The Azores are a Portuguese archipelago comprised of nine volcanic islands which, for some strange reason, are not overrun with tourists. The islands lie about two thirds of the way between the east coast of the United States and Portugal, making them an easy, convenient and not-so-expensive trip from either locale. Independent and/or adventurous travelers looking to travel somewhere unique will highly rate a visit to the Azores.

Thanks to the Gulf Stream, the climate is mild all year round with high temperatures in the 60s and 70s (15 to 25 degrees Celsius). Rain can be sporadic throughout the day, but, if you wait long enough, the sun will shine again in a few hours or minutes. This is why the land is so green and rainbows so frequent.

The natural ecosystem is amazing, as is the culture, history and architecture. The islands have a somewhat tropical feel with European characteristics. The main problem you’ll encounter is deciding which islands to visit. Don’t worry though. You’ll be drawn to return in which case you can visit the islands you missed on your first trip. .

It’s a good idea to start on the island of São Miguel as the capital city is located here as is the main airport. From Boston, non-stop flights are only about four hours and, from Lisbon, only about two. Surrounded by the Atlantic, you might think beaches would be a good reason to visit. However, the Azores are not really a beach destination (though there are some sandy stretches of coast, the islands certainly differ from those of the Caribbean or Hawaii). The inland parts of the islands will have you itching to come back with their green volcanic mountains speckled with waterfalls, sparkling blue lakes, picturesque black and white architecture, and beautiful hydrangea covered hills of Flores (aptly named for the Portuguese word for flowers). You’ll almost certainly wish you had remembered the rules for great landscape photography that would land your photo in the pages of National Geographic. The Azores are awash in flowers in the spring while the summer months provide prime whale watching.

Activities are endless. You can go hiking, boating, kayaking, surfing, golfing, paragliding, diving and more. The surrounding ocean waters are actually warmed by the Gulf Stream maintaining water temps of around 70 degrees Fahrenheit or 22 degrees Celsius. In addition to reefs, deep depressions formed by the collapse of small volcanic craters provide plenty of unique and fascinating diving opportunities.