For day three of our trip to Portugal we boarded a plane super early in the morning (around 6:00am) and flew to the Island of Madeira.
The plane ride from Porto to the town of Santa Cruz on Madeira was only about two hours, so we arrived there early, around 8:00am.
From there we rented a car close to the airport and drove to the city of Caniçal for our activity for the day, a hike along a peninsula located on the eastern end of the island.
The penisula is called the Verada da Ponta de São Lourenço, or maybe thats just the name of the hike? I'm not exactly sure, but if you Google that name you will find more information on the hike itself if it's something you plan to do in Madeira.
The hike actually begins a little further than the city of Canical in a parking lot at the begining of footpath.
The lot is easy enough to find on Google maps if you zoom into the area near the pin drop in the screenshot above.
Like usual I would suggest getting to the site early to ensure that a space is available. It's also good to go early to avoid the heat of the day since there is little to no shade for the entire duration of the hike.
The hike follows a well marked path through a varied terrain of grasslands, rocky outcrops,
and coastal cliffs.
Several lookout spots along the way offer some great views of the different rock formations.
My understanding is that the peninsula was created thousands or even millions of years ago, by volcanic activity. To be honest, I have no idea where or when I read that or if it's even true, so don't quote me on it. It seems like a plausible explanation to a geology layman like me though.
However it was created, the views there were really stunning for nearly the entire duration of the walk.
You will definitly want to stop and take lots of photos along the way.
I'm not exactly sure what the rings in the water were but my guess is that they're some sort of fish farm.
Let me know in the comments if you have a better idea.
According to our fitbits, the path was approximately 3km+ long each way (6-7km total) and took roughly 2:30-3 hours to complete. The way back was much faster for us.
There is some elevation gain, about 125m according to one source online though another one said that it was around 470m. It seems that there is some disagreement there.
Either way you can expect some uphill climbing though.
The hike was pretty moderate in my opinion.
Its not horrendous and there is nothing technical about it, it just requires a moderate amount of fitness and good mobility.
I would definitely recommend bringing your own water and snacks.
There is a bar and restaurant located about 3/4 of the way in, but it was closed when we were there so it's probably best not to rely on it being open.
It has washrooms, but they were locked as well, so people were just squatting in the bushes all around the building wherever they could find an ounce of privacy.
There were picnic tables there that were somewhat shaded and could be used to sit at and eat lunch, so that was nice. It kind of looked like a small desert oasis.
That reminds me, you should probably bring sunscreen and a hat as well because there is virtually no other shade along the path. Be prepared for intense sun beating down on you in the afternoon.
These shots (2 above and 1 below) were taken after the bar and looking back towards the begining of the hike.
After the bar the walk is basically all uphill until you reach the final lookout point.
At the top is a flat spot in the dirt that looks out over the small islands in the sea.
It's a good spot to take the quintessential, candidly posed photo, of you or your partner looking out at the scenery. Those are clearly our favorite ;)
Personally I just don't like my face to ruin the shot.
This shot is of my wife. Her face only enhances the photos but she like to remain elusive.
I took a few more photos around this area before we began our trek back to our car. It was a hell of a lot hotter in the afternoon but we made really good time getting back. Less photo breaks I'm sure.
On our return we we're happy to see two different food trucks selling snacks, ice cream and cold drinks. The ice cream was just the packaged stuff but we bought some anyway as a little reward for all our effort. Then we got into our hot little car and drove to Funchal where our hotel was located.
This hike is a top rated hike on the island according to many sources online and personally I would have to agree. The terrain and the coastal views are stunning and it's really the right level of difficulty for nearly any demographic. It's a good activity to put on your list if you like scenic landscapes, Sea views, and the great outdoors.
