Arriving on a tropical, green island in front of the northwest coast of Africa; welcome to paradise!
Madeira is part of Portugal but is an autonomous region that contains 4 islands. The main island, Madeira is volcanic and tropical green with lots of beautiful flowers. From the high green mountains to the steep cliffs next to the ocean, it is an island with impressive nature. The climate is ideal; in winter the temperature is 18 degrees on average and 24 degrees in summer. Madeira is also called the island of eternal spring.
Madeira’s history began around 5 million years ago when volcanic explosions took place in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean. Madeira was discovered by the Portuguese in 1419 and was uninhabited until then. Because the island was so rich in timber the Portuguese called it Madeira, which means wood in Portuguese.
I was drawn to Madeira years ago. I saw images of the stunning nature and decided that one day I would love to visit Madeira. We had plans for December and January but due to the pandemic, our plans got changed last minute. We decided that it was a great opportunity to visit Madeira instead.
We stayed in Madeira for over two weeks and hereby I will share with you all the highlights of our trip that are in our opinion worthwhile to visit:
Ponta de Sao Lourenco
The view on this long thin peninsula from the plane was simply mesmerizing! So we definitely wanted to see it while we were in Madeira.
This peninsula is 6 km long and is located on the easternmost point of the island. The plan was to explore first but we ended up doing the whole hike (it was so beautiful, so we kept walking). The hike along the coastline gives you amazing views with the dramatic mountain peaks and sea views. The hike is just 3k (one way) but has a lot of height differences and is a moderate hike.
Consider that the weather is more extreme here. Bring lots of water and something to protect you against sunburn and of course hiking shoes. Also handy after the hike you can get fresh orange juice at one of the food stands at the parking lot 😊
Madeira Botanical Garden
After a steep drive towards Monte, we took the cable car to the Botanical Garden. The view from the cable car was great, Madeira is so green even during the shoulder season.
When we arrived at the Botanical Garden we first had a cappuccino with pastel de nata (Portuguese custard tart, yummy) and then we were ready to explore!
We wandered around through the Garden. The Botanical Garden is open since 1960 for the public. The Garden dates back to 1881. It was created by the Reid family as their private park.
There are over 2000 exotic plans to see, and the setup of the garden is beautiful and organic. The sound of birds and being surrounded by all kinds of tropical plans is just simply wonderful. I liked the garden with square shapes surrounded by tropical plants and an amazing view of Funchal in the back!
Monte Palace
On top of a mountain in Monte, with a beautiful view that is where you can find Monte Palace. We planned to go here in the afternoon but after seeing the crowd we changed our minds. We came back another day and wandered through the different gardens.
Monte Palace was a luxury hotel in the 18th century with many famous quests. The Berardo Foundation changed this beautiful location in 1991 into a tropical garden (70.000 square meters) and museum. You also can find the beautiful tiles through the park, from different ages, this is one of the most important tile collections in Portugal.
The beautiful central lake has a pond and lots of greenery surrounding it. Such a magical spot to walk around and take everything in.
We both loved the oriental gardens with many levels and temples. Also, go to the pond in the oriental garden to see the beautiful Koi fish.
Dolphin/Whale spotting Dolphins and whales are swimming around Madeira Island all year round. There are many different tours from Funchal harbor. Keep in mind that because of the protection of whales and dolphins, you only can be in the water with dolphins for 10/15 min next to the boat. We didn’t know that when we joined the tour, so please do some research before booking one.
We didn’t get lucky during the tour with seeing dolphins, but we saw a pod of pilot whales. It was really special to be so close to these magical sea creatures.
Porto Moniz
We have great memories of Porto Moniz! We arrived here on the day of New Year’s Eve. From our balcony, we looked out over the sea and the natural swimming pools. We woke up with the sounds of waves, and of course, we had to take a new year’s dive to start the year!
It was an incredibly quiet morning, while everyone was still sleeping.
I got ready to dive into the water. At first, it felt cold but after ten minutes I was used to the temperature. Swimming between these strange rock formations shaped by the lava and the sea, it felt like something from a fairytale.
While swimming in the pool the sun came through, I smiled, and it felt like the best start of the new year! We had the pool for ourselves for over an hour and then it was time for breakfast and coffee after 😊
There are two natural pools in Porto Moniz, one is paid and the other one free. The paid one has a lifeguard, changing rooms and the paths look more child friendly in our opinion. The free one looks more authentic to us so that is where we decided to go. Besides the swimming pools, we also visit the historical fort next to the natural swimming pool during sunset and tried the local dish black scabbard fish with banana. This combination sounds maybe strange but is delicious!
Ps. sunset is also a great time to visit!
Miradouro do Veu da Noiva
This stunning waterfall is located next to the road linking São Vicente to Seixal, in Porto Moniz. Miradouro do Veu da Noiva means veil of the bride waterfall. The waterfall is called the Bridal veil because it is reminiscent of the veil of the bride because of the shape and the height that the water comes down.
The viewpoint is less than a minute's walk from the parking lot. When you slowly walk over to the viewpoint you wonder if this is even real?! Seeing the waterfall that ends in the Atlantic Sea and with the high cliffs in the back.
The tropical flowers in the photo above and banana trees in the picture you see almost everywhere on the island :)
Miradouro do Guindaste
This viewpoint offers a magical view of the rugged cliffs of Madeira Island. This viewpoint is located on the North-Eastern side of the island near Santana.
We parked the car and walked to the viewpoint. With the sound of waves and the hauling wind, the weather was a bit stormy. In front of us, we saw a small cliff that sticks out above the sea. While I carefully walked towards the middle of the cliff my dress and hair floated and I could hear the waves crash against the cliffs. We both took pictures and enjoyed the view. This view was unforgettable!
Fanal forest
Fanal forest is located in the Northern part of the island and is a magical place. This primeval forest is one of the last laurel forests in the world and therefore on the UNESCO heritage list.
While we drove to the forest the first time, there was no fog at all, which is an unusual situation. We saw a beautiful sunset between the laurel trees and friendly cows. The trees have unusual shapes and are partly covered in moss.
Fanal Forest is mainly known to be always covered in fog, so we decided to go another day and see it as well with fog. We got lucky; after some heavy rain we walked from the parking lot, and it was so foggy that it was hard to see where we were going.
It felt we were alone in the mystical forest. I felt spooky and fairytale-like at the same time. We wandered around and took several pictures. This is definitely a spot worth exploring!
Santana traditional houses
If you get a postcard of Madeira, it probably has a traditional colorful house on it. Even though the Madeirans don’t live in the traditional small triangular colorful houses anymore, it is still nice to visit the small village of restored traditional houses in Santana. The houses were made of wood with a reed roof. The houses had one or two rooms and were usually home to one family. The houses are located in the center of Santana.
Achadas da Cruz
Close to Porto Moniz, you can find a hidden gem! For 5 euro’s per person, you can take the cable car to Achadas da Cruz. Achadas da Cruz is hidden between the high cliffs on one side and the ocean on the other side.
Before this land belonged to farmers. Due to a landslide, a part of the land fell down and ended up here, way lower than the rest of the coastline which created this unique place in Madeira. Because of its unique history and location, this is a UNESCO heritage site.
You can walk or take the cable car to get down. The cable car goes on a very steep route along the cliffs covered in green to its destination below.
When we arrived at Achadas da Cruz we saw a place that was beautiful and raw at the same time. Tallgrass growing everywhere and has high waves on the others side. We enjoyed coffee and Poncha (the local drink with honey, alcohol, and orange or lemon juice) from the lady that is the only one living in this place.
We walked along the coastline exploring between the abandoned houses, while the sun turned everything into golden tones. After the last house, we stopped for the beautiful view of the cliffs and the sea.
Curral das Freiras (Nuns Valley)
In the middle of the island 633 meters high, you can find the isolated Nuns Valley. In 1566 the nuns from the Santa Clara convent fled to this remote area from pirates attacking Funchal.
To see this beautiful valley hidden between high mountains you can visit two viewpoints; Eira do Serrado and Paredão.
We would recommend the Paredão viewpoint. This viewpoint is higher (Eira do Serrado viewpoint is 1095 meters) and to get there you must take a steep road (big tourist busses do not come here). The drive is beautiful and the view amazing!
I hope you enjoyed reading this post about Madeira! Follow @exploreandsmile on Instagram for daily content :)
With a smile :)
Nicole
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