The Tallest Peaks

We have now been at Madeira for six days, which is as long as we have ever stayed in one place, and we have further activities planned.  I doubt if we will make it to the far west end of the island or spend much time in downtown Funchal. Dawn calls this "another undiscovered gem" which means she really likes it.  But it is only undiscovered to Americans; many Europeans come here on vacation.  Very safe; scenic; good weather; moderately priced with excellent food; English spoken widely; what is there not to like?  We are used to European driving conditions, but, if not, plenty of organized tours are available.  Our hotel may be part of the attraction for us; a boutique hotel, five-star personal service, in a very relaxed atmosphere without the congestion of downtown Funchal.

Today we visited the Jardim Botanico, extensive gardens located in the heights overlooking Funchal. Nice, but not as large as I was expecting.  Then we went onto Pico Arieiro, at about 6000 feet above the surrounding ocean, one of the tallest mountains on the island.  An amazing trail connects it with two similar peaks.  Given that these are part of ancient volcanoes, the trail is over very rugged terrain.    I only walked a small section of the trail; it would be an all-day one-way trip.  The weather was perfect, upper 60's with light breeze.

Looking NW from Pico Arieiro to Pico das Torres.

Just a sample of this long, narrow and rugged trail between peaks.  I only walked a portion.  To walk the entire length and back in one day would take an early start and a high level of fitness.

This is where I stopped.  Enlarge this photo to where you can see the narrow path along that cliff.  The section after that was steep upward along a narrow ridge.  The trail also includes several tunnels through solid rock.

Tomorrow, we intend to tackle some additional levadas in the western part of the island.  It should be much easier than this.

The western end of Madeira is dominated by a 4000+' high plateau.  Few trees here, more bushes and flowers.  A row of wind turbines suggests significant wind.  We found levadas here, but with few trees present, we found the hiking to be boring.

An almost unbroken layer of clouds flows in over the north portion of the island; when it pushes through this mountain pass, it dissipates on the warmer, dryer southern slopes.

The village of Serra de Agua lies far below us in the deep valley.  You need to enlarge this photo to see that distant village.