10 must-have experiences in the Azores

Head to São Miguel Island on our Walking in the Azores tour to find Europe's oldest commercial tea plantation, Gorreana. Emerald green tea plants cover the countryside, and local workers busily pick fragrant leaves ready for production. A family-run business, Gorreana was established in 1883, and the packing is still done by hand today.

One of the top attractions in the Azores, you can take a tour of the Gorreana factory, walk through the plantation and enjoy a delicious cup of freshly-brewed tea. Gorreana also offers striking views of the tiered tea plantation with the vast blue sea touching the equally blue skies ahead.

While you're exploring the Azores, enjoy a delicious lunch cooked in the volcanic fumaroles of Lake Furnas on São Miguel Island. The traditional dish of Cozido fas Furnas is unique to the Azores. A mix of meats and a variety of locally grown vegetables are stewed in a pot and slow-cooked by natural geothermal heat underground.

Not a process to be rushed, the stew is steamed for many hours before its ready, but the finished result is a melt-in-your-mouth tenderness that will have you hungry for more. What makes cozido extra special is that you can only find this volcano-cooked dish here on São Miguel Island - and it's certainly worth the wait!

The incredible geothermal energy of São Miguel Island can be seen and felt on the beautiful shores of Lake Furnas where thermal springs and boiling mud pools bubble on the surface. The botanical gardens of Terra Nostra is one of the best places to visit in the Azores, where you can uncover mirror-calm ponds, giant lily pads and verdant trees. The flora was planted over 200 years ago, but it's not just about the exotic vegetation - simply listening to the birdsong or trickling streams is just a relaxing experience.

Let all of your worries fade away as you immerse yourself in this tranquil oasis and take the opportunity to enjoy one of the most relaxing activities in the Azores by bathing in the beautifully warm thermal pools.

Don your walking boots to explore a network of trails around the island's black volcanic sands. The underwater Capelinhos volcano started erupting in 1957 and took 15 months, in 1958, to fully erupt. As a result, much of the nearby coastline was buried in deep layers of ash, forever altering the island's landscape. 

Today you can explore the surrounds of this now-extinct volcano, and find out more about its eruption and impact at the underground Capelinhos Volcano Interpretation Centre. In the same area you'll spot the abandoned lighthouse, which is the only buliding still visible above the surface of this newly formed terrain.

Walk along the 700m-high ridge of the lush Caldeira de Cima Gorge down to the rocky coastline of Sao Jorge on our islands tour of the Azores. Steep slopes reaching down to the water's edge are draped in a blanket of rich green forest, while azure-blue sea laps the golden sand bays below and fluffy white clouds bubble up over neighbouring islands in the distance.

Continue past the Caldeira de Santo Cristo Lake to Faja dos Cubres. Fajas like Faja dos Cubres are small plains located at the foot of steep coastal cliffs, and are peppered with hamlets and fertile orchards.