Many of us might consider our holidays to be the perfect time to put away our computers and phones, and unplug completely from our routine lives. The advent of smartphones and ever increasing wifi coverage is threatening this gadget de-tox, with more and more people feeling the need to stay connected even during their time of relaxation.
And now the world of geocaching is giving gadget addicts yet another reason to fill their luggage with a full set of electronic toys along with all necessary chargers.
What is geocaching?
While the term itself may be new to many folks, the principle behind the activity is probably familiar. Those who have enjoyed treasure hunts, whether by car or on foot, will recognise the main aims: follow a series of clues to find a hidden object, leaving only a log of your discovery and ensuring that other people can follow later in your footsteps.
Geocaching provides a modern twist on the traditional treasure hunt, with participants using co-ordinates to track the location of the cache. Those who place the caches take great pride in finding the most ingenious (read infuriating) ways to hide the ‘treasure’. In fact, getting yourself to the spot where the cache is hidden is probably the easy part. The cache itself usually consists of little more than an old 35mm film canister, with a record log kept inside for each discovery to be noted as evidence of success.
Geocaching in the Azores
The Azores is becoming a popular destination for dedicated geocachers, with a number of enthusiasts living on the islands and quite a few caches lying around waiting to be discovered. There are both urban and rural boxes scattered around the Azores and by all accounts they are guaranteed to tax the grey cells of any visitor keen to be given the runaround while exploring the islands.
While there are die-hard geocaching enthusiasts who travel the world searching for caches and spend half their lives discussing them in online forums, the activity is open to anyone to try. For those who want to enjoy the great outdoors of the Azores while engaging in a bit of mental and physical exercise this is perhaps the perfect place to give geocaching a try. You’ll discover so many surprises around the islands while you’re searching for your caches. All you need to take part is a GPS unit or a GPS-enabled smartphone. Oh, and it’s probably best to bring a healthy dose of patience; you’ll almost certainly need it.
See our main site for more information about holidays in the Azores.
by Andy Jarosz
