The first chapter of the Azores’ Portuguese history unfolded here, on Santa Maria, the first island to be discovered in 1427 and subsequently colonized. In 1493, while returning from the New World, Christopher Columbus paused there after weathering a fierce storm, and held a Mass in the chapel of Baía dos Anjos.
This 97-square-kilometer land (home to around 5,000 inhabitants) is also the sunniest in the archipelago, and the only one to boast sandy blond beaches – not black – such as the famed Praia Formosa.
Things to See and Do on Santa Maria Island in the Azores
- Visit the oldest village: The immaculate churches, the Manueline-style noble houses, the ramparts of Fort São Brás, built to ward off pirate attacks… Vila do Porto, the first town founded by the Portuguese around 1450 on a coastal promontory in the southwest of Santa Maria, is a hub of colonial charm.
- Discover a red desert: What a surprise this arid, clay-rich land, blood-red in color, stretching over 835 hectares in the island’s north, right in the midst of a forest of vibrant green. This geological gem, known as Barreiro da Faneca and designated a protected landscape, was formed by the oxidation of a layer of volcanic ash some three million years ago. Unique.
With whom to travel?
The travel agency Les Maisons du Voyage, which helped us assemble this dossier, puts its intimate knowledge of the Azores at your service, to follow in the footsteps of our reporters over 12 days (from €2,650, including flights, accommodations, and a car).
From São Miguel to Pico, via São Jorge and Faial, the islands succeed one another without ever resembling each other: calderas overgrown with vegetation, cliffs battered by the Atlantic, fishing villages with intact Portuguese influences… This archipelago remains a destination apart, wild, warm, and deeply alive.
maisonsduvoyage.com and 0156813830
➤ Article published in GEO magazine n°572, “The Azores, nine islands, nine worlds to explore”, October 2026.
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