One of the reasons many people come to Madeira is hiking! The island is crisscrossed by a network of veredas (trails). Many of the trails follow the levadas - paths that parallel the irrigation channels that cover the mountain.
Madeira's levadas are feats of engineering, determination, and ingenuity. They are the lifeblood of the island providing water to the taps, fields, and gardens as well as electricity through hydro power. Because Madeira has no stable rivers, human habitation on the island with be difficult without them.
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The island is lush and tropical - the temperatures for hiking were perfect.
Our hike started in Machico, the first capital of Madeira and the place where the Portuguese first landed and "claimed" the island for the king back in Lisbon.
The first part of our hike was fairly flat following a levada. Then we turned to start climbing up the mountainside. Along the way, we had sweeping views of the terraced landscape that is watered by the water from the levadas. |
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About halfway through our hike, we climbed up a short path to a lookout point to have lunch.
The ocean views were spectacular and it made perfect sense why Madeira is sometimes called "Europe's Hawaii."
We gradually hiked back down the mountainside ending on the stone beach in Porta da Cruz.
Most of Madeira's PGI rum is made in Porta da Cruz using sugar cane produced on the island. On the way up the mountain, we saw workers in the process of harvesting the sugar cane.
The rum is used in Madeira's indigenous cocktail of white rum and fruit juice called Poncha.
The original "fisherman's Poncha" combines rum, lemon juice and sugar.
We had a chance to try Poncha Regional which is a combination of rum, orange juice, lemon juice and honey.
Poncha is served in small, heavy-stemmed glasses and is usually accompanied by some sort of snack.
This hike really did "check all the boxes" for - particularly because it ended with ice cream!
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