The interior of the island Madeira offers a completely different landscape for holidaymakers, who in the vast majority of cases have moved into the coastal areas. Apart from the spectacular views of the sea, the central highlands offer beautiful and sometimes easy hikes to natural beauties, the high mountains almost alpine conditions.
Regions
The Encumeada Pass as a connection between Ribeira Brava and Sao Vicente in the middle of the island also divides the central highlands into two different areas. In the west direction Calheta and Porto Moniz extends the plateau Paúl da Serra, a generally flat high moor with only a few elevations. Visitors from coastal regions will feel as if they were "exposed on the moon", especially with the foggy weather that is often encountered here. But even when the sun is shining you feel more on the green island Ireland located as on an Atlantic island in the south. From the Forthaus in Rabaçal In the center of the plain you can undertake the most famous and also easiest hikes in Madeira.
East of Encumeada towards Santana and Machico the high mountains extend up to 1860 m with the peaks of the Pico do Arieiro and Pico Ruivo as well as the basin of Curral das Freiras. From Encumeada, however, it is only accessible via hiking trails, road connections only exist from the east coast.
In administrative terms, the area of the coastal communities extends from the sea to the geographically assigned mountains. In this respect, the assignment is rarely applicable here. For vacationers, the distinction between the area and the coasts is of much greater importance, hence the different categorization in this wiki.
places
- The plateau of Paúl da Serra is worth a visit because of the contrast program to the coastal regions and its sea views.
- From the forester's house Rabaçal and the associated hikers' car park at the ER-105, lesser-known, but above all the most well-known levada walks on the island that are accessible to everyone can be undertaken.
- Also Canhas with the statue of Cristo Rei is a popular starting point for levada hikes.
- The Encumeada Pass is not only a popular vantage point on both coasts of the island, but also the start or finish point of beautiful hikes into the Folhadal and into the high mountains.
- Serra de Água is a small mountain village below the Encumeada with a tourist infrastructure.
- Madeira's highest peak, the Pico do Arieiro and the Pico Ruivo are independent destinations with mountaineering aspirations. The former is intermediate up to a lookout point below the summit via the ER-202 Monte and Ribeiro Frio Easily accessible by car or a bus tour.
- Curral das Freiras is a mountain village in a remote, deep valley north of Funchal and can only be reached from there.
Other goals
- The laurel forest Laurisilva from Madeira, which covers an area of around 15,000 hectares, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
getting there
The inland of the island is best reached with your own vehicle. Public bus connections are sparse and, if available at all, are geared to the needs of the working population that hardly exists in the sparsely populated area. Most of the excursions that can be booked include the area in their routes, but individual excursions are rarely possible here. For hikers there are individual taxi companies who specialize in a drop-off and pick-up service for this clientele.
kitchen
security
The single emergency number 112 also applies in Madeira.
climate
The average maximum daily temperature fluctuates between 19 degrees in December and January and 25 degrees in July and August. Usually it rains more often in the northern part of the island than in the south. Due to the different weather conditions in the north and south, however, very sudden and violent weather changes can occur in the interior of the island. You should be prepared for this, especially when hiking in this area, even if the blue sky is still shining when you leave the coast.
