So much green... An explosion of green. And all those mountains shrouded in clouds, lost in the middle of the Atlantic, 500 kilometres from the Moroccan coast... And the flowers... Multicoloured, everywhere and in profusion. They are what make the Madeira archipelago so famous: a verdant, almost tropical paradise barely six centuries old. Even though the island appeared 20,000 million years ago as the result of a volcanic eruption, it was not discovered - and then only by chance - until 1418, when a storm diverted the Portuguese navigators João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira from their destination, forcing them to land on a completely unknown islet that they named Porto Santo.
1 ) In Funchal, the SèThe cathedral, which was built shortly after the discovery of the island and has remained unchanged ever since, boasts one of Portugal's most beautiful wooden ceilings, all in marquetry.
In the distance, they saw a large island that they would return to explore the following year; an ancient volcano, black with lava, with cloud-capped peaks and covered in forests. One name stood out: Madeira, the "wood island. In the wake of the explorers came the first settlers who acclimatised cereals, vines and sugar cane, a plant that flourished to such an extent that Madeira soon became the leading producer of sugar in the West. This was reason enough for Christopher Columbus, then a commission agent for a Lisbon merchant, to disembark in 1478 and take advantage of the opportunity to marry Filipa Moniz, the daughter of the governor of Porto Santo.
A flourishing woodland island
Over the years, the capital, Funchal, became an essential stopover for caravels on their way to the Americas. Much later, in the 19th century, European doctors would send their wealthy patients to Madeira - the beginning of tourism - to breathe the pure mountain air. The most charismatic of them all, the Empress of Austria, Sissi, came here to treat tuberculosis, which was suddenly cured, but above all a real melancholy, linked to her husband's infidelities and the rigours of Viennese court etiquette.
"Did you know that we have almost two centuries of tourism history? explains Maria da Graça Luís, Technical Advisor to the Regional Minister for Tourism and Transport. Madeira attracted visitors very early on, because it's a natural destination with a pleasant climate all year round. Thanks to this long experience, we have a real hotel quality and exemplary service. Although the floods in February 2010 had a slight impact on visitor numbers - even though there are hardly any traces of them left - we are now benefiting from the postponement of planned trips to Tunisia and Egypt. What's more, now that we have direct flights, it's easier for tourist and business groups to get there.
When you discover the island in spring, you quickly realise what holidaymakers are looking for: a certain gentle way of life, a touch of carefree, good-natured fun. The countryside explodes with colour and scent. Carpets of nasturtiums cover the mountain slopes. Jasmine invades the low walls; agapanthus blooms blue along the paths and arums colonise the meadows.
An explosion of colour
In these almost tropical latitudes, gardens are the order of the day. That's why the British, with their passion for horticulture, came here to live in quintas, elegant pink or yellow mansions that have often been converted into refined hotels. These large landowners developed a gently sloping irrigation system - known as a levada - to drain rainwater from the dry, sunny south, which was abundant on the north coast, to their sugar cane and banana terraces.
These levadas are one of the island's undeniable assets. Groups walk along them on excursions into the laurisilva, the primary laurel forest. Jaime Ferreira, By Nature guide, explains: "It's true that there are a lot of imported species in this forest, but there are endemic laurel, blueberry and Madeira viperine, for example. When I take a group - no more than 25 people, otherwise we have to split it up - the hike lasts three to four hours. As the clouds cling to the mountains, the humidity is always very high. But the countryside is magnificent. The path passes under lichen-covered trees, crosses torrents, plunges into tunnels and skims over chasms; at the end of the effort, a picnic awaits the participants in front of a breathtaking panorama. Sometimes we combine these walks with a 4 x 4. However, we don't organise canyoning, even though, with all the waterfalls tumbling down the walls, it's one of the most popular sports. On the other hand, we have developed Segway tours, which are two-wheeled electric scooters.
This new-look scooter, which is absolutely silent and, what's more, eco-friendly, provides a real thrill, especially when climbing up to one or other of the many miradores - viewpoints - with which Madeira is crammed. At every bend in the steepest of roads, you'll discover jagged cliffs, waterfalls that seem to freeze over and dizzying peaks. Proof of this can be seen in the tiny village of Curral das Freiras tucked away at the bottom of its valley, the precipices surrounding the peak of Arieiro or the cliff of Cape Girão, the highest on the island at 580 metres, which will soon be offering new thrills with the addition of a glass platform!
Subtle azulejos and basalt black
For more cultural pleasures, groups set off, road-book in hand, to discover the narrow streets of Funchal's old quarters.On the way, they may notice the pebbled paving of the Town Hall square, an all-white building surrounded by black basalt, displaying the omnipotence of the ancient Portuguese crown; then they stand in awe of the sublime chiselling on the cedar ceiling of the cathedral, the delicacy of the Flemish paintings in the Museum of Sacred Art or the subtle blues of the 18th-century azulejos in the Santa Clara convent. They then stroll through the Lavradores market, with its two floors of flowers, vegetables and fruit exuding tropical fragrances. Greeted at the entrance by sprays of birds of paradise, anthuriums and orchids, they try out new flavours as they sample the local bananas, Cayenne cherries and anones growing on the sunny espaliers. This exoticism is echoed by the fishmongers who scale the black sabrefish, the swordfish that live in the deep sea. An appetiser of sorts, before a visit to the Old Blandy Wine Lodge, home to the Madeira wine cellars.
1 ) Particularly dense and lushThe laurisilva, Madeira's laurel forest, is the largest in the world, a vestige of a once widespread natural complex and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
2 ) Santana, on the north coast The traditional triangular thatched houses are still home to the region's peasants, but they are above all a tourist attraction.
3) Overlooking the bay of FunchalThe extravagant "jardim do Monte" takes visitors on an exotic journey across the continents, all the way to the Land of the Rising Sun.
Sonia Marquès, in-house guide, explains: "We are in a 17th century monastery where, for 200 years, wine has been aged by adding alcohol, either during or at the end of fermentation. In France, Madeira is only known for its use in sauces, but in fact there are four types: dry as an aperitif, semi-dry to accompany foie gras, semi-sweet delicious with cheeses and desserts, and finally sweet, ideal as a digestive." The upstairs rooms, where these sweet nectars mature at room temperature under beams blackened by time, are filled with the scent of caramel and nuts, before the tasting of these dry and sweet wines as a finale.
Invigorated by the generosity of these vintages, the groups then take the cable car up to Monte, a much-loved English holiday resort, where the last emperor of Austria, Charles I, and his wife Zita also lived in exile. The extraordinary tropical garden of the Monte Palace is the perfect place for a treasure hunt. Tucked away in a valley, it combines azaleas from Belgium, cycas from South Africa, tree ferns and endemic laurel trees. Koi carp bask in the lakes, and the paths, populated by roosters and peacocks, are embellished with armorial stones, azulejos and even a Japanese pagoda. The breathtaking walk continues higher up with a visit to the church of Nossa Senhora do Monte, whose steep staircases are climbed by pilgrims during the Assumption and descended at other times by teenagers on mountain bikes. The carros de cesto, two-seater wicker sledges with wooden runners that used to be used by people travelling down to Funchal, start from the foot of the mountain. Today, they are a flagship attraction, the only one of its kind in the world. In single file, guided by two sturdy men whose tyre-soled boots provide the braking, the participants glide at full speed - a bit like at a funfair - down steep lanes with sometimes sharp bends, then finish hilariously exhilarated by the speed, two kilometres below.
5 ) At the north-western tip of the islandThe volcanic pools of Porto Moniz offer visitors a chance to cool off in the middle of the reefs before heading back to Funchal, 75 kilometres away.
6 ) De Camara de Los LobosIn this authentic fishing village on the south coast, much loved by Winston Churchill in his day, the boats set out to attract the star of the local tables, the peixe espada, a deep-sea fish similar to the eel.
On the seaward side, the island is lined with coves and dark, basalt pebble beaches, mostly accessible by steep staircases or steep paths. An ocean of shallows suggests other fun activities. Carlos Jardim, CEO of Panorama, explains: "The possibilities are endless when it comes to water sports. But we can also take a group of 100 people sailing on a replica of the Santa Maria, Christopher Columbus's caravel, accompanied by a crew in period costume and two very chatty parrots chattering away at the top of the ladder. Alternatively, aboard catamarans or small boats, visitors can take to the open sea to observe dolphins, sperm whales and whale watching. It's not uncommon for some participants to jump into the water to swim with the cetaceans. Finally, we organise a lunch on a beach, such as the one below Cape Girão".. Then there's the seaside resort of Porto Santo, with its nine-kilometre stretch of sandy beach and protected dunes. Two hours from Funchal by boat, groups can play games on the sand, go hiking in the hills, visit the village of Vila Baleira and the Christopher Columbus Museum, housed in the house where he was supposed to have lived. And then, like the first navigators, they go off into the sunset to contemplate the ocean. An infinite ultramarine blue turning to orange, which, if it were still possible, we would like to sail in a caravel towards America.
