Week 176-177: A week in Madeira, Portugal

We spent a week in the “Hawaii of Europe”…aka Madeira. Having been to Hawaii before in 2019, we were excited to see how it compared.

Madeira is a Portuguese island off the coast of Africa. The island is a result of a massive submerged volcano that rises about 3.7 miles from the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. The volcano formed over 5 million years ago and its most recent volcanic eruption was 6,500 years ago.

March 9

For one week, we filled our days with thrilling adventures and found a few moments to just relax.

Our journey began with the excitement of landing in Funchal and the anticipation of the adventures that awaited us. Landing here is an adventure in itself. It is ranked as the ninth most dangerous airport in the world and the third most dangerous in Europe. The moment we safely landed and set foot on the tarmac in Funchal, we knew this would be a special place.

We were overjoyed for the days to come, but also a little sad because we knew this trip would go way too fast.

Landing at Funchal Airport — *Walking out onto the Tarmac in Madeira*

After collecting our rental car, we made our way to our hotel Sentido Galosol. On many of our trips, we are constantly checking in and out of multiple properties, so staying in one place made this trip much more relaxing.

Stay at Sentido Galosol
Click the link to book

Positioned on the southeastern coastline with the ocean reaching out in every direction…it was the perfect place to start our Madeiran getaway.

March 10

Our first official day on the island began with a large breakfast by the pool. Within 3 minutes of sitting down, we realized we needed to change clothes. Madeira has a wild climate and can change very fast. Luckily, we packed for every season and were able to enjoy the hot weather.

We jumped in the car and followed the coastline–clockwise while making various stops along the way.

10:00 AM - The first stop is the Cabo Girão Skywalk.

To our surprise, you have to pay to walk out on the ledge. We found a viewpoint just as lovely a few minutes up the road. So I don’t think the skywalk is necessary.

10:30 AM - After a few minutes admiring the village, we continued to Cascata dos Anjos or "Waterfall of Angels”

This is a popular waterfall dumping down onto a public access road and running off into the sea. Tons of people wait in line to get a photo dancing in the waterfall. If you time it right, you can stand off to the side and snap a photo before the next person comes into view.

11:00 AM - We drove our car through the waterfall and continued until we found a cool window formed through the rock. Upon further review of Google Maps, we learned this window is called “Janela da Pedra”.

This is the first place we caught a glimpse of how many little lizards are running around Madeira.

11:45 AM - We arrived at the westernmost tip of the island of Madeira. Home of the Ponta do Pargo Lighthouse Viewpoint.

While the internet states Madeira is like Hawaii, we have to admit the panoramic views over the Atlantic and the sea cliffs reminded us so much of Ireland.

1:00 PM - We drove into Porto Moniz for lunch. This place is quite popular because of its lava pools.

It is also a popular place to watch tourists get nailed by the strong waves here. Unfortunately, Eric and I were the lucky ones to be walking down the street when a massive wave came up over the wall. Thankfully my camera gear was safe inside my backpack and was not harmed. I on the other hand was drenched and had to go back to the car to change before we could grab lunch.

The funniest and maybe worst part was having no clue it was happening until we were left standing in the street looking bewildered at how and why that just happened. We noticed a thin yellow rope as we were walking down the street, so we began to cross to the other side but couldn’t escape the powerful burst of water.

1:30 PM - We had lunch at the Oceana rooftop. A menu full of Japanese and Mediterranean dishes and only one waitress to serve the food. A few people were fed up at the slowish service, but we were fine taking our time to dry off…lol

3:30 PM - We left Porto Moniz and entered the enchanting Fanal Forest.

The giant, twisted, ancient trees amidst a misty backdrop transported us into another world. It felt as though Snow White and the seven dwarves would pop out at any moment.

We never saw any make-believe creatures, but we did run into a fair share of cows and charismatic birds.

After leaving the forest, the weather turned and rained for the rest of the evening. We went back to the hotel and stayed in for the rest of the evening where I feverishly refreshed the weather app at least 100 times to prepare for the early morning we had planned the next day.

March 11

Our alarms were dinging at 6 AM and that was our signal to get out of bed and make our way up to Pico Do Arieiro for a sunrise hike to Maderia’s tallest peak.

We brought our leftover pizza with us up to the mountain and watched as the clouds, peaks, and valleys were washed with pink and golden hues.

Catching a sunrise up here is one of the #1 things to do on the island, but it can be tricky. Because of the climate, it is often fully foggy at this altitude, so we were lucky, and my frantic weather app refreshing paid off.

Our early morning adventure didn't end there. We continued for the next 2 hours traversing a network of narrow ledges, tunnels, and carved stone steps to reach the tallest point in Madeira–Pico Ruivo.

*Hiking from Pico do Arieiro to Pico do Ruivo.*

It has been ranked as one of the most wonderful hiking paths in the world! And now I know why.

Once again, we reach the top of another peak and find more Nepalese prayer flags. These flags are found in the Himalayas and are used to bless the surrounding countryside. Someday we hope to visit Nepal and trek to the Everest Basecamp, but for now, it is fun to catch a glimpse of them when we can.

After reaching the top, we walked to a nearby mountain hut for lunch and a taxi cab ride back to our car so that we wouldn’t have to hike back. We shared a cab with two other strangers who were from Canada!

4:30 PM - Our day concluded as we set sail on a sunset excursion in hopes of spotting pilot whales and dolphins!

Sunset Sailing and Whale Watching Excursion
Click the link to book
Pack Mama tip: Make sure to bring a jacket because it gets cold on the boat once the sun goes down

I am proud to say I was the one on the boat to spot the first fin bobbing out of the water.

Once I started pointing, the engines shut off and we wobbled in circles as a pod of at least 10 pilot whales surrounded us. It was the most magical experience.

A few things we learned on this excursion:

Pilot whales are often mistaken for dolphins
Pilot whales get their name from their helmet-shaped head
They stay with their birth pod for life
They remain along the coast of Madeira year-round making it one of the best places to see them
By law, tour boats can only spend 10 minutes at a time in the presence of whales

March 12

9:00 AM - We couldn't resist the opportunity to try canyoning with EPIC Madeira.

We were in a group with 6 other people as we descended into the island's rugged canyons navigating the cascading waterfalls and jumping into natural rock pools. While it was hot-ish in Madeira, the water in these canyons was very cold.

3:00 PM - We ventured back into Madeira’s main city, Funchal, for a couple of hours after the canyoning excursion.

As we meandered through the cobble-stoned streets, we discovered “Fuerte De Madeira”–the city’s fortress and a top attraction for tourists who find themselves in the city.

Dating from the early 17th century, this fortress is strategically situated above the historic area of the city to defend the city of Funchal from corsair attacks. Over the centuries, the fortress served various purposes: from headquarters of British troops to a shelter for victims of a flood in 1803, to an installation art space. Today, you can have dinner at the seaside restaurant or just walk through admiring its dilapidated history and panoramic views.

March 13

A built-in “relax day,” and a day to cross off the eastern coast of the island.

10:00 AM - We arrived at the Ruins of St. George.

The significance of this place may be a bit less than other areas, but it’s on the map because it marks a stone archway and wall that belonged to an old coastal sugarcane mill.

*Looking out at the beach by Ruins of St. George*

We had this rocky beach nearly all to ourselves.

*The surviving archway of the Ruins of St. George*

11:00 AM - After capturing some epic drone shots along the beach, we left and crossed into Santana. A town well-known for its triangular, thatched houses.

5:00 PM - As the day drew to a close, we embarked on a sunset hike to Ponta De Sao Lourenco.

This hike wasn’t like most we do. We didn’t have a specific endpoint in mind, but for an hour and a half, we followed the stone steps until we found the perfect sunset spot.

We caught views of the distant deserted island as the sun faded out

March 14

9:00 AM - Our final, full day in Madeira was spent exploring the island's eastern side coasteering with Discovery Island Madeira.

Coasteering
Click the link to book

For two hours, we scaled cliffs, leaped into crystal-clear waters, and explored hidden sea caves.

We felt all the feelings that come with freedom and fear.

My highest jump was from 8 meters or 24 feet.

Eric’s highest jump was from 10 meters or 30 feet.

We found comfort in knowing sharks were not in this area, but still, jumping into the unknown can be quite terrifying. It was the most epic day to end our time.

After coasteering, we took one last opportunity to see one more sight – The Cristo Rei. This statue is an Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ in Garajau.

It was inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. The statue was erected to express gratitude because the Portuguese were spared the direct destructive effects of World War II.

March 15

From sunrise hikes to sunset sails and all the adrenaline-fueled adventures in between, our week in Madeira was nothing short of magical––exactly as I planned 😉

Week 176-177: A week in Madeira, Portugal

Week 181: Jennerbahn in Germany

Week 172: A Hike Around Almsee