At the bottom of Santana's oceanside cliffs, you'll find this unique and serene peace of land: Fajã da Rocha do Navio. This place is a nature reserve comprised of a small island, the ocean around it and a narrow strip of agricultural plots (the fajãs). Fajã da Rocha do Navio is the perfect place to spend a couple of peaceful hours, relaxing and exploring the area, enjoying...
Caminho do Pinàculo e Folhadal is one of my absolute favourite hiking trails on Madeira. This trail guides you along multiple waterfalls, through dense Laurissilva forest and down fierce rock walls. It covers all of Madeira's best in one trail. So grab your hiking gear and take your time to discover this trail: you will not regret it. This 17km long trail is a day well-spent! CAMINHO DO...
We have a few places we simply must visit whenever we go to Madeira. One of our favourite places for a very pleasing meal is Taberna do Petisco in Santa Cruz! Every time we are at Madeira, we end our stay with one night in Santa Cruz (because it is so conveniently close to the airport) and dinner at Taberna do Petisco. And most of the time, we have already...
The first weekend of June 2019, Madeira was again the decor of the yearly Ultra Skyrunning Madeira: a running event consisting of four brutal races in the mountains of Madeira. Like last year, again I woke up much too early (4am) to great and photograph the first runners up on Madeira's highest peaks at dawn of day. Together with a handful of volunteers, hurrying to fix the...
Looking for a good espetada with a view in Santana area? Look no further! We have found the perfect place: Café Cabo Aéreo. Café Cabo Aéreo is located in São Jorge, on the north coast of Madeira. It's about a 25 minute drive from Santana. The café's location is somewhat remote, but this is a beautiful place for a refreshing drink or a good meal. Cabo Aéreo is situated...
This is a short and relatively easy hike. You can combine it with a visit to Funchal, taking the bus to Eira do Serrado from there. An old, steep cobblestone path will lead you from Eira do Serrado to Curral das Freiras, offering great views along the way down. We are starting this hike just past noon. We have spend the entire morning in Funchal, getting out of...
We were supposed to hike in the mountains at Encumeada today, but while carefully steering our car through thick mist and pouring rain on the Paul da Serra plateau, we conclude we need a plan B! Since on Madeira, you can always find good weather somewhere on the island, we decide to leave the plateau in search of sunlight. While zigzagging down the steep mountain road, the...
Wow, I really want to share this drone video with you! The film maker (Claudio) has captured all the different elements that make Madeira so perfectly. Beautiful, serene footage of the shores, the mountains, waterfalls and the magestic forests of Madeira, combined with great sound recordings. Love it! Brings me back to my favourite island. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtmTr-99_BU[/embedyt]...
