This Category contains all posts about outings, activities, museum visits, which you can plan for while on Madeira. It can give you great ideas on what to do depending on the time you have available, the distance you are willing to drive or depending on the weather. Everything you need is here, wether you are going for a levada walk, visiting a museum, doing a car tour, visiting one of Madeira’s mountain peaks, visiting volcanic grottos, tropical gardens, going to the beach, treating the kids on a round of karting fun.
What are the grottos? The Grutas de São Vicente are caves of vulcanic origin, located in the parish of São Vicente, Madeira. The grottos formed 890 thousand years ago from a volcanic eruption that occurred in Paul da Serra. Lava streams then descended to the sea. First, the outer part, exposed to …
Special happenings on Madeira Special experiences on Madeira are plentiful. Madeira island prides itself as being an active holiday destination. The Portuguese outpost shed it’s rusty and old-fashioned image many years ago. A visitor can choose between a varied panel of activities. Some of them however are special and somewhat secret. Private Meeting with the …
Bulk dried fruits and so much more at Amora Ginja in Ribeira Brava. Amora Ginja is a shop in Ribeira Brava. It is a fruit shop that sells a little bit of everything from nuts, dried fruits, vegetables, fresh fruits, to food for animals, plants and so much more. You can find many such shops …
Châo da Ribeira Nestled in the vast Laurissilva, Chão da Ribeira lies in a valley overlooking the parish of Seixal. Chao da Ribeira sits between 400 and 500 meters of altitude. On a relatively flat piece of land surrounded by majestic mountains, lays the paradisiac old village with picturesque stone houses “Palheiros” in the perfect …
What is the Pico Ruivo? Pico Ruivo is the highest peak on Madeira. Pico Ruivo is 1,861 metres (6,106 ft) high and provides some of the most incredible views of the island from coast to coast, but unpredictable weather conditions can make it quite dangerous. It can be reached only by foot, usually either from Pico …
Pools and Beaches of Madeira At first sight, Madeira’s coastline looks unhospitable for beach lovers. If you don’t know where to go, you could be looking for a bathing spot for a long time, and give up in the end. But look a bit closer and there are many small gems out there. Some of …
The Entrosa, the walk and the path Do not miss this heavenly walk. Although there are numerous cliffs on the island, there is a particular one in between the villages of Boaventura and Arco de São Jorge, which draws the attention to all lovers of hiking and nature, better known by the name of Entrosa. …
Hiking on Madeira Madeira is a fantastic destination for hiking lovers. In fact, that is because Madeira has a huge network of levadas covering large parts of the island. Notably, a levada is a small water channel, typically in concrete. Now there are two interesting rules about levadas (or any aquaduct). One is that the …
Funchal Funchal is the capital city of Madeira Island and the sixth largest in Portugal. The largest city of this sub-tropical island is charming, historic, mostly well-maintained and colorful. The name Funchal stems from the amount of fennel (or “funcho” in Portuguese and “funchai” meaning a fennel plantation) plants discovered by the first settlers. The …
Who should see this? The flora lovers won’t be disappointed when visiting Madeira island. You’ll have plenty to do with no less than 37 gardens and parks to explore and wander through. One of them, the Monte Palace Tropical Garden, displays a rich and outstanding collection of plants from all over the world. Interestingly, it …
Dolphin and Whale–watching In Madeira, like in other parts of the world, marine mammals have passed from being a hunting resource to a (eco)tourism resource. In the Whale Museum you’ll learn all about Madeira’s past as a whaling island. The maritime region of Madeira Island is actually one of the best whale-watching sites in the …
