São Miguel (Saint Michael) is a lush green hilly island and its called “Ilha Verde” (Green Island).  It is the largest (759 km2; 293 sq mi) and most populous island of the Azores. It has around 145,000 inhabitants, some 40,000 of which live in its largest town Ponta Delgada. Sao Miguel is a good starting point for island hopping, as it has ferry and flight connections to most other islands in the archipelago.

São Miguel is 90 km from east to west, and between 8 and 15 km wide. It is largely covered with fields and meadows in the lowlands, and laurisilva forests in the hills. Geysers and hot springs (caldeiras) are spread over the island. São Miguel has three stratovolcanoes and caldeiras: Sete Cidades, Fogo and Furnas. These beautiful volcanic masses are connected between the alignments of the cone-like mass that are made up ofpeaks.

Ponta Delgada, the capital of the Azores with more than fifty thousand inhabitants, is the economic and cultural center. It has a large marina, the university of the Azores and offers architectonial highlights. Of course hotels, bars and restaurants are present, but not as much as one might expect.  Also the regional government is seated in Ponta Delgada.

São Miguel diverse scenery has a lot to offer. The coast is varied with (black) sandy beaches and steeply rising cliffs. Small villages are spread through the island. The nature is beautiful, and does encourage for tours and for walks. In the summertime the landscape is full of flowers.