Tag Archives: hiking
A walk along the Pico shore
Today’s adventure consisted of a walk along the shore of Pico. From Madalena we took a cab to Porto do Calhau, from where the idea was to follow a marked trail all the way back to town. We got started a little late in the day: we got into the taxi a bit after 10:00 AM, and — due to the July heat and sun, I would recommend other hikers to start about an hour earlier as midday becomes very […]
Levada walk from Rabaçal
We have another early morning start, and drive back to Paúl da Serra, this time with the intention of hiking. We are lucky to have the company of a relative of Nelson’s, local to Madeira who knows the valleys, the paths and how to get around. At Paúl da Serra, we need to park: the road that winds down to the walking paths is closed. We learn that this is because of traffic accidents down the very narrow road: instead one shuttle bus […]
From Boa Morte to Ribeira Brava and back
We are exploring the southern part of Madeira now. On Christmas Day, when most everything is closed, we somehow end up at a place named Boa Morte — “the Good Death”. It is a small village, placed high up on the mountain side. A trail goes from here: we can either follow the levadas to the next village, or we can walk down the steep mountain side through narrow streets down to the city — Ribeira Brava — “the Wild […]
Ponta de São Lourenço
It is difficult to state whether Ponta de São Lorenço signifies the beginning or the end of life, the universe and everything. On the Eastern Madeira tip, the landscape changes dramatically. It is a bit like going from the jungle to the moon.
Curral das Freiras — Valley of the nuns
On the first day in Funchal, we spend a little too long sorting out the car. We arrived late the night before, so late that the car rental company had closed and locked up by the time we were able to make it to them. Therefore, we spend quite a bit of the morning hanging around waiting and trying to sort a car out. Impatient as I am, it doesn’t take long until restlessness grabs hold of me. When the […]