Next Stop - Madeira 2

Day 4 - 7

Day 4: Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço

On the fourth day of my Madeira trip, I took the bus from Funchal to São Lourenço to hike the most popular and famous trail in Madeira. The trail is part of a natural park and is located on the east side of the island. Although only 7.2 km long (round trip), it took me a total of 3.5 hours because I stopped approximately every hundred meters to take in the phenomenal views :)

Day 5: São Vicente & Road Trip along the West Coast

The next day, I decided to visit the São Vicente Caves in the north of the island with a friend from the hostel. The caves were formed 890,000 years ago by a volcanic eruption, and the resulting tunnel system, through which the lava flowed at the time, can now be explored. The guided tour of the caves didn't take too long, so instead of taking the direct road back to Funchal, we took a detour along the west coast - a mini road trip with numerous viewpoints, from fog and rain to sun at the beach.

Day 6 & 7: Catamaran and Dolphins

I approached my 6th day with a relaxed mindset. After a leisurely morning at the hostel, I took the bus to Funchal around noon to visit the market with fresh fruits and vegetables, flowers, herbs, and fresh fish. In the afternoon, I met up with two friends from the hostel and together we went on a catamaran trip in the sea, hoping to observe dolphins or even whales and turtles. Unfortunately, without success. So we took the last chance and booked the tour again for the next morning (this time free of charge), to go directly to the airport afterwards (a well-planned time management). This time we were luckier and encountered several groups of dolphins (or rather 'Atlantic spotted dolphins').