Portugal
Rising from the central group of the Azores like a narrow ridge of green thrust above the Atlantic, Sao Jorge is the most dramatically vertical of the nine Portuguese islands and the one that most rewards those who come to walk. The island stretches 56 kilometers from tip to tip but rarely exceeds eight kilometers in width, its central spine reaching 1,053 meters at Pico da Esperanca. What makes Sao Jorge unique are its fajas — flat coastal platforms created by ancient landslides or lava flows at the base of towering sea cliffs — accessible only by steep, switchbacking trails that descend from the clifftops through dense hydrangea hedgerows and native laurel forest.
The island's principal town, Velas, occupies one of the few natural harbors on Sao Jorge's rugged coast. A modest but handsome settlement of whitewashed houses and baroque churches, Velas retains the unhurried character of an island community that has lived from the sea and the land for five centuries. The town's weekly market brings together the island's producers — cheese makers, fishermen, farmers — in a gathering that functions as much as a social event as a commercial one. The view from the harbor across the channel to neighboring Pico Island, with its volcanic cone piercing the clouds at 2,351 meters, is one of the Azores' most iconic vistas.
Sao Jorge cheese — Queijo de Sao Jorge — is the island's most celebrated product and one of Portugal's great artisanal foods. This semi-hard, slightly spicy cow's milk cheese has been produced on the island's high pastures since the fifteenth century, when Flemish settlers brought their dairy traditions to the Azores. The best wheels are aged for seven months or more, developing a complex, tangy flavor with crystalline protein deposits that speak to genuine artisanal quality. Beyond cheese, the island's cuisine features fresh tuna (grilled, marinated in vinho de cheiro, or served as bifana steaks), caldeirada fish stew, and the uniquely Azorean alcatra — beef slow-braised in wine and spices in a clay pot.
The fajas of Sao Jorge are the island's greatest natural attraction. Faja da Caldeira de Santo Cristo, accessible via a challenging but beautiful trail from the central plateau, is one of the most remarkable places in the Azores — a remote coastal platform with a natural saltwater lagoon famous for its clams, surrounded by lush vegetation and backed by cliffs rising nearly a thousand meters. Faja dos Vimes, home to one of the only coffee plantations in Europe, offers the surreal experience of drinking locally grown espresso while gazing at the Atlantic from a terraced garden perched beneath vertical sea cliffs. The network of trails connecting the fajas constitutes some of the finest hiking in the North Atlantic.
Sao Jorge has a small port at Velas where inter-island ferries dock, and smaller cruise vessels can berth or anchor. Larger ships anchor offshore and tender to the harbor. The island has an airport near the town of Calheta, with connections to other Azorean islands. The most rewarding visiting season is May through October, when the hydrangeas bloom in spectacular profusion (peaking in July and August), trails are at their most accessible, and the weather is warmest — though the Azores' maritime climate means that cloud, mist, and occasional rain are possible at any time.