#portugal | #madeira | #photography

March 25, 2018

Madeira II

Nine years ago we visited Madeira for the first time. Lately, we returned to the island for another hiking trip.

I was quite interested to see what changed in that time. Well, not too much: They built an awful lot of tunnels and streets in the Funchal area – so driving got a bit easier – and also the hotel suburbs of Funchal grew even bigger and even more repellent. Oh yes: and Funchal airport was named to Christiano Ronaldo Airport, who apparently was born on the island.

Something you need to know when you are visiting Madeira: Madeira is super beautiful and great for hiking. But that is mostly all you can do on the island. There are not too many cities to visit, not many great sights (archaeological sites, museums, …) and you do not have nice beaches for a really lazy day. However, when you want to be active and walk around you'll like the island.

Funchal

Funchal, the Madeira metropolis, has a nice little old town area with a few churches, other nice buildings, a market hall, some nice boulevards and restaurants/pubs. We mainly came to Funchal for visiting a Madeira wine lodge, which was quite interesting. To my surprise I learned that Madeira wine is indeed something different than Port wine. Like Port wine, Madeira wine is also a wine whose fermentation is stopped by adding alcohol (fortified wine). However, in contrast to Port, Madeira is stored below the roofs of the wine lodges which kind of “boils” the liquid and caramelizes the sugars in the wine.

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Museu de Arte Sacra (Funchal) • Igreja do Colégio (Funchal) • Kathedrale von Funchal • Bistum Funchal • Museu Photographia Vicentes

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Igreja do Colégio (Funchal) • Museu de Arte Sacra (Funchal) • Campo do Adelino Rodrigues • Funchal • Museu Photographia Vicentes

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Museu de Arte Sacra (Funchal) • Igreja do Colégio (Funchal) • Kathedrale von Funchal • Bistum Funchal • Sé (Funchal)

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Museu Photographia Vicentes • Kathedrale von Funchal • Bistum Funchal • Sé (Funchal) • Museu de Arte Sacra (Funchal)

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Museu Photographia Vicentes • Sé (Funchal) • Kathedrale von Funchal • Bistum Funchal • Museu de Arte Sacra (Funchal)

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Kathedrale von Funchal • Bistum Funchal • Sé (Funchal) • Museu de Arte Sacra (Funchal) • Santa Luzia (Funchal)

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Santa Luzia (Funchal) • Sé (Funchal) • Kathedrale von Funchal • Bistum Funchal • Museu de Arte Sacra (Funchal)

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Santa Luzia (Funchal) • Kathedrale von Funchal • Bistum Funchal • Sé (Funchal) • Museu de Arte Sacra (Funchal)

Northern Coast near Santana

The northern coast is pretty spectacular. More or less the entire coast line is made of steep cliffs that drop of several hundreds of meters into the sea. Really cool.

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Boaventura (São Vicente) • Arco de São Jorge • Ponta Delgada (São Vicente) • Ilha (Santana) • São Jorge (Santana)

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Arco de São Jorge • Ilha (Santana) • Boaventura (São Vicente) • São Jorge (Santana) • Ponta Delgada (São Vicente)

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Santana (Madeira) • Faial (Madeira) • São Jorge (Santana) • São Roque do Faial • Porto da Cruz

Near Machico

Something else Madeira is famous for are so-called “Levadas”. Levadas are artificial waterways that channel water from the quite wet central mountains to the low and dry areas of the island. Besides the waterways there is always a small path originally used to service the Levada. Hikers can use these paths as quite convenient paths through the mountains. So, after a typically very steep ascent to the Levada, walking there is really enjoyable.

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Santo António da Serra (Machico) • Santo António da Serra (Santa Cruz) • Porto da Cruz • Machico • Pico do Suna

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Santo António da Serra (Machico) • Santo António da Serra (Santa Cruz) • Porto da Cruz • Machico • Água de Pena

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Santo António da Serra (Machico) • Santo António da Serra (Santa Cruz) • Machico • Porto da Cruz • Água de Pena

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Santo António da Serra (Machico) • Machico • Santo António da Serra (Santa Cruz) • Porto da Cruz • Água de Pena

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Machico • Santo António da Serra (Machico) • Santo António da Serra (Santa Cruz) • Água de Pena • Flughafen Madeira

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Santo António da Serra (Machico) • Machico • Santo António da Serra (Santa Cruz) • Porto da Cruz • Água de Pena

Ponta de São Lourenço

Maybe one of the nicest hiking trails on Madeira. The landscape on the east end of the island is just stunning. Unfortunately, you pay this beauty with an awful lot of hikers. I am not kidding, I guess we met 300 people that day… Well, this was bearable as we met maybe 10 persons on all other hikes combined.

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Caniçal • Machico • Flughafen Madeira • Água de Pena

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Caniçal • Machico • Flughafen Madeira

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Caniçal • Machico • Flughafen Madeira • Água de Pena

Porto Moniz

Porto Moniz is famous for its lava basins that are used as natural swimming pools when the sea is not too rough. Well, the day we visited Porto Moniz, the sea was a bit agitated – to put it nicely. I enjoyed photographing the waves from safe distance. After some minutes of watching the spectacle we decided to walk into town. Again: in safe distance of the water. Unfortunately, we did not notice a small arm of the sea that extends into town behind a couple of buildings. After we passed that buildings, I noticed people suddenly rushing away. I also set off and a moment later I was wet. My girl friend, a bit behind me, was soaked. And both of my cameras were dead for a while. Luckily, we all survived.

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Porto Moniz • Achadas da Cruz • Ribeira da Janela • Seixal (Porto Moniz) • Ponta do Pargo

Southern Coast near Prazeres

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Paul do Mar • Prazeres (Calheta) • Jardim do Mar • Estreito da Calheta • Fajã da Ovelha

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Paul do Mar • Prazeres (Calheta) • Jardim do Mar • Fajã da Ovelha • Estreito da Calheta

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Prazeres (Calheta) • Jardim do Mar • Paul do Mar • Estreito da Calheta • Fajã da Ovelha

Paul da Serra

Paul da Serra is a high plateau in the center of the island. The area is quite fascinating. On certain days you set off in the sunny coast region, drive up the mountains, and find yourself in the mist of terror. Range of vision: 30 meters. Temperature: 6°C. That was two days before these photos where taken.

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Fajã da Ovelha • Ribeira da Janela • Prazeres (Calheta) • Estreito da Calheta • Jardim do Mar

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Ribeira da Janela • Estreito da Calheta • Prazeres (Calheta) • Fajã da Ovelha • Arco da Calheta

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Ribeira da Janela • Seixal (Porto Moniz) • Fajã da Ovelha • Porto Moniz • Achadas da Cruz

Levada do Rei

Spectacular in a different way: a walk through the green hell. Okay, an eucalyptus forest.

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Ilha (Santana) • Arco de São Jorge • Boaventura (São Vicente) • São Jorge (Santana) • Pico Ruivo

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Ilha (Santana) • Arco de São Jorge • São Jorge (Santana) • Boaventura (São Vicente) • Pico Ruivo

Cabo Girão

Since our last visit they built a viewing platform with a glass floor. A glass floor over a 590m abyss. Thank you. ;-)

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Cabo Girão • Quinta Grande • Tabua • Campanário • Estreito de Câmara de Lobos

Ponta do Pargo / Miradouro Garganta Funda

You'll find a hiking trail on Ponta do Pargo on several web sites and in every hiking guide. Sadly, none of them advise you to take the small detour to the Miradouro Garganta Funda which I do not understand as this is the most spectacular part of the trail. It is like an uncrowded Cabo Girão. Go there, it is spectacular.

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Ponta do Pargo • Achadas da Cruz • Fajã da Ovelha • Paul do Mar • Prazeres (Calheta)

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Madalena do Mar • Arco da Calheta • Pico Ruivo do Paul • Canhas • Estreito da Calheta

Câmara de Lobos

A nice fishing village on the south coast.

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Tabua • Estreito de Câmara de Lobos • Cabo Girão • São Martinho (Funchal) • Santo António (Funchal)

Boca da Encumeada / São Vicente

The Boca da Encumeada is a mountain pass from the south over the central mountains to the village of São Vicente close to the northern coast. Today there is also a tunnel which is pretty helpful.

🌍 Picture location – Wiki-Links: Serra de Água • Encumeada-Pass • Pico Grande • Lorbeerwald Laurisilva von Madeira • Lorbeerwald