10 million years ago, the belly of the Earth began to growl, grow, eruct, until a huge stone emerged from the abyss on the oceanic ridge: Madeira was born! Since then, the archipelago has continued to cultivate rare species, helped by winds, birds of passage and then by the hands of inspired botanists. The "Pearl of the Ocean" is made of a rich and fertile land with a heavenly climate, that of an eternal spring and its benevolent sun, allowing a varied flora to develop with ease. Madeira is often described as a "floating garden", and the comparison is not overrated: just count the number of botanical gardens open to the public to see it. Everywhere, along the roads, in the sumptuous quintas or in the orchards of simple houses, it is a bouquet of shimmering colours where magnolias, agapanthes, amaryllis or hydrangeas, hibiscus, geraniums, begonias, bougainvilleas, birds of paradise abound... Orchid cultivation has also expanded significantly. A visual as well as an olfactory experience to fully enjoy in spring. The ingenuity of the first Portuguese to land on the island more than 600 years ago gave rise to a multitude of irrigation channels - levadas - that water the four corners of the territory from the peaks. It is along these waterways that nature pilgrims and other lovers of wilderness will travel through the territory to its most intimate corners, often leading to unforgettable panoramas. A hike in Madeira is therefore unforgettable. Funchal, a charming trading and colonial capital with white walls shining under the sun, is a long-standing stopover on the road to the Americas. And the city still vibrates with the constant flow of liners, cars and tourists on the lookout for museums and churches, with an imperturbable sweetness of life... By moving away from the city, Madeira reveals its wild coasts and its constellation of mountain villages. Although the inhabitants defend an island identity, we find this peasant and welcoming atmosphere so widespread in the countryside of continental Portugal. We will therefore have the opportunity to travel through Madeira along its breathtaking roads which, sometimes boldly overlook the Ocean, sometimes follow the curves of the powerful rocks running towards the desert green of the centre of the island. If the North is humid and tropical, and the East, with its rather arid Breton Finistère airs, the central plateau offers walkers sumptuous walks in the hollow of laughing valleys, then the vision of the mountains, majestically darting their peaks beyond the mists. And recently, areas dedicated to swimming and some beaches worthy of the name have been created: the "natural swimming pools" in the north of the island are refreshing, as is the endless strip of white sand in Porto Santo, the neighbouring island. Of volcanic origin like Madeira, Porto Santo is older since it was formed more than 8 million years ago (compared to 5 million years ago for its large neighbour). But Porto Santo is a bit like its sister's antithesis: dry, sparsely populated, it is characterized by a peak at 516 m, the Pico do Facho, sparse vegetation and, above all, a long beach of 9 kilometres of light sand. The tour of the island allows you to discover the northeast side of the island, very wild, with the Pico Branco (450 m) and the site of Terra Chã with its cave (Furna dos Amiziados), flat country, and to climb to its many belvederes. You can also enjoy beautiful hikes here too. The north of the island concentrates the fishing grounds and is also visited by a few whales and passing dolphins.
It must therefore be said over and over again: the Madeira archipelago can only be discovered by walkers on the occasion of prime walks and hikes. There are them all over Madeira and Porto Santo and we will never run out of idyllic postcards
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