We hope you had a lovely Christmas and New Year and that 2008 is a happy and healthy one for you. As well as an excellent special offer on the island of Faial, we wanted to let you know that we are coming South to London for Destinations and would love to meet either prospective or current clients alike if you can make it. Ian and Sarah also visited the Azorean Bullfinch project last year and there’s a few photos and a short report about their trip….

7 Night Faial Retreat

Stay a week in a choice of two lovely 2 and 3 bedroom houses in or near the pretty spa village of Varadouro on the South coast of Faial. Car hire is included at a special price so you will be able to explore the island with its 1000ft deep crater, its lunar moonscape left by the 1957 eruption and the cosmopolitan marina and bars of Horta just 20 minutes drive away. There are also 4 ferries a day over to the island of Pico with its vineyards, whaling museums and of course the impressive volcanic cone of Mt Pico (2351m).

£599 per person (2 sharing)
£490 per person (4 sharing)

Includes : 7 nights accommodation at either House of Varadouro or House of Aunt Garcia on self catering basis (2 or 4 sharing), 7 days Model A (2 share) / Model C (4 share) car hire, return scheduled flights to Faial from London including all taxes (depart Wednesday or Saturday).

Valid from 1st January 08 to 31st May 08.

Archipelago Azores contributes annually to the conservation of the Azorean Bullfinch known locally as the Priolo. There are thought to be just 100 breeding pairs found in a small area in the forests in the north east of São Miguel. Last October, Ian and Sarah were invited by SPEA (The Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds), who coordinate the conservation project, to spend a day visiting the various sites and seeing the impressive work they are undertaking.

“We had a fantastic day exploring the remote and mountainous forests above Nordeste by 4WD with Jose, the project leader. Our 2 young children loved the bumps! We saw three sites; the first at a lower altitude where 4 hectares of invasive forest have been cleared and replaced with fruit orchards providing food for the Priolo during the winter. 2 years after planting, Priolos were sighted visiting the orchards which is great news. The second site involves the clearing of the exotic Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria Japonica) which covers nearly 3000 hectares of what would be prime Priolo habitat. These trees will eventually be replaced by native trees and hopefully the Priolos will return. We were particularly impressed by the nerve of the foresters working on near vertical slopes! The final site we visited was the construction of a Priolo Education Centre in Pedreira which will be used by local school children, the local population and tourists alike. It was still in its early stages but the plans are impressive and it will be open in 2008.” Sarah & Ian