Madeira for a Hiking Break

Ever heard of Madeira wine? It comes from a small island of that name off the coast of north western Africa. Madeira is a portuguese territory, so traveling here is simple for us. The Azores and Madeira are still two of Portugal’s holdings. The vastness of the Portuguese kingdom may surprise you. If you know they speak portuguese in Brazil, that one you may know. At one time Rio de Janeiro was actually the capital of Portugal. Also Goa in India, Macao in China, Cape Verde, Angola and Mozambique are some of Portugal’s other holdings. If you think about the prowess the Portuguese had at navigation and sailing, this should not come as a surprise. Remember Magellan was a portuguese; Vasco da Gama too. 

Our simple flight is 2.5 hours. That culminates with a landing on a runway that looks a lot like an elevated overpass, that juts out into the Atlantic. It is not a landing for nervous types. This airport rivals Gibraltar for the “What is the pilot thinking” experience. In Gibraltar you see the rock coming at you. Here, you see nothing below but water.

Geographically Madeira is a young island, 5 million years old, uninhabited until the 1400’s. It has always been Portuguese since then. Madeira is a fair bit south of us in Southern Portugal so we assumed it would be warmer. It wasn’t really, but we still spent our January days in shorts. 

The biggest city on Madeira is Funchal. Big city it is not. But there is room for at least 3 cruise ships at a time (there were three there, when we were, even in the off-season). This cute traditional  Portuguese village still maintains its charm.

We opted to stay in a touristy area west of town called the Lido district. Walking to town was a bit long, but doable. I thought the hotels would be nicer (they probably were) and the food better (maybe). If we go again, I think we will opt for Funchal so we can walk around town and shop. Tip: Madeira has a privileged tax status, so buying goods here can be cheaper. However, balance that against it being an island way off from Europe/UK this makes goods more expensive to transport. I did not do a lot of shopping, but groceries were much more expensive than the mainland.

The main tourist activity here is the beaches of course. Some decent waves too. There were a few areas where waves are held back by sea walls to make for a sheltered bathing experience. In the whale migration seasons, the water around Madeira is teeming with whales of many species, it must be on the migration highway. So, whale watching excursions are big business. Wine tasting is another popular activity. 

For us, the draw was hiking. Steep craggy mountains high above the clouds; gorgeous scenery. Mark was literally salivating as we drove up the mountain to get to the trails. Next time he is on that road, it will be on a bike. There are miles and miles of irrigation ditches called levadas that double as walking paths. Mostly flat (ish) and easy footing alongside the levadas. Our option was the vereda do Areeiro which hikes from the second highest peak Pico do Arieiro, down and up to the highest peak, Pico Ruivo. It was gorgeous and there are many more miles of track to explore.

Madeira claims the biggest New Years Eve fireworks show in the world. Surpassing even London and Sydney. Quite a feat for the tiny town of Funchal and a trophy they aim to keep, amping it up lately to keep the title. We just missed this show (and crowds) by coming later in January. 

We will will definitely be back. Madeira has a lot to offer in a small package. We never even got to the wine in the five days we were there.