Travel Guide to Flores Island in the Azores
General Information:
Flores Island is the crown jewel of the Azores: the greenest island, boasting the most waterfalls, lakes, and flowers. Countless viewpoints, each more spectacular and dramatic than the last. A paradise for nature lovers!
Waterfalls in western Flores Island: Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro
Flores is the westernmost island of the Azores archipelago. It is also the westernmost point of the European continent. Flores is located about 20 km from its closest neighbor, Corvo Island, which is also the smallest island in the Azores. Together, they form the "Western Group" of the Azores archipelago, relatively distant from the other islands. This is why they remain the most pristine and least populated.
Flores is a small island covering an area of 143 square kilometers with fewer than 4,000 residents. Its highest peak reaches an altitude of 911 meters.
Flores Island stands out for its beauty thanks to its volcanoes, with stunning crater lakes bordered by steep cliffs.
Volcanic Crater Lakes Lagoa Comprida and Lagoa Negra:
Due to the high mountains, it receives plenty of rainfall, feeding an abundance of tall waterfalls cascading down green cliffs. The island features dramatic sea cliffs dropping steeply into a wild ocean with islets and towering sea stacks.
Flores is lush with vegetation and renowned for its gorgeous flowers, particularly Hydrangeas (also known as Hortênsias), whose blooms resemble large, rich floral balls. The flower color depends on the soil acidity and iron content, ranging across white, blue, red, pink, and purple. Hydrangeas bloom from late spring through early autumn. Additionally, Flores is home to many other flowers—some endemic to the Azores and others from various regions across the globe. Thanks to this magnificent blooming flora, the island earned its name, "Flores" (Flowers).
In 2009, Flores was designated by UNESCO (along with Corvo and Graciosa) as a World Biosphere Reserve (World Network of Biosphere Reserves).
The weather on the island is highly unpredictable and can change from day to day or even within the same day. Often, low clouds and fog shroud the island, but within a few hours, the sky clears up to reveal the landscape in all its glory. Flores is also famed for its vibrant rainbows. Abundant precipitation is what keeps the island so full of water and lush green nature.
The Portuguese discovered the island as early as 1452, but the first settlement attempts began around 1480. In the mid-18th century, the whaling industry started on the island and flourished until the late 19th century.
Book Guided Tours on Flores Island via Viator:
Recommended Accommodations on Flores Island:
Aldeia da Cuada – Highly Recommended!
This is a village of ancient basalt stone cottages abandoned decades ago by its residents. An ambitious entrepreneur purchased the entire village—around twenty cottages—and restored them while carefully preserving their historic exterior facades, turning them into vacation rental homes for travelers. The houses are fully furnished with complete kitchens, dining areas, and bedrooms. Accommodations are available for couples, families, and larger groups, with options for breakfast and dinner. Free parking and free Wi-Fi in the lobby are provided. It is a quiet and pastoral haven in the heart of a valley framed by waterfall-strewn mountains on one side and ocean-cliff vistas on the other. Located in the west of the island, about a 20-minute drive from the airport.
Holiday homes in the restored village of Aldeia da Cuada:
Interior of a holiday home in the restored village:
Vacation apartments featuring 1, 2, or 3 bedrooms. Each unit offers a living room, fully equipped kitchen, and balcony. Located in the town of Fajã Grande on the western coast, roughly half a kilometer from the center where you will find restaurants, beaches, and a supermarket. Free parking is available, along with free Wi-Fi in public areas.
Sítio da Assumada - Eco Turismo
Holiday apartments with one or two bedrooms accommodating 2–3 guests each. Each apartment includes an equipped kitchen and a private terrace. Located in the town of Lajes das Flores on the western side of the island, a short 3-minute drive from the beach. Offers free Wi-Fi and complimentary parking.
Arrival, Transportation, and Getting Around:
Flores Island has a small regional airport (Airport Code: FLW) located in its largest town: Santa Cruz das Flores.
Direct flights operate only to and from some of the other Azorean islands. There are no direct flights from Lisbon or Porto, and naturally none from other European countries. The sole airline flying into Flores is the local carrier Azores Airlines.
Direct flights to and from Flores connect with:
São Miguel Island (Ponta Delgada, Airport Code: PDL), flight time approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Faial Island (Horta, Airport Code: HOR), flight time approximately 45 minutes.
The tiny neighboring island of Corvo (Airport Code: CVU), flight duration around 15 minutes. Regular ferry service also runs between Corvo and Flores, taking about 40 minutes per crossing. Keep in mind that ferry trips are frequently canceled during stormy weather or rough sea conditions.
Take advantage of inter-island flights by booking a window seat to enjoy fantastic aerial views over the archipelago.
Keep in mind that flights between Flores and these islands do not operate every single day, especially outside the peak season (in summer, flights are daily and sometimes even twice a day).
Renting a car on Flores is highly recommended, as it gives you the freedom to explore wherever and whenever you wish. Because the rental fleet is quite limited, it is wise to book your car well in advance for summer travel. The island's roads are good and well-maintained. Driving is easy and relaxed, with no highways and no traffic jams (unless local cows decide to cross your path).
A few taxis and guided tours are also available on the island.
Destinations and Attractions in Flores
Flores is a tiny island, so in a single day you can take in the highlights and drive across it from end to end combined with short walks and multiple scenic lookouts. However, because weather conditions shift rapidly and there are numerous hiking trails across all difficulty levels, staying at least two full days is recommended to fully enjoy the island and its magnificent nature. If you plan a day excursion to neighboring Corvo, plan for three days.
The most impressive cliffs, waterfalls, and valleys are concentrated mainly on the western side of the island. A good starting point for exploring is the largest town in the west: Fajã Grande, set right on the ocean and enveloped by towering cliffs.
The beach at Fajã Grande:
Along the town's coast, natural rock pools sit within the volcanic lava fields meeting the ocean. At the northern end of the beach is a recommended restaurant called Papadiamandis, the largest in the area. The view from the restaurant is extraordinary: ocean cliffs cascade with tall waterfalls on one side, alongside black-sand beaches on the other.
Near the restaurant, a short and scenic walking trail leads to the towering waterfall Poço do Bacalhau.
Poço do Bacalhau Waterfall:
From Fajã Grande, take a short drive up to perhaps the most breathtaking viewpoint of all: Fajãzinha. From here, you can gaze upon the mountain amphitheater and its ribboning waterfalls, the village nestled at the foot of the cliff (also called Fajãzinha), and the jagged coastline stretching toward the horizon. Offshore rock formations dot the sea, and with a bit of luck, vibrant rainbows arch across the valley.
View overlooking Fajãzinha village:
From there, a few minutes' drive brings you to the village of Mosteiro. It is a tiny village whose residents have mostly departed, relying primarily on cattle grazing in rich green meadows. The village features a charming chapel flanked by a small cemetery containing the grave of a famous pirate who was among the village's original founders.
Another short drive leads to the Rocha dos Bordões viewpoint, showcasing a remarkable geological formation where massive cliffside rock faces display giant vertical basalt columns standing side by side like organ pipes.
Basalt column rock formation named Rocha dos Bordões:
Continuing onward brings you to the harbor town of Lajes das Flores, the island's second-largest municipality, featuring a small active port.
Santa Cruz, where the airport is situated, also deserves a few hours of exploration. The most picturesque vantage point over the town sits atop a hill behind the runway: Miradouro do Monte das Cruzes.
Santa Cruz and its airport:
In the heart of town, you will find a parish church, a local gallery cinema, and volcanic rock tide pools that are great for swimming when the sea is calm. Because the port is relatively small and exposed, cranes hoist fishing vessels straight onto the quayside whenever high swells threaten to damage them against the pier.
Adjacent to the harbor, make sure to tour the Whaling Factory Museum: Museu da Fábrica da Baleia do Boqueirão, situated next to the original ramp where whaling boats once launched.
Whaling Factory: Museu da Fábrica da Baleia do Boqueirão:
The museum is housed inside the former processing plant where oil and other goods were extracted from captured whales. It chronicles this grim industry, offering a striking contrast to the gentle harmony with nature that defines life here today—cows grazing peacefully in pastures hand-milked with portable equipment, and free-range roosters and hens strolling down village roads.
Santa Cruz hosts the island's largest and most affordable supermarket (near the airport), making it ideal to stock up on groceries right after your flight touches down. The town also has several eateries, including a budget Chinese restaurant adjacent to a large souvenir shop just across from the airport terminal entrance.
From Santa Cruz, it is well worth heading north to the island's northernmost outpost, Ponta Delgada (sharing its name with the capital city on São Miguel). The route winds through dramatic landscapes. Recommended lookouts along the way include:
Viewpoint Miradouro dos Caimbros:
Viewpoint Miradouro dos Cedros:
Miradouro Pico da Casinha – located along the ER2-2 road, roughly 2 km as the crow flies west of Santa Cruz.
Miradouro Arcos Ribeira da Cruz – also situated along the ER2-2 road, around 600 meters west of the previous viewpoint.
Ponta Delgada is a quiet seaside village where the island's perimeter route concludes. It is a pleasant spot to savor an authentic and affordable Azorean meal at Restaurante O Pescador before making your way back along the scenic road. Even though you are retracing your steps, the scenery remains awe-inspiring. On clear days, several viewpoints provide views across the water to Corvo. If sea conditions permit, dedicating a day to cruise over and tour Corvo is well worth the journey.
Touring the Crater Lakes
In the island's highlands lie several magnificent crater lakes. Because these lakes sit deep inside volcanic calderas, their rims drop steeply down into the water, lending an exceptionally dramatic appearance to the surrounding landscape.
Due to elevations reaching hundreds of meters, cloud cover and heavy mountain mist can settle in quickly. If you have a rental vehicle and notice clear skies, make the lakes your first priority rather than postponing, since highland weather can turn rapidly.
There are seven crater lakes in the center of the island. Four of them are located in close proximity and can be reached directly with an ordinary passenger vehicle. Off the ER2-2 road, a turnoff leads to the Black Lake (Lagoa Negra), named for the dark, brooding volcanic crater wall surrounding it.
The Black Lake Lagoa Negra:
Directly alongside it lies the elongated Long Lake (Lagoa Comprida):
A few hundred meters further along the same ER2-2 road, another turnoff leads to two neighboring lakes: the Dry Lake (Lagoa Seca), which is not always dry depending on seasonal rain,
The Dry Lake Lagoa Seca:
and beside it, the White Lake (Lagoa Branca), named after the lighter-colored rocks ringing its shoreline.
The White Lake Lagoa Branca:
About three kilometers south of this group lie two additional lakes: the Deep Lake (Lagoa Funda)
Lake Lagoa Funda
and two hundred meters from it,
The Shallow Lake Lagoa Rasa:
Roughly three kilometers northeast of them lies another, smaller crater lake called Lagoa da Lomba.
Lake Lagoa da Lomba:
The lake district is crisscrossed with scenic footpaths, offering wonderful hiking through unique natural scenery. Those interested can pick up the local hiking guidebook written by local guide Luís, available for purchase at his shop in Santa Cruz Airport.