From enchanting waterfalls to surreal crater lakes, here’s why everyone should visit this gorgeous Portuguese island…
Hidden far away in a distant land in the middle of the Atlantic ocean, exists a small little eden called São Miguel…
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A beacon of sustainability, it’s referred to locally as ‘The Green Island’, and is the largest and most populous landmass in the Azores…
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The gorgeous ‘Greentopia’ is the exposed tip of a deep-sea mountain, which lies on the nexus of the European and African tectonic plates…
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The result? A world of spalding hot springs…
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Fabulous hiking trails…
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Bewitching waterfalls…
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Sexy cliffscapes…
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Otherworldly green tundras…
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And some Instagram-worthy volcanoes…
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A UNESCO-listed nature reserve, you’ll spot everything from sperm whale pods…
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to cute bottlenose dolphins…
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to sleepy sea turtles…
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and scary blue sharks circling the coast…
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But let’s not stop there. The main attraction of São Miguel is a stunning crater lake called Lagoa do Fogo (the Fire Lake)…
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It’s one of the most remote mountain lakes in the world and measures an epic 10 miles in circumference…
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It was formed a staggering 15 million years ago from the tippy top of a volcano, which last erupted in 1563. In fact, the place is so ecologically important that it’s protected by a special act of Parliament…
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For more visual inspiration, check out this unearthly island in the middle of the Arabian sea!