Funchal

Food

Walking the levadas

Exploring Madeira

It’s Wednesday 22nd and I’m heading west. A drive past civilization reveals local homes seated on steep tiered terraces.

Gradually ascending higher jagged coastal vistas come into view. The first stop is at Cabo Girau and at 580m I’m told it’s the highest cliff in Europe. It also grows Eucalyptus near a mini market where there’s a great coastal lookout. En route there are plenty of banana trees and sugar cane growing on the hillside. Vineyards grow at 4-700m high. The bus takes us higher through the clouds 3000ft to Incomia Mountain. It’s as if by magic I am transformed to another world, the lush verdant scenery encased by mystical clouds.

The bus pulls in at Ribeira Brava meaning Wild River. There isn’t much wilderness although heavy rains in the autumn can make the river rise by at least 3m and flash floods can occur. The sea can also have an unruly character hence the large breakwaters on the pebbled beach to absorb powerful waves. The town itself exudes a peaceful charm, the main monument being St Benedict’s church set in front of a large rock face. Note the chequered short spire.

Driving through the winding verdant valleys of the central massif the temperature can drop to as low as -12oC. The guide explained that there are 4 types of laurel trees which also grow in the Azores, Tenerife and La Gomera island – these are dubbed the Fortunate Islands. UNESCO declared Madeira as a natural world heritage site.

Our coach travelled north to the small coastal town of Sao Vicente (St Vincent). It has a quiet yet sleepy feel to it. The sun sign plaque above a door reminds me of my adventures over 2 years ago to Sao Vicente Island on the Cape Verdean archipelago.

The church of Our Lady of Fatima (below) is situated in the old town and has a neatly tended graveyard whose gravestones are mainly made from brilliant white marble.

A small simple general store provides a relief to satisfy chocolate cravings before the coach travels on. Taking a coastal route NW the coach finally pulls into Porto Moniz, a remote location poking into the Atlantic, as far as you can get from the capital. It is temperately cooler here compared to the south and the main attraction is the rock pools. Excitement fills me as I leave the bus, cross over the pools towards Cachalote restaurant viewing wild waves crashing on distant high rocks.

Over a Madeiran lunch I am toying with the idea of taking a dip as I brought my costume. Later I follow my instincts and ‘take the plunge’ into the ice cold waters with a shriek! I’m the only one on the tour doing this stupendous bravery thing and onlookers are in abundance. The strangest thing is I’m getting used to the temperature and it feels rather invigorating. With not much time to spare, it’s time to exit with a rather tingling fresh sensation.

Climbing out of the steep town and through the mist, the coach tours SW and finally south along steep winding roads to a warmer Marina of Calheta. Seeing a small man- made beach is a welcome sight and as I don’t have much time here, I enjoy what I can after a walk around the marina. It’s a relief to see the warm sun again after much cooler climes.


Two day’s later I’m going east and the first stop on the tour is Pico di Arieiro. It’s the 3rd highest point of the island. Mountains here consist of hard and soft volcanic rock. The guide told me that the red soil of the rocks was due to oxidized iron. Climbing to the summit lookout was absolutely breathtaking. A bed of floating clouds stretched out before me, with mountainous peaks in the foreground.

En route to the trout farm the guide mentioned about types of Madeiran birds including the Madeiran Petrel (an endangered sea bird with only 50-60 pairs), and the Madeiran Firecrest the smallest bird weighing only 3-4g. She also explained about the plant life. Madeira has so much to offer in this department including the sweet custard apple, papaya trees, sugar cane, avocado’s etc. The famous red poinsettia plant (Christmas) grows here too.

The trout farm (both rainbow and brown fish) is situated in Ribeiro Frio (meaning Cold River) It was interesting to see the layout of the pools followed by a country walk.

About 15 minutes later, Madeira’s central mountain range can be seen

The highlight of the tour included the journey north to Santana; home to the A framed houses (Palheiros). They are authentically furnished and lived in, with immaculately kept gardens.

Cows of Madeira can not be left to roam due to the steepness of slopes. They could break their legs and damage crops so locals came up with the idea to keep them in these special thatched byres so they would be cool in summer and warm in winter.

Lunch at the Quinta do Furau hotel was delicious, followed by a short leisurely cliff top stroll.

Machico is Madeira’s second largest town and the final stop of the day. Situated on the SE coast it is known for the chapel of miracles. Floods in 1803 devastated the chapel washing all contents out to the sea. The cross was one of them and was spotted by a sailor floating out at sea. The cross was returned and the chapel rebuilt.

It is one of the few Madeiran coastal resorts with a good beach. Agriculture and fishing are the 2 main livelihoods.

Paul do Mar lies on the SW coast. It’s a quiet place however it’s the most important fishing centre of the island. The narrow sheltered alleys give the impression of a sleepy village.


To see Madeira at it’s most colourful head up to the Botanical garden. There is a natural history museum hosting a variety of stuffed birds, fossils, and insects.

With spectacular coastal panoramic views, a tropical vista can be found amongst palms and strelitzier plants (bird of paradise)

Peacocks like to wonder around public areas including the café. Sweet floral aromas give an uplifting sense to my mood. Through the far edge of the garden I can see a main high raised road, leading into a tunnel. Many of the Madeiran hillsides have been blasted and roads have been constructed in order to travel through numerous tunnels all over the island.

Bedding plants make for interesting geometric designs

If you fancy a bit of acoustic entertainment and colour walk next door to the tropical bird garden. Many of the species come from South America and Africa.