On this island, 55 kilometers long and barely seven wide, slender as a blade with its striking cliffs, 10,000 people have settled on geological formations typical of the Azores: the fajãs, coastal plateaus created by ancient landslides or lava flows.
There, on these astonishing little strips of land by the sea, accessible on foot along vertiginous paths, residents cultivate a few plots of corn, yams or cabbage, but also vines, and even… coffee!
What to see and do on São Jorge Island in the Azores
- Follow the ridge line: Unparalleled panoramas over the sheer cliffs and, on clear days, over the four neighboring islands… The PR 2 SJO trail, which threads the spine of São Jorge for 16 kilometers from west to east, passing by Pico da Esperança, the island’s highest point (1,053 meters), is pure delight. Plan six hours for the full crossing.
- Taste the island’s traditional cheese: Its melt-in-the-mouth texture and its robust, slightly spicy flavor are universally praised. Inherited from Flemish settlers who landed on this island in the 15th century, the queijo of São Jorge is a raw cow’s milk cheese aged up to 24 months in a cave and recognized by an AOP. Discovery (and shopping) at the Uniqueijo cooperative.
With whom to travel?
The travel agency Les Maisons du Voyage, which helped us put together this dossier, offers its intimate knowledge of the Azores at your service, to trace our reporters’ footsteps on a 12-day journey (from 2,650 euros, including flights, accommodations and a car).
From São Miguel to Pico, passing by São Jorge and Faial, the islands follow one another without ever resembling each other: calderas overgrown with vegetation, rugged coasts battered by the Atlantic, fishing villages with intact Portuguese influences… This archipelago remains a destination apart, wild, warm and deeply lively.
maisonsduvoyage.com and 0156813830
➤ Article published in GEO magazine no. 572, “The Azores, nine islands, nine worlds to explore”, October 2026.
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