WildWings Media Resources -December 05

THE AZORES - ONE OF EUROPE'S BEST-KEPT SECRETS

AND A WHALE WATCHERS PARADISE

Just 900 miles off the coast of Portugal sits the peaceful, tranquil archipelago of the Azores, once thought to be part of the lost continent of Atlantis and still one of Europe's best-kept secrets. It is a paradise for whales and dolphins attracted to the islands’ abundance of food making it a ‘first-rate’ destination for whale watchers and island enthusiasts alike.

Sperm whales, short-finned pilot whales, bottlenose, common and Atlantic spotted dolphins are seen regularly and up to 20 species of cetacean (nearly 25% of the world’s known species) have been recorded around the islands in recent years.

WildWings are offering a mid-August departure of a nine-day whale and dolphin watching trip to the islands of the Azores accompanied by husband and wife team, Chris Beer and Lisa Steiner, who have been involved in Azorean cetacean research since 1988. Whale watchers who sail with this experienced and knowledgeable couple can reasonably expect to spot an incredible six to eight species in just a few days at sea. Not only that, if they wish, guests can participate in the couple’s research project and will be encouraged to jump into the water to collect naturally shed sperm whale samples for DNA analysis! Or, alternatively, there are onboard projects such as being on watch for whale spotting, completing the environmental and ship’s logs and assisting with turtle tagging.

Five full days will be spent whale watching around the islands aboard the powerful 12-metre catamaran, ‘Physeter’ (Latin for sperm whale). And, there’s the added bonus of being able to listen to the deep diving sperm whales through the boat's hydrophone system, which is also used to spot and track the whales in conjunction with the traditional shore-based lookouts. Loggerhead turtles, sharks and large sport fish, such as Marlin, are also often seen from the boat.

A day exploring the island of Faial is included in the tour with a chance to try the delicious local cheeses and wines, to visit the site of the 1957 volcanic eruption at Capelinhos, to get close-up to the volcanic cone that dominates the landscape and to see significant examples of the island’s original vegetation.

WildWings’ base for the nine-day whale watching tour is a magnificent converted manor house set in sub-tropical gardens, just a few miles from Horta on the island of Faial.

The tour dates conveniently coincide with the festival of Semana do Mar or ‘Sea Week’, not just a major highlight of the Azorean calendar, but an event that has become internationally famous. The festival begins on the first Sunday in August and, as the name implies, includes many different ‘sea’ related activities as well as other fascinating local music and cultural events.

Group Size: There will be a maximum of 12 participants.

Departure: 5-13 August 2006.

Price: £1629pp sharing a twin room. Price includes flights UK/Lisbon including airport taxes, accommodation in Lisbon on bed and breakfast basis, return airport transfers, accommodation in Azores on bed and breakfast basis, all packed lunches on sea days, all evening meals in local restaurants, airport and town transfers in the Azores, island taxi tour and whale watch trips.