Madeira is commonly known as the Island of Flowers. The island owes its nickname to its richness in species, even though most plants have been imported to the island in course of the colonial era and are therefore not endemic. Moreover, Madeira is an eldorado for nature lovers. The wild, almost frenetic island nature will inspire every wanderer. Thus, the well-known water channels of Madeira, called Levadas, offer numerous possibilities for hiking tours as well as the former shepherd’s paths within the summit zones.
One can gaze at the pictures taken during a hiking tour on Madeira in December 2012. For seven days there were organized hiking tours at different corners of the island. Starting point was the southwest of the Island (Camara de Lobos, Ribeira Brava, Punta do Sol and Calheta). After that Porto Muniz situated on the North Coast become the second initial point. The next hiking tour started in the middle of the island and lead to the mountain’s peak. At the end, Santa Cruz right by the sea became our base camp until we returned to Funcahl to see the famous fireworks on New Year’s Eve.
Madeira is an amazing many-sided island with almost hourly changes in wheather and marvellous, even though exhausting, hiking paths.
