Madeira is an archipelago located in the North Atlantic Ocean 430 miles west of the Morocco coastline. Access to the islands is through two major airports from Lisbon and from 30 other important European hubs. Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport and Porto Santo Airport are settled on the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo, respectively. Transportation between the two main islands is by plane, or ferries from the Porto Santo Line, the latter also carrying vehicles.
Upon the arrival, a recommendation is to rent a car if you want to spend the entire time visiting the island and the trip will last for a couple of days. Hertz, Rodavante and Sixt will be looking forward to welcoming you with their best offers and vehicles.
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| Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport |
Following an extensive erosion, the volcano produced two large amphitheaters open to the south central part of the island. Researchers recorded the most recent volcanic eruptions with a date of about 6,500 years ago.
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| Pico Ruivo (Redheaded Peak) |
From the airport, your vehicle will take you along via VE1 to an excellent place to explore the magnificence of this volcano. In about 40 minutes, you will be in Pico Ruivo (Redheaded Peak). Actually, it is the time to drive to the parking lot at the Pico das Pedras State Forrest. From there, be ready for an exciting hike experience. This is an excursion you have to make leaving the hotel early morning if you plan on doing this only for a day.
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There are no roads to Pico Ruivo, but levadas. The island of Madeira is wet in the northwest, but dry in the southeast. In the 16th century, Portuguese colonists started the construction of aqueducts or levadas in their language in order to carry water to the agricultural regions of the south. Madeira is very mountainous, for building the levadas became difficult. As a result, they often pushed convicts and slaves against the rigorous work. Many are cut into the sides of mountains, and it was necessary to dig 25 miles of tunnels, some of which are still accessible.
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| Levadas |
Today the levadas supply not only water to the southern parts of the island, but also provide hydro-electric power. There are over 1,350 miles of levadas and they administer a network of walking paths. Some give easy and relaxing walks through the countryside, but others are narrow, crumbling ledges where a slip could result in serious injury or death. Since 2011, some improvements have been made to these pathways, after the 2010 Madeira floods and mudslides on the Island, to clean and reconstruct some critical parts of the island, including the levadas. Such improvements involved the continuous maintenance of the water streams, cementing the trails, and positioning safety fences on dangerous paths.
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| The Laurel Forrest of Madeira |
Two of the most popular levadas to hike are the Levada do Caldeirão Verde and the Levada do Caldeirão do Inferno, which should not be attempted by hikers prone to vertigo or without torches and helmets. The Levada do Caniçal is a much easier walk, running 11.4 km (7.1 mi) from Maroços to the Caniçal Tunnel. It is known as the mimosa levada, because "mimosa" trees, (the colloquial name for invasive acacia) are found all along the route. If your excursion turns out to be longer than a day, you might consider to stay in one of the two nearby hotels: Destination Madere, located on the west side of Pico Ruivo or if you can make it to your vehicle in the parking lot, there is another lodging place called Lua de Mel, only if you want to stay for another day in this beautiful spot of Madeira Island.
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| Pico das Pedras State Forrest |
Hopefully, you will enjoy this trip. Always remember to check with airlines if they are having regular flights during COVID-19. Also, verify availability with hotels and even entrance regulations to the parks.
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