Ilhas Desertas (Reserva Natural)

The three uninhabited islands visible from the south coast — Ilhéu Chão, Deserta Grande and Bugio — form, with their islets and the sea down to the 100 m isobath, a nature reserve of 12,586 ha, in line with Ponta de São Lourenço, 12 nautical miles from it and 22 from Funchal (official coordinates 32° 30' N, 16° 29' 30'' W). Protected since 1990 as a Special Protection Area, they owe their status to the urgent need to save a small colony of Mediterranean monk seals, the lobo-marinho, whose conservation project began in 1988; the Vigilantes da Natureza keep a permanent watch. Thousands of people visit them every year by boat — private craft, maritime-tourism operators, Navy ships — always with prior authorisation, which manages the area. The Doca of Deserta Grande is the landing point.