Velas: the cone-shaped volcanoes of São Jorge

The fajãs of São Jorge, coastal plains formed by lava flows or landslides, host small isolated fishing villages at the base of steep cliffs.

Just minutes away, Pico da Esperança, the island's highest point, offers a panoramic viewpoint over the entire central Azores archipelago on clear days.

Along the coast, you visit the pastures where the celebrated São Jorge cheese is produced, among Portugal's most renowned.

By evening, the port of Velas comes alive with fresh fish restaurants with views of the nearby islands of Pico and Faial.

The fajãs of São Jorge, often reachable only through steep trails cut into the rock, host isolated communities that for centuries lived in near self-sufficiency from the rest of the island, cultivating vines and raising livestock in complete isolation.

São Jorge cheese, produced according to a recipe handed down by Flemish colonists of the fifteenth century, remains protected by a Portuguese controlled origin designation and exported throughout Europe.