Madeira – photography trip 2025 – Part 3
The next day, we returned to Ribeira da Janela for sunrise. There was nothing particularly spectacular, but we saw that while we were there, it had started snowing back home. Meanwhile, we were enjoying our new adventure in temperatures between 15 and 20°C.
I also took a closer look at Porto Moniz. Here, nature has created natural swimming pools in the volcanic rocks.
It was time to visit Fanal. This is one of Madeira’s most iconic locations. As we approached by car, cows were wandering along the road in front of us, and sometimes we had to maneuver around them. Fanal is located on the Paúl da Serra plateau, at about 1200 meters above sea level. It is part of the Laurisilva laurel forest. The trees are relatively low, with wide canopies, and some may be 500 or even 800 years old. The place is especially spectacular in foggy weather. When we arrived, the wind was just blowing the fog away. We managed to take one acceptable photo.
The place itself is beautiful and unique. Ildikó had also prepared for bird photography, so we joined her. We found Madeiran chaffinches and “played tag” with them in hopes of capturing some nice shots.
For sunset, we decided to head up to Pico do Arieiro, Madeira’s third-highest peak at 1818 meters. The GPS played a little trick on us on the way up. Instead of taking us along the proper, wider road, which isn’t terribly steep, it guided us up an extremely steep route. At times we had to shift down into first gear just to make it up. As a bonus, the road was also very narrow. We were lucky that no one came towards us on the most difficult sections, where we couldn’t have passed each other. At the summit, there was a parking lot, a café, a souvenir shop, and a military facility. The view already impressed me from the parking lot. The blades of wind turbines wrapped in fog were barely visible in places.
From here, an approximately 11 kilometer hiking trail leads to the island’s highest point, Pico Ruivo, at 11861 meters. As far as I know, due to a previous major wildfire, this route is currently closed, at least for the most part. You can still start along it, and the first 1-2 kilometers offer a magnificent panorama. There are several viewpoints along the way. The fog was moving at an ideal height, so we set off as well. We even met Hungarians here, and in fact several times during the week-long trip.
The different layers of the mountains were visible in places.
A 360° panorama couldn’t be left out here either. If I’m not mistaken, you can even see Pico Ruivo faintly through the gentle veil of fog.
The fog was changing very dynamically, and we were already looking for the right spot for sunset.
Various panoramas were also taken of the massive mountains, including a “tiny planet” version.
Another 360°. By this time, sunset was very close, so we took our positions, captured the photos, and of course enjoyed the view.
At the edge of the island, the setting sun painted the fog golden, it sometimes looked like rolling waves of fire. It’s difficult to convey that sight through photographs.
That was all we could fit into that day. If I remember correctly, our supplies were running low, so we did some grocery shopping. The next morning, we made another attempt at Fanal. The downside of the location is that, since it’s very popular, there are usually many people around. Because of this, it’s quite difficult to take photos without someone appearing in the frame. Thanks to our early arrival, there weren’t too many people yet. The fog was present as well.
After Fanal, we got hungry and went back down to the coast near Seixal. Lunch was very delicious and filling. After a short rest, we visited a nearby viewpoint above the coast. I entertained myself with some long-exposure experiments.
Finally, we headed back up into the mountains, this time targeting Pico Ruivo, the island’s highest point. Although the route between Arieiro and Ruivo was closed, Ruivo can also be reached from another parking area with an approximately 2.8-kilometer hike. There was a decent elevation gain, but the hiking trail is very well developed throughout. While it was around 20°C down at the coast, up here we definitely needed to dress warmly. Along the way, about halfway up, there is a section where the landscape is dominated by white, bare trees left behind by the previous wildfire. It’s a very unique sight, especially in this mystical sea of fog.
After a very exhausting walk, we finally reached the summit viewpoint. This time we weren’t lucky. The fog completely covered us. A strong and very cold wind was blowing. We waited for sunset, but we couldn’t look around properly here.
We walked back down to the parking lot and then drove back to our accommodation. The final part is coming soon.