Nature and Laurissilva of Madeira

One of the places where the Laurissilva, a World Heritage site since December 1999, is most alive: between Ribeira da Janela and the Paul da Serra plateau, the Fanal forestry post is famous for its centuries-old tils, some of them already standing before the island was discovered, and for the mystical atmosphere of its fogs. A small volcanic crater classified as a Rest and Quiet Reserve by the Parque Natural da Madeira and a Natura 2000 site, it is a place of contemplation as much as a trail junction: PR 13 Vereda do Fanal arrives here from Paul da Serra, PR 14 Levada dos Cedros leaves towards Curral Falso, PR 28 (closed) drops to Rocha Vermelha. On the ER 209; free access, trails charged.

Madeira's first marine reserve, created in 1986 on the initiative of a group of divers alarmed by the impoverishment of the seabed: 376 ha along about six miles of coast south-east of Funchal, between Ponta do Lazareto and Ponta da Oliveira, from the high-tide line to the 50 m isobath (never less than 600 m from the shore). Fishing banned, navigation restricted, habitats representative for in-situ conservation; its calm, clear waters make it the island's reference dive site, with dusky groupers and giant manta rays. Land access by the Cais do Lazareto or Garajau beach (cable car); above, Ponta do Garajau (Natural Monument), the 1927 Cristo Rei and the Pináculo viewpoint, a Natura 2000 area important for Cory's shearwaters and terns. Regional forestry institute environmental-education visit programme for groups.

On Santana's north coast, an exclusively marine reserve born in 1997 of the will of the local people, aware of the degradation of fishing resources by destructive practices: 1,822 ha between Ponta do Clérigo and Ponta de São Jorge, from high tide to the 100 m isobath, with Ilhéu da Rocha das Vinhas and Ilhéu da Viúva (94 m), a Natura 2000 botanical refuge of plants found only in the archipelago. The name recalls the wreck of a Dutch ship in the 19th century. You go down from the viewpoint by a steep path cut in the rock or by cable car; access to the sea is very limited by sea conditions, often rough on this coast. Reception centre and exhibition room; regional forestry institute environmental-education visit programme.

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.

The Ribeiro Frio forest park, in Santana, shows the flora of Madeira's original forest: laurel, folhado, til, vinhático and endemics such as isoplexis, massaroco, estreleiras and the mountain orchid; the firecrest, chaffinch and trocaz pigeon, all endemic, can be seen. The Posto Aquícola has bred rainbow trout since 1960 to restock the island's streams — renovated in 2019, it receives thousands of visitors a year; entry costs €3 for those over 12. Start of PR 10 Levada do Furado and PR 11 Vereda dos Balcões; frequent fog.

Above Santana, one of the island's most visited forest parks, by visitors and residents alike, for its scenery and biodiversity: tils, pau-branco, centuries-old heaths, folhados and uveiras of the Laurissilva, mixed with Madeira cedars, cryptomerias and copper beeches; the endemic chaffinch, firecrest and trocaz pigeon, grey wagtail and buzzard. The Casa de Abrigo das Queimadas, with the thatched roof of Santana's houses, has become the "Casa das Tradições Madeirenses". Start of PR 9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde and of the accessible PR 9.1 to Pico das Pedras; picnic area, restaurant-café, shop, bird hide, paid parking and toilets.

In the heart of the Laurissilva, a World Heritage site since December 1999, on the ER 104 that drops from Encumeada to São Vicente: laurels often bearing the "madre-de-louro" caused by a fungus, tils, rarer vinháticos, folhados, sanguinhos, faias-das-ilhas, heaths and uveiras whose berries go into jams; the endemic firecrest, chaffinch and trocaz pigeon. Tables and benches, fountains, fireplaces and lawns make it one of the forest leisure spots most sought after by Madeirans; the PR 22 Vereda do Chão dos Louros loop (1.9 km) goes round it, with a lookout over the São Vicente valley and a link to PR 21. Free parking, paid toilets.

At the mouth of the Ribeira da Janela, the island's longest watercourse, big rocks stand in the ocean; one of them is pierced by a window-shaped opening ("janela") that gave its name to the river and the village. The "Escoada da Foz da Ribeira da Janela" — the lava flow at the mouth — is among the Region's fifteen Natural Monuments created in 2021, witnesses to the archipelago's volcanic history born of two hotspots. A rocky beach with free access, toilets and showers 9:00–19:00 according to Porto Moniz municipality; seen from the Porto de Abrigo viewpoint and the Ribeira da Janela lookout.

The islet that closes Porto Moniz's landscape, facing the natural pools: Ilhéu Mole is one of the Region's fifteen Natural Monuments created in 2021, for the archipelago's geodiversity — rocks, volcanic structures and landforms that document its history. It is not visited: you admire it from the seafront, the pools and the lookouts.

The waterfall drops straight towards the sea, on the old road linking São Vicente to Seixal. It is the hanging mouth of Ribeira de João Delgado: the rapid retreat of the coast, by vertical erosion, left the stream bed in mid-air. The regional forestry institute has classified it a Natural Monument — one of the ten on Madeira island. You look at it from the Véu da Noiva viewpoint, on the road above.

Beside the Foz da Ribeira do Faial bathing complex stands a prismatic, or columnar, disjunction: regular columns born of the slow cooling of a lava flow. The regional forestry institute has classified it a Natural Monument, one of the ten on Madeira island. It is visible from the pebble beach and its natural pool, without leaving the complex.

Geosite in the parish of Caniçal (Machico). A geosite of the regional inventory, on Ponta de São Lourenço: many dykes, upright or criss-crossing, and faults whose tectonics shaped today's coastline.

Geosite in the parish of Serra de Água (Ribeira Brava). of the regional inventory: the best place to see the volcanic and sedimentary layers of the Encumeada Formation, whose reference section it is. About 600 m on foot along the road: mind the traffic.

The seafront promenade of the hotel zone, whose first section, opened in August 1993 on the west side, was first called the "Lido gardens". It runs past the marine biology station and the Ponta Gorda bathing complex to Ponta da Cruz, where the Doca do Cavacas tunnel leads on to the continuation towards Câmara de Lobos bay. A continuous view of the coast, date palms along the way and, on the cliffs, herbaceous and climbing plants mixing endemic and exotic species. Flat, ideal for walking or running at any hour.

Dreamed of since the 17th century, opened in 1960 in Quinta do Bom Sucesso (founded in 1881 by the Reid family), the Madeira Botanical Garden is run by the regional forestry institute: about eight hectares, five of them landscaped — ornamental trees and shrubs, an orchid area, lawns, an amphitheatre, lookouts over the capital — and more than 2,000 exotic plants from every continent, some endangered in their home countries, with a research and conservation section; on site, the garden's Natural History Museum and the Herbarium. Caminho do Meio, Bom Sucesso; the Botanical Garden cable car arrives here from Monte. Since 1 January 2026 entry is free for residents of the Region and remains charged for visitors.

The green refuge of the city centre, 8,300 m² on the north side of Avenida Arriaga, facing the municipal theatre, on the site of the former São Francisco convent whose coat of arms is still displayed on a lawn. Laid out in 1880 and named after Portugal's last queen, it gathers species of Madeiran and worldwide flora, with big shade trees, a lake and a stream with fish, ducks and swans, an amphitheatre for cultural events and a café terrace. Free entry.

In the Lido district, on Rua Dr. Pita, the quinta built in the first half of the 19th century by the wealthy merchant J. Howard March has belonged to the Regional Government since 1980 and is open to all. About 35,000 m² of species from around the world that thrive all year in Funchal's subtropical climate. Thoroughly renovated — gardens, main house and sports facilities: tennis courts, squash, three padel courts, a fitness circuit — it also offers a playground, a restaurant-bar and a temporary-exhibition room.

On the hill of Monte, with a view over the bay, the estate bought in the 18th century by the English consul Charles Murray, then in 1897 by Alfredo Guilherme Rodrigues, who built the palatial residence that became the Monte Palace Hotel. The tropical garden covers 70,000 m² and shows some 100,000 plants from around the world, including centuries-old cycads, "living fossils", among lakes, worked stone, Buddhist sculptures, stone lanterns and a famous collection of tiles from the 15th to the 20th century. At the highest point, the museum shows José Berardo's collection: more than 700 minerals and more than 1,000 African sculptures. Caminho das Babosas 4-A, next to the cable-car station; paid entry (fee on the operator's site).

On a hill east of Funchal, at about 500 m, one of the island's largest and most sumptuous quintas: 143,200 m² laid out in the early 19th century by the first Count of Carvalhal, who planted a wide range of trees and started the camellia collection that still blooms from November to April. Two-hundred-year-old trees, large lawns, lakes, a Baroque chapel and an 18th-century house; bought by the Blandy family in 1885, hence the name Blandy Gardens, with a panorama over the city. Caminho da Quinta do Palheiro 32; paid entry.

East of Funchal, at Neves, an unusual garden acquired by the Regional Government to protect a group of centuries-old dragon trees. The dragoeiro, endemic to Macaronesia, grows very slowly — about ten years to reach two or three metres before it first flowers — and is recognised by its "crown"; the species is in danger of extinction. The exact origin of these specimens is unknown; they may have come from nearby nurseries. Native vegetation of Madeira's coast around them, and an regional forestry institute information centre.

The Region's highest municipal garden, between 543 and 586 m, 26,000 m² in the heart of Monte, laid out at the end of the 19th century. Native and exotic species, including centuries-old trees; at the entrance, a bandstand and a marble fountain with the image of Nossa Senhora do Monte; in the centre, a lake with a map of the island carved in stone. Paths paved with small basalt pebbles run through the whole park — to be walked between the church, the cable car and the sledge departure.

A large public garden opened in 2005 in the Lido district, over about 11,800 m². Sixteen species of palm are planted here, and the space is made as much for sitting as for playing: children's playground, a basketball hoop, two table-tennis tables, a pétanque pitch and three games tables. It is the local garden of the city's hotel district, open daily.

Thirteen thousand six hundred square metres of garden in the city centre, on the site of the former Fábrica de Açúcar do Torreão, known as Engenho do Hinton. The industrial chimney and some machinery remain: what is left of Madeira's sugar industry. The park is divided into five gardens — Laurissilva, terraces, water, tropical and amphitheatre — designed by landscape architect Luís Paulo Ribeiro (TOPIARIS) and given an honourable mention in the national landscape architecture award, public spaces category.

Gardens laid out on top of a coastal rock, the Ilhéu, from which you see the houses of Câmara de Lobos and, further off, the cliff of Cabo Girão, Europe's highest at 580 m. This rock was once the most densely populated spot in Madeira: it was the town's fishermen's quarter, a tradition the bay still keeps. Redeveloped since, it is now a place to walk.

At the end of the Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço (PR 8), after three kilometres of walking one way, a small cove where you can swim. It is not a fitted-out beach: no support services, no lifeguard, and the official page asks for care. The water is translucent and the site lies inside the partial nature reserve. From here the view runs far over the Atlantic, with the Desertas and Porto Santo on the horizon.

On the northern slope of the parish of Caniçal, a protected site of reddish tones known locally as 'Mars in Madeira'. The name comes from a local legend: a bode, a goat, is said to have fallen from these cliffs; it already appears on maps of the late nineteenth century. The place holds two geosites. The first is where the Upper Volcanic Complex reaches the surface: it is the island's best point to observe spheroidal weathering. The second, inside the Natura 2000 network and the Ponta de São Lourenço Natural Monument, shows a 'dykes within dykes' complex, typical of fissural volcanism.

A group of four cavities in the parish of Machico, one of the few known lava-tube examples on the island. These conduits form when the surface of a flow cools fast while the inside stays liquid and drains away, leaving an empty channel. The four cavities, of different sizes and altitudes, hold a varied cave fauna, with species found only in Madeira. The name refers to a legendary figure, a horse with bat's wings.

The bay where the first navigators landed in 1419. It stretches several hundred metres and brings together a pebble beach, a beach of imported yellow sand, a quay and a marina. The green mountains that close it form a kind of amphitheatre running down to the sea. Sailing, canoeing and windsurfing are practised here; the Desertas and Ponta de São Lourenço close the backdrop.

A summit in the parish of Porto da Cruz, near the boundary with Santo António da Serra, edged by the Laurissilva listed as World Heritage since 1999. The paths that cross its steep slopes climb to 1,200 m. From there the view runs from the parish of Santana to Ponta de São Lourenço, taking in the island's highest peaks, Pico Ruivo included, with the Atlantic behind. People come on foot or on horseback.

A leisure park in the parish of Santo António da Serra, in the middle of dense Laurissilva — the humid subtropical forest some twenty million years old, made mostly of species endemic to Macaronesia. A path serves eleven lagoons where trout are fished; you can then cook them at an open-air picnic area. The park has a tea house, and the visit can include a poncha welcome and a home-made meal.

Madeira's only plateau, at about 1,500 m, in the municipality of Ponta do Sol: on clear days the south and north coasts can be seen at once, otherwise the greens of nature dominate. High-altitude flora with endemics such as the thyme Thymus micans, important birdlife; it is the island's most important aquifer-recharge area, from which levadas and trails set out — to Rabaçal (PR 6.5, 13.1), Fanal (PR 13), Folhadal (PR 17) — with wind farms, forestry posts, leisure areas and shelters. Bica da Cana (1,620 m) and Pico Ruivo do Paul (1,640 m) are its high points; PR 27 (closed) reads the traces of the plateau glacier that covered Paul da Serra about 25,000 years ago. Fog, wind and cold possible in any season.

On Paul da Serra, the Pico da Urze balcony opens onto the island's largest valley covered in Laurissilva — a UNESCO World Heritage site, a Natura 2000 site, classified as an area of rest and silence by the Parque Natural da Madeira. From the ER 105 car park set off Madeira's most famous trails: the Levada das 25 Fontes (PR 6), the Levada do Risco (PR 6.1), Alecrim (PR 6.2), Lagoa do Vento (PR 6.3) and, below, Casa do Rabaçal, the meeting point with its reception centre on the history of the levadas; the Túnel do Cavalo (1863–1877) and the Túnel das Estrebarias (1855) tell of the first crossing of the northern waters to the south. All trails require SIMplifica booking (€4.50).

The "eagle's rock", a rock mass of about 600 m (590 m) that separates the municipalities of Machico and Santana between Porto da Cruz and Faial: one of Madeira's great geological symbols, dominating every landscape of the north-east coast — from the Portela pass, PR 5 Vereda das Funduras, PR 10 Levada do Furado, the Guindaste viewpoint or the Fortim do Faial. No classified trail climbs it: the ascent is not waymarked by the regional forestry institute, so admire it from below.

In the Poiso forest perimeter, in the parish of Camacha (Santa Cruz), a park dedicated to leisure for the whole family: great biodiversity of native and exotic species, big old trees, young plantations of Madeira cedars, folhados and massarocos, chestnuts and beeches. Picnic areas with tables, fountains and fireplaces, a campsite, football pitches and mini-golf; parking, paid toilets, public-transport access. Open weekdays 9:00–17:00, weekends until 18:00 in winter and 19:00 in summer.

At Chão das Feiteiras, in the Poiso area — one of the places most visited by Madeirans, on the road to Pico do Areeiro — a wide upland plain whose relief allows the organised grazing of a flock of sheep, within the Poiso forest perimeter (municipality of Machico). Several picnic areas with tables, benches, fountains and fireplaces, with spots for your own stove, a camping area and public parking; no toilets or catering, public-transport access possible.

One of Europe's five most famous rose gardens and one of the largest in the world, with more than 1,500 varieties — old and contemporary, climbing or not, the rarest identified by name and class. Created in 2003, opened to the public in April 2004 and dedicated to Isabel de Herédia, Duchess of Braganza, it is listed as a "Garden of Excellence" by the World Federation of Rose Societies. Since 26 June 2017 the garden has been run by an international hotel group within a tourist complex;(April–December, 10:00–18:00). Included here as a garden, not as a business.

The great public park of Santo António da Serra, much loved by families and schools: an English colonial-style quinta built in the late 19th century by the Blandy family, bought in 1975 by the Junta Geral — hence its name Quinta da Junta — and made the official holiday residence of the President of the Regional Government before opening to all. Fallow deer, peacocks and Garrano horses, mini-golf, a tennis court, a picnic area, azaleas and rhododendrons, and a lookout taking in Machico, Ponta de São Lourenço and as far as Porto Santo.

A fall of about 140 m at the island's south-western tip, in the parish of Ponta do Pargo. It is reached from Pedregal by a short, easy path of about 600 m one way, which leads to the viewpoint it is seen from. From there you also take in the Atlantic and the Ponta do Pargo lighthouse, set on a cliff at 290 m. The waterfall comes out of a jagged, green-covered slope.

The waterfall falls onto the old ER 101 road, at Ponta do Sol. It circulates widely on social media — and the tourist office published a page to say the opposite: access to the site is officially prohibited by the authorities on safety grounds. The road is closed regularly because of the high risk of landslides, the surface becomes very slippery in rain, and accidents have already happened there. The barriers and signs in place must be respected. The regional portal points instead to the safe waterfalls: Véu da Noiva, Garganta Funda, PR 9, 14 and 16.

At the end of Levada do Risco, at Rabaçal: a fall that drops vertically and draws a white line on the dark rock. It is reached by PR 6.1, an easy 1.5 km path one way from the ER 105, about two hours there and back, at some 1,000 m of altitude. The path shares its start with Levada das 25 Fontes (PR 6). The Risco viewpoint closes the route.

A pool at the foot of a wall from which the waters coming down off Paul da Serra emerge: the official page counts twenty-five springs, hence the name. The site is classified geosite C01 – 25 Fontes for its scientific value, and it is this underground circulation that made the building of the levadas possible. It is reached by PR 6, 4.3 km one way from the ER 105 at Rabaçal, about three hours, moderate, between 964 and 1,288 m.

A lake at the foot of a fall of about a hundred metres, formed by the Ribeiro do Caldeirão Verde, in the heart of the Laurissilva. It is reached by PR 9, from the Queimadas Forest Park: 8.7 km one way, about six and a half hours there and back, four tunnels cut in the rock. The levada that leads to it was dug in the eighteenth century to carry water to the farmland of the parish of Faial.

The far end of PR 9, beyond Caldeirão Verde: 2,200 m more, in a tight cirque carved by the same stream. The official page gives the full path from Queimadas to Caldeirão do Inferno as 8.7 km one way and six and a half hours; so set off early and count on returning the same way. It is the most exposed part of the route.

The only tidal lagoon in the whole archipelago, on the south-west coast, in the parish of Ponta do Sol. Many migratory birds stop or nest here, which makes it the island's best birdwatching spot: the official page names the little egret and the moorhen, uncommon elsewhere in Madeira. The mild conditions of this slope partly explain the richness.