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Madeira's Wild NorthStriking landscapes, spectacular views Our walk starts on the volcanic Santana Plateau which, with its thick woodland, fertile terraces and vertical cliffs that rise sheer from the sea, is rewarding to explore, but also gives access to the island’s mountainous heart. Further east, the landscapes are even more rugged, with deep ravines and towering cliffs. Amid such drama, you would not expect to see vines, yet they cling defiantly to the steep slopes, and the grapes that are harvested by hand each September are used to make the fortified wine for which the island is famous. Nights: 7 or 10
Starting point: Quinta do Furão (4* quinta), São Jorge. From its peaceful (and romantic) cliff-top location amid vineyards which supply Blandy's, this stylish hotel enjoys breathtaking views along the north coast all the way to the north-eastern tip and inland to the mountains. The heated pool – which is covered or open-air depending on the time of year – shares the views, as does the balcony where you can dine in warm weather, as well as many of the well-appointed, spacious bedrooms. Sitting outside on the lawn, you can usually hear the waves below you. Day 1: your first short, easy walk serves as an excellent introduction to the wild landscapes of the island’s north-east corner – after a taxi transfer to a village with a splendid Baroque church, you walk down the apparently impassable cliffs on an ancient and beautifully engineered track to Farrobo Lighthouse, from where the views usually stretch right along the north coast, with the island of Porto Santo visible on the horizon on clear days. You continue on a cobbled trail to the almost deserted village of Calhau, which was an important centre of trade until the 1940s. If you have a good head for heights, it is well worth detouring to the most northerly point of the island, Ponta de São Jorge, where you can pause for your picnic and watch the Atlantic swell burst against the rocks before you ascend along an ancient path that winds back up to the Quinta. (6km, 2.5hrs) Accommodation: Quinta do Furão, as above. Day 2: this is a very flexible route that can be adapted to the amount of walking that you wish to do. After a taxi transfer, you follow the Levada do Caldeirão Verde (which is lined with ferns varying in size from tiny plants to small trees) past several wonderful viewpoints and through a few short tunnels to a waterfall which tumbles down a fern-clad rock wall. You could retrace your steps from here or, if you are not prone to vertigo, continue along the levada past more waterfalls to an impressive cirque with 300-metre-high walls before turning back. Once at your starting point again, you can descend to the Quinta on foot or take a taxi (pay locally). If you prefer a shorter day, you could simply cut out the levada walking altogether. (6km, 2hrs to 17km, 8hrs) Accommodation: Quinta do Furão, as above. Day 3: if you are feeling energetic and don't mind a steep descent followed by an equally steep ascent, you can start the day by zigzagging down to the cultivated seashore terrace (faja). It was formed when erosion by the sea caused the upper part of the cliff to fall down, and nowadays every scrap of land is used to grow grapes and vegetables. The route proper is much easier and follows old trails and levadas along the northern edge of the Santana Plateau’s patchwork of terraces, fields and market gardens. Again, you pass several viewpoints, this time offering views of the Faja Grande at the foot of towering cliffs. (7km, 3hrs) Accommodation: Residencial Curtado (guesthouse), Santana. This simple but friendly guesthouse is equipped with a small pool, sitting areas, a panoramic terrace and an intimate restaurant. We include the larger rooms with balconies in a separate building on the cliff-top which enjoys good views over the coast. An amended Itinerary operates after day 3 commencing 1st April 2008 please see below Day 4 : there are various options for today. The first is a short route through rows of vines to Ponta do Clérigo, a headland viewpoint that promises even better views of the Faja Grande than the previous day’s walk. The second (which is very flexible) reveals the higher altitudes of the island. Take a taxi (pay locally) inland, then ascend along a relatively easy path to Madeira's highest summit (Pico Ruivo, 1,861 metres) for a 360-degree panorama that encompasses the entire island on a clear day. Even if there is cloud below you, the views of the red and ochre volcanic rock around you are well worth the climb. Retrace your steps to the starting point, where you can choose to return by taxi, though we recommend that you descend on foot so as to see for yourself the island’s different layers of vegetation, first tree heather and laurisilva (a tree that covered vast areas of the northern hemisphere in the Tertiary period, but nowadays can only be seen in small pockets on Atlantic islands such as Madeira), then the alpine zone, and finally the populated area. The third option is suitable only for experienced walkers, as it is very strenuous and leads along steep-sided paths, but it is truly spectacular, leading from Pico Arieiro (which you can reach by taxi - pay locally) to Pico Ruivo. (5.5km, 2hrs or up to 15km, 6hrs or 6km, 4hrs) Accommodation: Residencial Curtado, as above. Day 5 : from the Curtado, you descend to the pretty village of Faial and the coast, where you cross the mouth of the huge – and dramatic – Ribeira Seca Gorge. (In good weather this makes a pleasant swimming spot.) You then go up and over the shoulder of the Penha d’Aguia (‘Eagle Rock’, so named because of its impressive rocky mass) to join a centuries-old route along the coast, past the seemingly forgotten hamlet of Terreios which grows papayas, bananas and avocados. There is one last rise (rewarded with good views) before the descent to Porto da Cruz. (8km, 4hrs) Accommodation: Costa Linda (inn), Porto da Cruz. Enjoying a good location with one side overlooking the church square and the other looking out to sea (you are just a couple of minutes from the village's black-sand beach), this is a simple but friendly hotel serving tasty Madeiran cooking. We include rooms with a small balcony and sea views. Day 6 : as on most previous days, you have various options. An easier, bad-weather route explores a fan-shaped valley, following the Levada Castelejo into the valley, with views of the tiny terraces, and returning along the wine route and across the beach. Another route takes in the treeless north-eastern tip of the island (pay locally for a taxi there and back), revealing rocks of astonishing shapes and colours, as well as fossilised coral and sea shells. However, for a thrilling end to your holiday, we recommend that you take a taxi (pay locally) and walk over the Boca do Risco (‘Mouth of Risk’!) Pass to the coast. You then traverse narrow paths carved into the cliffs 300 metres above the sea, enjoying extraordinary coastal views as you pass through expanses of gorse, tree heather and volcanic rock formations at first, then eucalyptus and pine trees. (8km, 3hrs or 6km, 2.5hrs or 9km, 4hrs) Accommodation: Costa Linda, as above. Itinerary from 1st April 2008: Day 4 : from the Curtado, you descend to the pretty village of Faial and the coast, where you cross the mouth of the huge – and dramatic – Ribeira Seca Gorge. (In good weather this makes a pleasant swimming spot.) You then go up and over the shoulder of the Penha d’Aguia (‘Eagle Rock’, so named because of its impressive rocky mass) to join a centuries-old route along the coast, past the seemingly forgotten hamlet of Terreios which grows papayas, bananas and avocados. There is one last rise (rewarded with good views) before the descent to Porto da Cruz. (8km, 4hrs) Accommodation: Costa Linda (inn), Porto da Cruz. Enjoying a good location with one side overlooking the church square and the other looking out to sea (you are just a couple of minutes from the village's black-sand beach), this is a simple but friendly hotel serving tasty Madeiran cooking. We include rooms with a small balcony and sea views. Day 5 & 6 : as on most previous days, you have various options. An easier, bad-weather route explores a fan-shaped valley, following the Levada Castelejo into the valley, with views of the tiny terraces, and returning along the wine route and across the beach. Another route takes in the treeless north-eastern tip of the island (pay locally for a taxi there and back), revealing rocks of astonishing shapes and colours, as well as fossilised coral and sea shells. However, for a thrilling end to your holiday, we recommend that you take a taxi (pay locally) and walk over the Boca do Risco (‘Mouth of Risk’!) Pass to the coast. You then traverse narrow paths carved into the cliffs 300 metres above the sea, enjoying extraordinary coastal views as you pass through expanses of gorse, tree heather and volcanic rock formations at first, then eucalyptus and pine trees. (8km, 3hrs or 6km, 2.5hrs or 9km, 4hrs) Accommodation: Costa Linda (inn) as above Extend your stay: to discover two very different sides of Madeira, combine this walk with Waterways & Flowers holiday to make a wonderful two-week journey across the island from north to south. Walking chart: the chart gives the distance and an approximation of the ascents and descents involved each day. If comparing holidays, please note the scale of each chart as this can differ.
Other information: if you would like to see the brochure page, you can download this (and the pages for any other holidays you are interested in) by using our brochure creation system for the summer and spring/autumn/winter editions of our Walking and More programme. Similar holidays: Tenerife & El Teide (grade 2-3), La Gomera - Hidden Gem of the Canaries (grade 2-3), Madeira's Waterways & Flowers (grade 2), Mountains & Coast (grade 2-3), Crete's Coast & Mountains (grade 3) Prices & travel 2008:
Room upgrades: São Jorge, junior suite £14pppn Extra night prices:
> Notes on prices > Any queries? Let us call you back  |
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On an island that is famed for its rich plant life and striking landscapes, Madeira’s north-east corner is particularly luxuriant and dramatic. Here, swathes of laurisilva forest, a relict of the Tertiary period, shelter many endemic species, and deep ravines plunge down towards the coast, where tall cliffs tower above the Atlantic. With such impressive and varied scenery, the views are astonishing at every turn, and walking here is undeniably thrilling. 
Quinta do Furão 
