Portugal is a country we always wanted to visit but weren’t yet able to schedule enough time. It has everything we want to see while visiting a country, historical sights and also natural places and good birwatching but somehow we are not able to fit it into our plans. And that is still true for the mainland but in 2025 we were finally able to visit Madeira which technically is also Portugal for a few days so yay we finally touched Portuguese soil :).
During our visit to Madeira we focused on the central and eastern side of the island and were never able to make it to the western side, to our regret. However we really enjoyed beautiful Funchal, hiking a levada trail and finding all endemic birds on the island during two birding trips and also our own explorations.
Driving in Madeira is relatively easy however the streets are quite winding so you have to be quite careful and not speed. Parking can be quite an issue during the tourist season but we were able to find parking at most tourist sites.
Map of Travels
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Trips
- Beautiful views from Cristo Rei statue before leaving Madeira
Our last visit in Madeira is to the Cristo Rei statue on the way of the airport enjoying the great views for one last time before leaving towards Paris - Ruined Saint George Fort beach
We end the exploration of the north coast with a visit to the ruined Saint George Fort and the nearby beach before returning to Funchal for dinner - The exciting Levada do Rei
Our only levada hike during our short visit is Levada do Rei a beautiful but busy trail good for nice views and all Madeira endemic birds - Santana traditional houses
On the way to a levada trail we stop in Santana to find and explore the traditional houses before moving on - Looking at night for Zino Petrels
We spend the evening into the night looking for Zino Petrels in the highest mountains of Madeira at their nesting grounds - Wine and churches of Funchal
Late afternoon we go into downtown Funchal exploring the beautiful churches and wineries before finding a dinner place and returning to the AirBnB - Looking for rare pelagic birds near Madeira
The first birding trip today is looking for pelagic birds and sea mammals but we are successful only with birds on the two hour trip - Machico, the beach town
Today is a day of birding starting in Machico but then we stay afterwards and explore the town and use the beautiful beaches - The fascinating Monte Gardens
We spend the afternoon in the Monte area exploring the famous church and extensive gardens and looking for birds while admiring the views - AirBnB and east side of Funchal
We spend part of the day exploring the area of Funchal east of our AirBnB eating dinner and walking along the waterfront on narrow streets - The larger than expected Whale Museum
We start the day in the Whale Museum where we spend a couple hours exploring the interesting exhibits while waiting for our AirBnB to be ready