze. Overall it was an exceptional day to sail in the Atlantic. In short, the conditions were perfect to be on the bow for glimpses of passing marine life like the occasional sea birds and flying fish. Falling into the easy rhythm of the sea, the day slipped by.

Daily Expedition Reports

10/1/2014

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National Geographic Explorer

At Sea to Cape Verde Islands

Starting the day pre-dawn at sea is a refreshing and peaceful exercise and at this latitude the sun won’t rise until just after 8:00a.m., giving one plenty of time to contemplate the days behind and ahead. The bridge is quiet; just the watch officers and our expedition leader, Jim Kelley, to share stories over a cup of hot coffee. Perhaps the watchmen will bring up fresh pastries for an added touch of comfort. In all, life doesn't get much better.   The open ocean can seem a barren and lifeless expanse that has long been fabled as a place to fear or avoid for those more prone to stay on shore but to us the open seas are home and the time spent traveling them cherished. We have a two-day sail from the Canary Islands along the coast of West Africa to the Cape Verde Islands, our final destination in Macaronesia. We are navigating over waters thousands of meters deep; water so blue there isn't a paint swath in all the world to match it. Indeed at this latitude and over waters this deep there isn't much life on the surface; the occasional seabird perhaps or even the chance sighting of a sea turtle amid their mysterious migrations, but that doesn't make it any less pleasant. In fact, the absence of life itself is noteworthy and provides a calming feeling. We've enjoyed a mild taste of the Northeast trade winds off our stern making for perfect conditions as we head southward.  The day isn't all contemplation and fresh pastries, though some may choose just that. Another benefit of days at sea during travel is that it affords us the time to present information and materials to our guests as our days on shore are quite busy and the time for more formal presentations is limited. Our first presentation was given by David Cothran titled, “The Biogeography of Macaronesia; Fortunate and Unfortunate,” a fitting title to explain the facets that have shaped the biology of these island archipelagos. Just before lunch our natural history and cultural history staff gave an “extended recap” on topics and events we've experienced over the last several days. Our next item on the program was a talk by our National Geographic photographers, Sisse Brimberg and Cotton Coulson, “On Assignment with National Geographic,” sharing with us the stories and challenges of over 30 years of experience in the field.  When traveling the open ocean one never knows what we'll see. On our daily program it was clear that at 5:00p.m. Jim Kelley would give an in-depth presentation entitled, “Going with the Flow:Circulation of the Atlantic Ocean.” Well apparently nobody told the striped dolphins ( Sternella coeruleoalba ) that naturalist Mike Greenfelder spotted from the bridge. The bow and upper decks filled to watch the show. Several dolphins came to the bow to ride the pressure wave, others leaped out of the water in the distance, but one dolphin in particular put on the best performance. When all others lost interest in our vessel this engaging and beautiful creature stayed with us for several more minutes; even as we reached 14 knots it would leap in front of the bow or come alongside and “tail walk” or leap and twist, splashing on its back or side. Soon however it was time to bid farewell and get back on our course to Cape Verde.   The galley crew had prepared a wonderful spread of tapas on the sundeck as a starter before dinner. The relaxed hours at sea, insightful talks, and perfect subtropical temperatures punctuated by an exciting encounter with dolphins made for a marvelous day at sea.

Daily Expedition Reports

9/30/2014

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National Geographic Explorer

La Gomera, Canarias

La Gomera is one of less frequently visited islands in the Canarias, having been deliberately protected from the more ruthless commercial developments associated with the monoculture of mass tourism prevalent elsewhere on the archipelago. Interestingly our guide on the day tour of the island, although he had been working as a guide for over quarter of a century, had never before worked with an American group. The island has a population of just over 20,000 and is the second smallest island in the archipelago. Of volcanic origin, it is no longer considered active and its geomorphological interest derives from a long period of erosion since that active phase, with prominently exposed volcanic plugs. Some 14 miles in diameter, the island rises to nearly 5,000 feet and our bus driver earned every euro of his gratuity negotiating hairpin bends and steep gradients throughout the day. The upper reaches of the island have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site for its native laurisilva , an extensive area of laurel rain forest that covers the upper slopes of the barrancos , deep ravines cut by Atlantic rainfall, of which there is some 50 inches per annum at these high altitudes. Having made our way up to the Garanjoy National Park, we lunched at a local tavern on local fare, including almogrote (a cheese spread), fresh goat cheese, a hearty potage and local fish, washed down with the distinctive local red wine. After lunch we were treated to a demonstration of silbo Gomero , a traditional whistling “language” that enabled villagers to communicate over a range of some two miles in this rugged landscape. Tourism has displaced agriculture as the prime economic mover on the island and it was sad to see so many fields abandoned. The evidence of centuries of terracing up the steep hillsides spoke eloquently of former productivity and the backbreaking labor that accompanied it. Many of the early terraces, it is believed, were dug out by the Guanche peoples who were living on the island when the Spanish arrived, for the Canary Islands are the only archipelago in our tour of Macaronesia that had pre-colonial inhabitants. Linguistic and place-name evidence together with recent DNA studies enable the Guanche to be identified with certainty as a Berber people from neighboring North Africa. Interestingly, the combined effects of centuries of Reconquista on Spanish history and culture together with a strong desire to exert their European credentials in terms of EU membership made investigations into the archaeology of the Canary Islands a surprisingly controversial field until quite recent times. As far as physical geography is concerned, we were closer to the African continent at La Gomera that at any other point of our voyage. La Gomera was the last port of call of Christopher Columbus before he embarked on his epoch-making voyage of discovery in 1492. The links with the New World are evident in the local population, with extensive family connection with Cuba and Venezuela in particular, and with local recipes, including gofio , for sprinkling on the soup, an early example of the use of maize, the native Americas’ greatest gift to the world, in the Old World. The lesson here, as so often in Macaronesia, is that isolation is more apparent than real.

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