About Santa Maria

Santa Maria is the oldest and southernmost island of the Portuguese Azores archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean. Known locally as ‘the island of the sun’ and ‘the yellow island’, Santa Maria boasts the sunniest climate of the Azores and a landscape characterised by dry vegetation and sandy shorelines. The island has a rich cultural heritage, too, which is evident in the town of Anjos, the first landfall of Christopher Columbus on his return voyage from the Americas. Also, each traditional home in Santa Maria’s villages has a distinctively coloured chimney in order to contrast with the whitewashed masonry. Santa Maria also claims the best swimming spots in the archipelago, with a wide choice of stunning beaches and refreshing tidal pools. The most popular beach is Praia Formosa on the south coast which also offers excellent surfing, water skiing and sailing conditions. Santa Maria is well connected to the other Azorean islands by ferry, with numerous routes provided from its port on the southwest coast to almost every island.

About Pico

Pico is a large island in the Central Group of the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago in the heart of the North Atlantic Ocean. With its formidable, albeit dormant, namesake volcano commanding the horizon, Pico’s grand landscape offers some of the best hiking and climbing in the Azores. The ever changing scenery makes for some gorgeous backdrops, with brightly coloured exotic plants giving way to vast lava rock formations and enticing, natural swimming holes, offering unforgettable walks and bike rides. Pico also has a rich history and deep-rooted links to the whaling industry, ever since it was discovered in the mid-fifteenth century, while boasting a long-standing fine wine culture, with its unique vineyard landscape commended by UNESCO in 2004. As part of the Central Group, Pico is well linked to the majority of islands in the archipelago by ferry, with vessels docking in the town of Sao Roque on the north coast.