Ponta Delgada

One crater holds two lakes against each other, one reading green and the other blue. The ridge viewpoint is often inside cloud, so it pays to go up early.

Steam rises out of the ground across the valley and the mud pools boil audibly. Off the marked paths the crust is thin enough to give way underfoot.

Sperm whales stay off the island all year and the larger baleen whales pass through in spring. Spotters on land radio the position, so the boat heads straight there.

A crater lake in the island's interior with no building anywhere on its shore. The way down is half an hour of dirt track that turns to mud after rain.

A farm grows pineapples under glass over two years, using smoke to bring the plants into flower. The tour costs nothing and ends with a taste of the jam and the liqueur.

Three arches stand on the square by the harbour, once the entrance to the eighteenth century quay. The contrast of black basalt against white plaster is the basic rule of building here.

A hot spring in the forest where you sit in a pool under a warm fall. The iron content stains towels and swimwear red.

Where lava once ran into the sea, hot water rises and mixes with the waves. The temperature depends on the tide, so check the low water time before going.

One of the few tea farms left in Europe, still running machines from 1883. You walk through the works freely and watch the leaf being dried.

The road out to the eastern tip of the island, where every cliff viewpoint has a garden attached. Hydrangeas line the verges and flower between June and August.

A garden in Furnas first laid out by an American consul in the 18th century, thick with tree ferns and camellias. Its big thermal pond runs ochre with iron and stays warm enough to bathe in all year. The water stains swimsuits yellow, so wear a dark one.

A lava tube running beneath the city, formed when a flow crusted over and its molten core drained away. On guided visits you see drips of lava frozen into stalactites on the roof. The air inside stays chilly, so pack a jacket on summer days too.

A small crater islet off Vila Franca do Campo with a round seawater pool at its centre. Little boats run from the harbour in summer only, and daily visitor numbers are capped. Ocean water seeps in through one narrow gap, keeping the pool clear and still.

From Faial da Terra in the south-east, a forest trail climbs on foot to this waterfall. Water drops off a mossy cliff into a basin cool enough to soak tired feet. The loop back passes the stone houses of Sanguinho, a hamlet abandoned and then restored.

A market in the city centre with fruit, cheese and fish stalls around a covered courtyard. Island-grown pineapples, passion fruit and Sao Jorge cheese can all be picked up in one place. Locals do their shopping here, so prices undercut the souvenir shops.

The Christ of Miracles statue kept in the Esperanca convent draws the biggest pilgrimage in the Azores. On the fifth Sunday after Easter it is carried in procession over streets carpeted in flowers. Emigrants fly home for festival week, so rooms book up early.