Beautiful, Remote and So Instagrammable. Can the Azores Manage Popularity?

Wonderful article! Tourism is growing like crazy there, but only São Miguel feels, well, touristy. The other islands are still like heaven on Earth even in July and August. And you must go to Pico, São Jorge and Flores – you will get your mind blown all over again.

just returned from there, beautiful, bad weather, too many tourists and inadequate infrastructure to deal with them. too bad you are publicizing them, the next Iceland?

Very good and accurate review. Our experience was very similar to what was described. The Azores is not the place to go for tropical resorts, beaches, tiki bars, nightlife, etc. You will be seriously disappointed. Every hotel and restaurant we saw was independent and locally-owned. There are no exclusive beachfront resorts, or trendy boutique lodging. The main commercial district on San Miguel closes in the early evening, spare for a few ice cream stands or small bars. The Azores is not dependent on tourism. This destination instead is for people who are willing to mix with the locals, and enjoy unspoiled beauty and scenery found in few places elsewhere.

"when I told other Americans I was going to the Azores, the response was along the lines of, 'A-what?'” I just wish the Portguese pronunciation was standard in English. It's not difficult: a-ZOR-es.

"Call someplace paradise; kiss it goodbye" -The Eagles

Great reporting on a beautiful place that was my home some 60 years ago as the wife of a USAF Lt. at Lajes AFB on Terceira. We were newly married and later had our first child there. We remember the beaches with black sand, the hydrangeas, the natives who were so industrious and clever at gardening, cooking and making wine, the bull fights on the beach, and eating some barracuda for the first and last time. The people are lovely and the scenery is spectacular. Please don't be an ugly American if you go. Relax, enjoy.

What does it say about the world we live in that "quick, go before other visitors ruin it" is essentially the message of every travel article.

The Azores are spectacular! Took my first trip in July to Sao Miguel, Terciera and Pico. Yes, if you go back definitely explore the smaller islands. There were a bit too many fellow travelers on Sao Miguel, but it was still great.

One hundred and fifty three years ago, my great great grandfather and grandmother immigrated to the US from the Azores and it has been on my list of places to go for years. I want to see where my ancestors came from, the place that shaped their lives, and to hopefully find answers to some questions I have that only local records can answer. Because the Azores were off most people's radar and the difficulty in reaching the islands, I thought I had time to make this trip, but with this article I am feeling an urgency to go before it is impacted by over tourism, like so many places on our planet have been.

It's sad to hear that the Azores is in danger of being overrun by tourists. I hope the islands can take full advantage of their popularity without becoming just another destination. The islands are beautiful and the people are wonderful. Boston has had direct flights there for years since many Azoreans ended up in here. Despite their ownership by Portugal, there are many historical connections to the US east coast. It is worth visiting, not ruining. That is always the conundrum.

It's been 8 years since I lived on Terceira for a few months. I was there for Praia Fest, nine days in early August, when every town sent their local bands and dancers to the parades, and the music went until 4 a.m. We'd carry lawn chairs and set up along the streets for parades that lasted hours. Yes, the air is so silky and the rainbows so lush. Thanks for the reminder that i need to get back.

Beautifully written, gorgeous photos: my favorite reading these days is this series. While my extensive travel of my pre-mama existence are a distant memory, I am continually transported with you Sebastian as you voyage across the globe. Well done, and thank you!

I had the opportunity to spend a month studying in Sao Miguel one summer when I was in school. It was as wonderful as this article says, like a fairyland. When my kids are old enough I’m bringing them back to show them the land of their ancestors and use my very bad Portuguese.

I've been to the Azores numerous times over the years. What always strikes me is how genuinely interested the locals are in ensuring that visitors have a good experience. I truly hope that popularity doesn't ruin the beautiful archipelago.

I have Facebook friends in the Azores and have read quite a bit about it. If I had no family to miss I would try to live there. It is sooo beautiful and the weather sounds perfect for me.

The photography is exceptional. What a beautiful country. Well done.

The Azores is without doubt one of the most memorable trips I've ever taken. And there are some beaches where you can experience volcanically heated ocean waters. More fun than the mineral lakes that will make your body as well as your swimsuit the same brown color.

What a beautifully-written piece about one of the most magical places we've been to! Back in 2016, we stopped off in Sao Miguel on our way home from visiting friends and family in Europe. While planning the trip, I laced together short flights to Copenhagen, London and Brittany, then sought a good way home to Chicago. There was a $25 EasyJet flight from Nantes to Lisbon, then I saw a great one-way to Boston... but it stopped somewhere. Where could a plane stop between Lisbon and Boston? The answer was Ponta Delgada so we decided to extend our trip by four nights and explore Sao Miguel. We stayed in an AiBnB on a pineapple plantation near Vila Franca do Campo and happened to be there on their saint's day. Aside from the parade and delicious fish stew in a harbor restaurant, I managed to take a wrong turn on our way out of town and we got lost in the dark in the wilds of the Azorean countryside on a dirt road too narrow to turn around, with farm dogs barking in the night. It was a story that both our kids used for their "summer adventure" essays. Other highlights were hiking around Siete Cidades, everything about Furnas (including the food cooked in the volcanic hot springs), the tea plantation, and a great whale-watching trip where we saw several types of baleens and dolphins. The island looked like a semi-tropical Ireland, lush and green but with a uniquely Portuguese soul; compact but free from crowds (in late June). We can't wait to go back and see the other islands.

I was in the Azores over30 years ago and its untouched beauty was inspiring. I rarely return to places I have been when they are 'found', because they are often ruined. Instagram has ruined the beauty of remote places as people ignore rules for the perfect selfie, I hope that the Azores learns from Boracay and controls numbers and builds infrastructure for those pristine islands. I am on the Algarve Coast of Portugal, and watch as boatloads of tourists, line up to take speed boats into the caves, and turn the place into a big party. I hope the Azores is never found, but I have watched as one destination after another is ruined, overrun and polluted by massive tourism. If a Carnival Cruise type of organization were to go there, it would go the way of Venice, not even worth going to. There would soon be swimming pools with dolphins. I wish the NYT would focus on responsible tourism instead of Instagram tourism that has people tromping over fences, skipping barriers and ignoring rules in places like the Galapagos as one of their writers recommended last year. I'm glad the author mentioned Iceland, where the residents are so overwhelmed by tourism that they are stressed out. I hope the Azores stays the Azores, a point for sailors to restock during trans Atlantic crossings and doesn't go the way of the Gili Islands, where daily fast boats from Bali have ruined the reef, destroyed all the fish and filled the islands with garbage.