Madeira

Madeira was on our bucket list for years, and an off-season trip there in March 2025 did not disappoint. Storm warnings and strong northerly winds followed us most days, which made for dramatic surf below the cliffs at Ponta do Castelo and Ponta do Rosto. Between storms we found mountain views at Lombo dos Palheiros and the color of Funchal’s Mercado dos Lavradores.

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Rainbow view from Boaventura
The uphill view from Miradouro do Lombo dos Palheiros.
View from Pico do Areeiro, with a rainbow splashed across the leftmost mountainside.
View to the west from Pico do Areeiro.
Banana plants and plantations can be found in many places. These were in Boaventura.
The stone bridge over Ribeira do Porco, at São Cristóvão, near the start of the Caminho da Entrosa hiking trail.
During our visit we had storm warnings on most of the days, with strong northerly winds and frequent rains. This shot of the spray from a wave crashing on to Ilhéu Preto was taken from just over a mile away in Ponta Delgada.
Porto Moniz
Monumento Natural da Escoada da Foz da Ribeira da Janela
The village of Seixal, as seen from Antiga ER 101 near Ribeira da Janela
Rainy days create waterfalls everywhere on Madeira. These were seen from the VE 4, near Moleiro
Our house has many orchids, but the specialized pots for holding these epiphytes caught my eye.
The fruit stands in Funchal's Mercado Dos Lavradores (Farmer's Market) are a riot of color.
The upside of the sun coming out after the rain has never been so apparent as in Curral das Freiras (Valley of the Nuns), with dozens of waterfalls leaping from the surrounding cliff walls.
Waterfalls being blown away by the wind, as seen from Curral das Freiras (Valley of the Nuns.)
Overview of Curral das Freiras (Valley of the Nuns), as seen from Miradouro da Eira do Serrado.
View of Ponta do Castelo from Miradouro da Ponta do Rosto on an extremely windy day.
We started our hike up the Caminho da Entrosa as the sun was coming out after a short rainfall.
View east toward Arco de São Jorge after the highest section of the Caminho da Entrosa.
View of São Cristóvão from the Caminho da Entrosa, returning from Arco de São Jorge. (We liked the horsehead rock formation on the right.)