"Madeira" a Madeira Island Travel Page by sachara

Madeira island is the largest island of the Madeira Archipelago. The island is 57 Km long and 22 KM wide. The highest peak, the Pico Ruivo is 1861 m. The island lays at a distance of 545 KM from the coast of Morocco.

The island is known because of its the colourful gardens and flowers, but it has also an extremely rough natural beauty. It's amazing how many variety the island offers at such a small surface, like the high peaks in the east and the plains in the west, the steep rocky coast at the north and the lovely terraces in the south.

By the microclimate Madeira island shows the faces of several continents. In the mountains you can face everything, blue sky and clear sights, but also clouds and even snow !

We visited Madeira island in winter 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002 , 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2008.

Along the coast and inland you can find many lovely small villages, each with its own character.

The mountains and the coast can be rough and barren, but also lovely and green with a lot of flowers in the fields. The views are mostly breathtaking.