October 2023
02out(Oct 2)6:3006(Oct 6)23:45
Event details
Event Description
In this activity proposal, we will walk along the "famous" Levadas and Veredas of Madeira, the pearl of the Atlantic, in a week full of unforgettable landscapes. During this week we will of course have the opportunity to try the best flavours of the local gastronomy. Come and join us!
PROGRAMME
From 2nd to 6th October (Monday to Friday) - REGISTRATION UNTIL 30 JUNE 2023
Departure from Lisbon on 2nd October
Departure from Funchal on 6th October
WALKING
- Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço - 10 kms
- Levada / Vereda das 25 Fontes - 9 kms
- Lagoa do Vento - 3 kms
- Vereda dos Balcões - 3 kms
- Levada do Moinho - 12 kms
- Vereda do Pico Ruivo - 5 kms
- Vereda do Pico do Areeiro, Pico das Torres and Achada do Teixeira - 8 kms
ISLAND TOUR TO THE FOLLOWING PLACES
- Porto Moniz, São Vicente, Porto da Cruz, Fajã dos Padres (view from the belvedere), Paul do Mar, Jardim do Mar, Calheta, Ribeira Brava, Câmara de Lobos, Funchal, Machico, Santana and Curral das Freiras.
VISITS & GASTRONOMY
- São Vicente Caves and Volcanism Centre
- Visit to the Calheta Mill
- Madeira Wine Tasting
- Visit to the Farmers' Market, Municipal Garden, Cathedral and the historic centre of Funchal
- Typical dinner with Madeiran folklore
VISITS TO VIEWPOINTS
- Cabo Girão viewpoint (the highest in Europe)
- Christ the King Viewpoint
- Facho Viewpoint
- Eira do Serrado viewpoint
- Among others...
Madeira - a week in the pearl of the Atlantic
Laurissilva Forest
It is in the exuberance of the landscape that one of Madeira's greatest tourist attractions can be found. Its lush vegetation, whose indigenous forest was recognised by UNESCO in 1999 as a World Natural Heritage Site, will certainly fascinate you. This forest dates back to the Earth's Tertiary Period and, during the last glaciations, its existence was reduced to the geographical area of Macaronesia, i.e. the archipelagos of Madeira, the Azores, the Canary Islands and Cape Verde.
The birdlife includes rare species such as the trocaz pigeon, an endemic species exclusive to Madeira Island, the Madeira nun, the kestrel, the chaffinch and the bisbis. Considered a living relic, almost all of its area of occurrence is included in the Madeira Natural Park with the highest status of Integral Reserve.
The levadas
Levadas are irrigation channels that can be found on the island of Madeira and on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands. Levadas are also called the channels, usually smaller, that carry water to the water mills. On the island of Madeira, the origin of levadas was due to the need to bring large quantities of water from the north-facing slopes, where it is abundant, to the south side of the island. Levadas began to be built in the 16th century, with the most recent dating back to the 1940s, supplying water for hydroelectric power stations and also for irrigation purposes. They are approximately 3,000 kilometres long and can be travelled on foot, giving visitors access to the heart of the island and breathtaking landscapes. From 0 to 1862 metres, excitement is guaranteed! Madeira's "Levadas" are part of a series of protected areas, including the Madeira Natural Park and the Funchal Ecological Park.
Ponta de São Lourenço Nature Reserve
At the eastern end of Madeira Island is the Ponta de S. Lourenço Nature Reserve, created in 1982. This reserve has a peculiar fauna and flora due to the presence of important groups of local endemisms virtually confined to the area. It also has a surveillance post that provides support for Environmental Education.
Biosphere Reserve - Santana
The municipality of Santana, located in the north of the island of Madeira, was honoured by UNESCO in June 2011 with the distinction of "Biosphere Reserve", in recognition of the richness of an ecosystem that seeks to reconcile the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use.
This reserve includes a terrestrial component, corresponding to the entire surface area of the municipality, as well as a marine component, presenting a great diversity of natural and human, landscape, environmental and unique cultural values of local, regional, national and international interest.
The natural diversity is manifested by a wealth of fauna and flora that incorporates a high degree of endemism and an integral representation of the most important ecological units on the island of Madeira, from marine and coastal ecosystems to high altitude vegetation, including the Laurissilva Forest, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site since 1999.
Volcanism in Madeira
The Madeira archipelago is an example of intra-plate volcanism - hot-spot - in an oceanic environment, resulting from the action of two mantle plumes, one that originated Porto Santo in the middle Miocene, around 14 Ma ago, and later Madeira and the Desertas in the upper Miocene, around 7 Ma ago; and the other that originated the Selvagens islands in the Oligocene, around 28 Ma ago. The island of Madeira rises above a vast submarine plain, inside the African plate, forming a volcanic massif more than 5.5 kilometres high, of which only 1/3 is submerged.
Bookings until 30 JUNE 2023
Booking price: 150€ per person
Some of the points of interest at the event
- Levadas and Footpaths - Viewpoints - Funchal, Farmers' Market and Cathedral - Laurissilva Forest - Forest Parks - Cabo Girão - Porto Moniz Natural Pools - Madeira Wine Tasting - Visit to the Calheta Mill - Beautiful natural landscapes, with waterfalls, lakes, levadas and mills -
Location
Meeting Point
Lisbon Airport
Latitude: 38°46'7.81″N
Longitude: 9° 7'46.31″W
TIME: Departure from Lisbon on 2nd October 2023
RETURN: Departure from Funchal by the 6th of October 2023
Route Features and Equipment
Circular
Circuit
Equipment
Footwear and clothing suitable for hiking