Photo credits

This site uses original family photographs and selected images and short clips from other photographers. Sources and licences are listed below.

Photos

• The paved seafront promenade in Jardim do Mar, with palms below the cliffs and the Atlantic alongside. Photo by Mcgaylard on Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
• Ribeira Brava’s pebble beach with straw parasols, wooden walkways and a stone breakwater under a cloudy sky. Photo by Celsoazevedo on Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
• A bend in the ER105 at Lombo do Mouro, with yellow-flowering shrubs, steep green mountainsides and low clouds. Photo by Simo Räsänen on Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
• Calheta’s two golden-sand bathing bays, stone breakwaters and marina seen from above. Photo by Don Amaro on Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
• The natural lava-rock pools at Porto Moniz with the Atlantic beyond. Photo by Bruna Santos on Unsplash.
• Ilhéu Mole, the rock islet off Porto Moniz, with surf breaking on black lava. Photo by Shana Van Roosbroek on Unsplash.
• Waves breaking over the lava rocks at the free Cachalote pools in Porto Moniz. Photo by Landsmann on Pexels.
• Porto Moniz village from above, red roofs between green terraces and the sea. Photo by Dimitry B on Unsplash.
• Seixal from the air, the village on its headland below steep green valleys. Photo by Maciej Marko on Unsplash.
• The black sand beach at Seixal under cliffs half hidden in fog. Photo by Julia Schuwer on Unsplash.
• The Vereda do Arieiro path along a ridge above a sea of clouds. Photo by Mylife Art on Unsplash.
• An old laurel tree in the fog on the Fanal plateau, framed by mossy rock. Photo by Jakub Sichta on Unsplash.
• Old til trees with bent trunks standing in thick fog on the grass at Fanal. Photo by pattjjee on Pexels.
• A twisted, moss-covered til trunk at Fanal with more trees fading into the fog behind. Photo by Daria Agafonova on Pexels.
• A brown and white cow grazing at Fanal on a clear day, laurel trees and the mountains behind. Photo by Mahyaddin Jabbarli on Pexels.
• A traditional thatched A-frame house in Santana behind a bed of red flowers. Photo by Reiseuhu on Unsplash.
• Green cliffs of the north coast dropping into the sea. Photo by Arnaud Padalle on Unsplash.
• Patterned flower beds at the Madeira Botanical Garden above Funchal. Photo by Lorete M on Pexels.
• Looking straight down from Cabo Girão to the fields on the shore below. Photo by Tlex on Pexels.
• Caniço spreading down the hillside towards the Atlantic Ocean. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Black sand, swimmers and green cliffs at Porto do Seixal Beach. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• A wooden and metal ladder leading down into clear turquoise water below the Madeira Airport runway. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Santa Cruz seafront seen across the water from the breakwater, with hotels and houses climbing the green hillside. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Véu da Noiva waterfall dropping down a green cliff towards the Atlantic. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• View through the sheltered spot beside the Seixal beach descent towards the north coast. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Pebble shore and clear Atlantic water at Reis Magos Beach in Caniço. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Palm trees and a seafront hotel beside the Reis Magos promenade in Caniço de Baixo. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Raw espetadas hanging on metal skewers at Talho do Caniço. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Espetadas grilling over wood embers at Talho do Caniço. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Interior of O Moega bar in Caniço, with beer taps and bottles behind the counter. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Pink house and a vine-covered wall on Rua da Imperatriz in Funchal. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Tropical fruit for sale at Mercado dos Lavradores in Funchal. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Volcanic swimming pools and Atlantic water at Doca do Cavacas in Funchal. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Funchal seen from the sea, houses climbing the hillside above the harbour, with a tugboat crossing the bay. Photo by Łukasz Rawa on Unsplash.
• Curtains of warm white Christmas lights hanging over a stone fountain in a square in central Funchal at dusk. Photo by Kevin Krüger on Unsplash.
• Red and gold Christmas wreaths along the Funchal seafront promenade, with the city climbing the hills behind. Photo by Monika Guzikowska on Unsplash.
• A metre of colourful ponchas served at Rei da Poncha in Funchal. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• A waterfall dropping down red volcanic cliffs beside the boat ramp at Paúl do Mar harbour. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Small fishing boats moored in the harbour at Paúl do Mar, with the breakwater behind. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Swimmers and sunbathers on the pebble beach at Ponta do Sol, below a cliff of banana terraces and white houses. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• The sun setting behind Ponta da Cruz and Funchal, seen over the railing of the Cristo Rei viewpoint in Garajau. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Garajau Beach below a striped volcanic cliff, with the cable car wires overhead and red parasols on the pebbles. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• The zigzag road down the cliff to Garajau Beach, with Funchal on the coast in the distance. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Looking straight down from the Garajau cliff to the pebble beach and the beach bar, past prickly pear cactus. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Welcome to Paradise painted in coloured pebbles on the beach bar roof at Garajau, with swimmers and the cliff behind. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Curral das Freiras village deep in its valley, seen from Eira do Serrado past purple Pride of Madeira flowers. Photo by Tomas Trajan on Unsplash.
• A house with a red roof at the bottom of Nuns Valley, the mountain walls behind it in cloud. Photo by Julia Oberhauser on Unsplash.
• Colourful fishing boats in Câmara de Lobos Bay below houses and terraced hillsides. Photo by Masee Bayat on Pexels.
• A board of fried chicken wings with chips and sweet chilli sauce, next to two glasses of poncha, at Snack Bar Real Falcão. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• The view east from Cabo Girão along the south coast towards Câmara de Lobos and Funchal, with the sun high over the Atlantic. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Close-up of the smooth grey and red volcanic pebbles that cover Garajau Beach. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• The Cristo Rei statue on the Garajau headland, seen from the path below, past prickly pear cactus. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Michael walking along a mossy stone path beside a still pool in the laurel forest at Ribeiro Frio, with fallen leaves on the ground. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• A wooden PR11 trail sign pointing to Balcões, 1.5 km, in the forest at Ribeiro Frio. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Painted wooden fishing boats pulled up on the ramp at Paúl do Mar harbour, below a waterfall on the red cliff. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Michael standing at Pico do Arieiro just before sunrise, above a sea of clouds, with the horizon glowing orange behind him. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• A stone arch bridge over deep blue water at the Ponta do Sol quay, with the coast and cliffs behind. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Swimmers and sunbathers around the natural lava-rock pools at Porto Moniz on a sunny day, with the Atlantic beyond. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Michael with his mother Sónia and his father Manuel, smiling inside the stone-walled, wood-beamed Taberna da Poncha. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• A circle of hands raising glasses of poncha over the patterned floor at Taberna da Poncha, scattered with peanut shells. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• A Madeira chaffinch on a metal railing in the fog on the walk to Balcões. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• A hiker holding the rope rail on a rocky stepped section of the Ponta de São Lourenço trail, high above the sea. Photo by Mick Kirchman on Unsplash.
• A hiker on the stone-paved PR8 path across bare golden hills at Ponta de São Lourenço, early in the morning. Photo by Mick Kirchman on Unsplash.
• The bare brown hills of the São Lourenço peninsula running out into a bright blue Atlantic. Photo by Paulo Lopes on Unsplash.
• The trail winding along the cliffs of Ponta de São Lourenço towards the last headland at sunrise, with islets offshore. Photo by Shana Van Roosbroek on Unsplash.
• Machico from the hillside on a sunny day, with the golden sand beach, the pier and the marina below green mountains. Photo by Samuel Quek on Unsplash.
• Machico from above, the town spread around its bay below green mountains in cloud, with the sand beach at the water’s edge. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Swimmers in deep blue water off the concrete sunbathing deck and sea steps at Praia da Pedra da Eira, Caniçal. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• The seafront promenade from Ribeira do Natal towards Caniçal, between the cliff and the rocky shore. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• Ribeira do Natal Beach in Caniçal, pebbles, straw parasols and sunbathers below a dry cliff. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.
• The beach bar terrace at Ribeira do Natal, painted in pink, yellow and blue stripes, with blue chairs and a poem on the wall. Photo by Michael Martinez on Madeira Trip Planner.

Calheta Beach photograph

“Madeira Beach” by Don Amaro, via Wikimedia Commons, originally published on Flickr in 2006. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0. Cropped and converted to responsive image formats for this site. Used on the Calheta guide and related guide cards.

Jardim do Mar and Ribeira Brava photographs

• Jardim do Mar Promenade by Mcgaylard, 22 June 2010, via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped and converted to responsive formats; the adapted images retain the same licence.
• Ribeira Brava beach by Celsoazevedo, 7 January 2024, via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Cropped and converted to responsive formats.
• ER105 mountain road at Lombo do Mouro by Simo Räsänen (Ximonic), 14 May 2023, via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and converted to responsive formats; the adapted images retain the same licence.

Video

• Cliffs on Madeira's south coast. Video on Pexels.
• The coast west of Funchal. Video on Pexels.
• Water running along a levada channel between ferns and moss, beside a forest path. Video on Pexels.
• The natural pools at Porto Moniz. Video on Pexels.

Map

The relief map is drawn from AWS Terrain Tiles, which combine SRTM and other open elevation data.