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São Jorge Island, Azores
Discover how is São Jorge Island, in Azores, Portugal.
São Jorge Island
© Carlos Duarte
São Jorge Island is one of the islands of the central group in the Azores Archipelago, Portugal.
This extended island with stiletto shape, is 234 square kilometres and has around 10,000 inhabitants. The island is characterised by its beautiful and numerous fajãs and cows and its exquisite wheel-shaped cheese.
From it you can perfectly see the other four islands of the central group of the Azores. São Jorge is a bucolic grazing land with imposing green views reaching their highest point in the North.
Fajã do Ouvidor
© Rui Vieira
Fajã dos Cubres
© Maurício de Abreu DRT
Miradouro do Mirante Viewpoint
© Publiçor
The island lacks sandy beaches, but in return it offers a great quantity of different shapes and sizes fajãs, formed mainly by collapses or tongues of lava coming from the sea shore. These fajãs turn out to be an idyllic place to disconnect from the busy daily life and practise hiking. Some of the best known ones are Punta Furada, Além, Ouvidor, São João, Vasco Martíns, João Dias, Fragueira, Almas and Grande.
Its peculiar from this island the large amount of cows inhabiting it, almost as many as inhabitants! Thanks to their milk is elaborated a handmade wheel-shaped and great quality cheese.
To get to know the resources of São Jorge Island it is recommendable to use Velas as a starting point and have at least two days if you wish to complete some of the fantastic hiking routes going from the spectacular cliffs to the fajãs.
Another of the important cities of São Jorge are Calheta, with its port, natural pools, and São Jorge Museum, dedicated to the musician Francisco de Lacerda;Topo, a charming little village from where to go down to the Ribeira Seca and the Fajã dos Vimos, with its important handicraft centre; Urzelina, a privileged residential population with excellent natural pools; and Fajã do Ouvidor, a fairy tale village dominated from Norte Grande; and Sete Fontes, a Forestal park located on a reserve covering great part of the occidental side of the island, where you will also find a mini-zoo, a beautiful overlook...
The best month to visit it is on July, since from the 2nd to the 8th takes places in the city of Vela the Cultural Week, a festivity with cuisine tasting stands, sports competitions and outdoors concerts; and on the second fortnight of July, in the city of Calheta is celebrated the Festival of July, where there are also sports activities, music concerts, ethnographic entourage, etc.
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