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Madeira Walking Festival – Exploring the Beauty of the Island by Foot.
Madeira is full of scenic beauty and exciting activities. There so much to do here with island touring, cycling, paragliding, boating, fishing, windsurfing, sea diving, bird watching, dining at some delicious restaurants, and a lot of entertaining festivities. And one of these lively activities in Madeira is the yearly walking festival.
The Walking Festival.
Actually, the host of the festival are the alluring lands of Madeira and Porto Santo. Every year in January, the locals and people from around the continent—and the world—come here to experience the history of this place and also explore the enchanting Laurissilva forest.
Who Governs It?
The Madeira Walking Festival is not a private activity, it is a regional festival, and the Madeira Tourism Board organizes this to encourage visitors to come here and discover Madeira’s beauty.
The walking festival was held for the first time in 2004, and the initiator of this exciting festival is Terry Marsh who is an acclaimed travel writer, photographer and, you guessed it, lover of nature.
“We are confident that this festival will encourage hikers to visit the Madeira Islands to have the personal experience of savoring the unsurpassed beauties of this remarkable place.” Terry Marsh said that about the Madeira Walking Festival who is the acting director of it too. (The above quote is originally in Portuguese and Google Translate has been used to get its English translation.)
Why Be in a Madeira Walking Festival?
If you have been to Madeira once, you would not ask that question. But for those who never visited Madeira, let’s know the top reason not to miss Madeira Walking Festival.
If you come to a picturesque island like Madeira, would you waste the whole experience by just driving by the area and spending time in the hotels and restaurants? (Although there is a lot to do in there too with so many festivals and delicious food.) Or would you go out and spend some real time with the canal, greenery, mountains and the clear blue sky?
We know your answer would be later and that is exactly what makes Madeira Walking Festival so special and so compelling for every tourist to take part in.
Walking Paths
The walking paths used during the Madeira Walking Festival are many and each one offers something unique to the walkers (or should we say, explorers). That is why many explorers choose to be in more than one routes and discover the flawless beauty of the island more comprehensively.
The walking paths are scattered all around Madeira and Porto Santo, but below are the most famous ones:
Madeira Walking Paths.
- Queimadas/Caldeirão Verde/Caldeirão do Inferno
- Cabo Girão – Quinta Grande
- Serra De Agua/ Curral Das Freiras
- Rabaçal / Risco/ Lagoa do vento/25 fontes
- Porto Moniz Folhadal/Encumeada/Feiteiras/Sao Vicente
- Caniçal Ponta de São Lourenço/Baía D’Abra/casa do Sardinha
- Snow Route/Poco da Neve/Levada do Barreiro
Walking Paths in Porto Santo.
- Porto Santo/North East peaks/Pico do Castelo/Pico do Facho
- Fonte da Areia to Zimbralinho
