Eastern Madeira

Eastern Madeira is a dramatic landscape, where steep-sided river valleys and precipitous ravines run headlong in the Atlantic Ocean.

It’s easy to get lost in eastern Madeira – in fact, we positively encouraged it. Head inland from the popular suburbs of Canico and Garajau, and you enter a maze of rural roads which meander from one magnificent valley to the next, with endlessly beautiful views around every corner. Despite the obvious challenges presented by the landscape, the east of the island is dotted with small villages and hamlets, which help give scale to the immense views and stopping points for a unhurried lunch.

Three of the island’s most important levadas meet in the Parque Natural do Ribeiro Frio, making this the ideal spot to preserve and protect Madeira’s endemic plant life. A short walk down the Levada da Serra do Faial brings you to the miradouro at Balcoes – a wonderful spot overlooking the Ribeira da Metade valley.

Santana is the largest town in the north, famous for its charming Casas Tradicionais – the preserved, traditional thatch-and-lavastone buildings that were once common throughout the north-east of the island. The small coastal villages of Faial and Porto da Cruz nestle either side of the Penha d’Aguia, one of the island’s most-impressive natural monuments, and a popular swimming spots thanks to their sheltered natural bays.

At the southeastern tip of Madeira, the beautifully-barren Ponta de Sao Lourenco peninsula provides quite a contrast to the semi-tropical abundance of Ribeiro Frio, whilst the town of Machico, steeped in Madeira history, is a must-see if you’re looking for that authentic Madeiran experience.