In the Atlantic Ocean there is a group of islands known as the Azores. They belong to Portugal and are about 1400 kilometers from Lisbon. It is there where the destination that you see in the photograph is located, so unique and so beautiful.
This is the Islet of Vila Franca to which local people simply say Ilheu. Do you want to go meet him? Well, then, write down this information since the Azores are not far away and this natural wonder is at your fingertips if you are in Europe.
The Azores
They form a autonomous region and its capital is divided between the cities of Angra do Heroismo, Horta and Ponta Slim. The Portuguese have been visiting them since the 1976th century and later other Europeans would arrive and even the Spanish with their troops. They have been affected by the general history of Spain and Portugal and since XNUMX it has autonomy.
The archipelago is made up of nine islands of different sizes and all are from volcanic origin so craters abound. In fact, the highest mountain in Portugal is here and is more than 2300 meters. And in this case it is an active volcano whose last eruption dates back to 1957.
The Azores have mild summers, which rarely reach 30º C, so they are very much enjoyed. Since the turn of the century, hotel rooms have grown and there has been an increase in tourism as well.
Sao Miguel and its islet
Sao Miguel is the largest island of the Azores: it is 65 km from east to west and between eight and 16 wide. It is known as the Green Island, abounds in hills, forests and stratovolcanoes. One of them, that of Sete Cidades, has a huge caldera five kilometers in diameter and 350 meters deep with two beautiful lagoons, one in shades of green and the other in shades of blue.
It is about 500 meters from Sao Miguel that is this fantastic islet that looks like something out of a Jules Verne novel. The Islet of Vila Franca is a small islet of 95 hectares of which 62% is above sea level. In summer it is one of the destinations that tourists choose to visit by taking a day trip.
The islet It is the product of the collapse of a volcano crater old. Portugal has listed it as Natural reserve since the crater walls have endemic vegetation and the lagoon that it has in the middle, almost almost a perfect circle, maintains a connection with the sea through a narrow passage called Boquete. This passage is to the north of the islet and preserves the lagoon from all the agitation in the ocean.
This beautiful and protected lagoon makes it a great destination for swimming and snorkeling and scuba diving. And also to do jump off cliffs, something popular since the Red Bull championship was held here some time ago.
Visit the islet of Vila Franca
Sao Miguel and the islet begin to be united by a ferry service in June and until September, the end of the summer (leaves one per hour at an approximate price of 5 euros round trip). They depart from Vila Franca between 10 am and 6 pm and return between 10: 210 am and 6:10 pm and you can buy tickets at the port or online and unless you go at the peak of the time. summer it will not be necessary that the purchase be in advance.
Of course, it should be borne in mind that only 400 tickets are sold per day. The website of the local naval club where the purchase is made is cnvfc.net. If you want an adventure of several hours you can hire a more complete tour in the port.
It seems that there is only one company but it is not. The main company takes you by boat to the interior of the islet but you can hire another that does not take you that far, something that many people later appreciate because it is quieter. You can even see the islet from outside and the captain of the boat, for six or seven people, is a nice guy who explains everything to you in detail.
From what the passengers of this other boat say, you see the waterfalls of the islet, it tells you where the bubbles are produced under the water and you can bathe in a sea without people. If you don't like things that are so touristy or at least you don't want to run into crowds, maybe this option, the one that offers AzorSea Adventures, be yours. On the other hand, if you like scuba diving you can always sign up for a tour in Azoires Sub or Espirito Azul and they take care of the transfer.
You can also go out in a fishing tour hiring the Azores Fishing. The tour lasts two and a half hours and is hired at the Vila Franca do Campo marina. Depending on the time of year, you can even see dolphins and whales. If this is your first time, calculate a price of 35 euros per person for nine hours with a plus service that costs 50 euros.
A trip by the sea costs 80 euros, the same time and the same for the walk to observe sea birds. Then you have four-hour fishing trips, a coastal walk or fishing for certain species for between 250 and 550 euros.
But knowing this islet is not just about a lagoon and a sandy beach. The town from which the boats depart is small but it has its square, its monuments and its church. He always forgets about it for everything else, but you really shouldn't forget about him.
While the best time of year to go is summer It must be said that being the lagoon and its beach such a small place in summer it trades high and there are too many people. You see it from the island of Sao Miguel, here are several viewpoints that show you beautiful postcards of the islet, which later flood the Internet, and it looks like a pearl in the ocean but if you go in high season it is a nut with a million people equipped in the rocks, between seagull poop.