MAGNIFICENT MADEIRA
We spent our first day in Jardim Monte Palace, a beautiful tropical botanical garden covering an area of 70,000 square meters. The garden has a huge exotic collection of plants, many fountains, and waterfalls and has been open to the public since 1991. It can be reached by a cable car or a taxi, and you can take a toboggan ride downhill on the way back into town.The garden started with the acquisition of the property in the 18th century by the English Consul Charles Murray, who then transformed it into a beautiful estate, which he called “The Pleasure Estate.” Subsequently, it was owned by two other people and eventually came into the possession of an entrepreneur, Jose Manuel Rodrigues Berardo, in 1987. This was when it became known as Monte Palace Madeira, one of the largest botanical gardens in the world.
On one of the days, we took a wonderful walking tour of Funchal with a German exchange student studying at Madeira University. Funchal is the capital of the autonomous region of Madeira, with a population of slightly more than 100,000. It was founded in 1424 and became an important port due to its strategic maritime location.
Madeira was significantly influenced by the British, who occupied it for two short periods from 1801 to 1802 and then again from 1810 to 1814. Portugal regained possession of Madeira in 1814 and has been there ever since, as it has been from the very beginning. The British played a huge role in developing tourism in Madeira later on.
We walked its beautiful narrow streets and visited its main cathedral, the Anglican church where many concerts are held, and Pink House, which belonged to a lawyer and now houses a collection of art and artifacts. The tour ended at a beautiful viewpoint of the city from above.
Another Funchal highlight was a beautiful Coimbra Fado concert performance at the university. Sad and beautiful, with some songs going back to the times of military dictatorship, it was entirely handled by the students, and the lead provided a wonderful translation from Portuguese.
Madeira hosts a flower festival in early May, which is a lovely time of year. On one of the weekends, there is a procession, and the capital’s streets are decked out in flowers. We were lucky enough to witness this.
Pictures below are of an amazing hike to the easternmost point of Madeira, Ponta de São Lourenço. It has some of the most fantastic 360-degree views that will stay with us forever. We took the boat ride back to the starting point in the beautiful town of Canical.
Madeira Northwest Safari Tour took us to some fishing villages and the Cabo Girao skywalk. Camara de Lobos Bay was beloved and immortalized in Churchill’s paintings. It has his statue in front of the hotel where he used to stay. Naturally, the quaint village has undergone significant changes since January of 1950. Still, its fishermen continue to venture out daily in their colorful boats to catch Madeira’s blackfish, or scabbard.
Cabo Girao nearby is the highest cape in Europe. It is known for its suspended 580-meter-high glass platform with unparalleled panoramic views.
On this Northwest Safari tour, we also visited one of the highest peaks, Pico do Arieiro. This is where the most famous hike in Madeira is, Stairway to Heaven.
The gallery below showcases some of Madeira’s most amazing views: Pico do Arieiro and Valley of Nuns.
We did those hikes on different days, but both gave us that otherworldly experience of hiking above the clouds.
On the north side of Madeira Island, we found a mysterious Fanal forest, a Unesco Heritage site. Fog covered the twisted branches of its ancient laurel trees, which are centuries old and date back to a time before the archipelago’s discovery. The best time to go is early morning when the fog is the most dense.
Some of the most dramatic landscapes are found in the Northwestern part of the island. After the Northwest Safari tour, we rented a car and returned to Porto Moniz, Seixal, Sao Vicente, and Ribeira de Janeila to see the rugged cliffs and lush greenery again and to swim in the lava pools. We also visited a beautiful Barbusano winery in the hills of Sao Vicente.
One of Madeira’s unique features are its levadas. The Levadas (from the Portuguese verb “levar”—to carry”) are a system of channels or aqueducts of many kilometers in length, mostly bordering mountains but also going through them, with several stretches over rugged rocks, to bring water from different sources to its intermediate or final uses. The total length of levadas today is 3100 km, and they are some of the best places for hiking in Madeira.
Madeira is also famous for its food, wine, and chocolates. Funchal Farmers Market (Mercado dos Lavradores), Blandy’s Winery, and Uaucacau Store are must-visits for all food and wine lovers.
