Madeira islands

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On the top of the world, you could say. Madeira romantic and dramatic landscape at its best: you can be on the top of the mountains, above the clouds and see the ocean and villages down there by the sea.

Near central Europe, Africa and the USA, Madeira island is a wonderful and famous place for sightseeing and walking.

It offers unspoilt and breathtaking scenery with impressive high cliffs emerging directly from the ocean. «It’s the most dramatic landscape I have ever seen», says dear friend and surfer William Henry about Madeira, refering to the towering cliffs, rocky shores, waterfalls and seas of azure.

«As a child I often dreamed of a landscape like Madeira, because one much like it is often described in fairy tales and children’s stories», adds the above quoted friend. «Every year I find something new, and yet every year I am awe-struck by the same cliffs, gardens, waterfalls and waves that I witnessed on my first voyage.»

Madeira is an island (35 miles long and 13 miles wide) situated in the Atlantic Ocean some 300 miles from the coast of Africa and 600 miles from the Portuguese mainland. An autonomous region of Portugal, Madeira offers a subtropical climate due to its geographical position and mountainous relief.

The subtropical climate, warm and sunny even in midwinter also attracts north European tourists looking for sun, light and warmer temperatures.

Ancient Laurissilva (Laurel) forest (the largest in the world and classified a World Nature Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999) and the Botanical Garden in Funchal are other strong reasons of interest that prove Madeira's natural diversity and richness. You can check the variety of indigenous plants and flowers.

Everything is at hand and very diverse. You can be at the beach but it takes just half an hour to be in the mountains if you wish so. You can get sunny and hot weather on the beach and cold, fog and even rain in the mountains. You can get nice weather and light in one part of the island and get a cloudy sky and rain in another part of the island. You can get quietness and excitiment, like you get the green and the blue, the rural and the urbane. Madeira is an island full of surprises as you travel around.

You can visit locals of cultural and historic interest in the municipality of Calheta or in the whole island, do scenery drives, you can also do whale and dolphin spotting in boat trips from the marina in Calheta, do “levada” walks up in the mountains ("levadas" are a network of ancient man made irrigation channels), do mountain biking, hicking, do boat trips along the coastline, go sailing, canyoning, pier fishing, deep sea fishing from Calheta Marina or Funchal, scuba diving or snorkeling, surfing, wind-surfing, water skiing, paragliding, among others activities in close contact with nature.

One thing is certain: the South-Western area is the warmest and sunniest in the island. There you can find the unique Jardim do Mar with about 300 inhabitants where Sofia's Place stands.

MORE ON MADEIRA:

HISTORY & TRADITION

LOCATION & CLIMATE

INDIGENOUS LAURISSILVA FOREST (WORLD HERITAGE)

CULTURE

NATURE

CHECK ALSO PORTO SANTO:

PORTO SANTO ISLAND