Madeira

Madeira rises straight out of the Atlantic like a green wall — a volcanic island 560 km off the African coast where deep valleys, laurel forest and cloud-wrapped peaks crowd into just 741 km². This is not a lie-on-the-beach kind of island. It’s a lace-up-your-boots, fill-your-water-bottle, chase-the-sunrise-above-the-clouds kind of island. If you’re planning a hiking or nature camping trip, Madeira rewards every step.

A green volcano lost in the Atlantic

The climate is what makes it all possible year-round: mild temperatures averaging 17ºC in Winter and 25ºC in Summer, so the trails are walkable and the campsites are liveable in almost any month. The Gulf Stream keeps the sea temperate too — around 22ºC in Summer and 18ºC in Winter — so a swim after a long descent is always on the table. But it’s the mountain scenery, enriched by a flora and fauna found nowhere else on Earth, that will not leave you indifferent.

Levada walks: the heart of hiking in Madeira

Ask any local why you came to Madeira and they’ll answer before you do: the levadas. These narrow water channels were carved through mountainsides and blasted through solid rock to carry water from the wet north to the farmland of the south — and the maintenance paths that run alongside them are now the best hiking network on the island. Follow one and you’ll walk through tunnels, along cliff edges and straight into the misty heart of the Laurissilva, often without climbing a single step.

For something more vertical, the high-mountain trails deliver the views: PR.1 Vereda do Areeiro strings together Madeira’s three highest peaks — Pico Ruivo, Pico das Torres and Pico do Areeiro — while the classic 25 Fontes levada leads deep into the forest to a natural amphitheatre of waterfalls. Whichever you choose, bring proper footwear, water and a jacket — the weather on the peaks changes fast.

Camping above the clouds

None of Madeira’s hotels, however beautiful, can offer what a night on the mountain does: the smell of the forest, the silence, and — if you time it right — a sunrise above a sea of clouds. Pico Ruivo, the island’s highest point at 1,862 metres, is the classic pilgrimage, with 360º views stretching from the north to the south coast. Fanal, on the other side of the island, offers something quieter: some of the oldest Til (Ocotea foetens) trees in Madeira, twisted and ancient, wrapped in the fog that gives the forest its magic. Camping here — legally, on one of the island’s official sites — is as close as you get to sleeping inside the Laurissilva itself.

Browse every legal campsite on the island — with maps, amenities and access notes — on our campsites map.

Flora, fauna & the ancient forest

Madeira’s isolation in the Atlantic turned it into a living laboratory: dozens of plant and bird species exist nowhere else on the planet. In the Laurissilva you’ll walk beneath centuries-old Til, Vinhático and Barbusano trees, past ferns and mosses that thrive in the constant mountain mist. Offshore, the uninhabited Desertas Islands protect one of the world’s most important colonies of the Mediterranean monk seal — locally the lobo-marinho — a species that has all but vanished from the rest of Europe.

Beyond the trails: adventure and ocean

If you’re an enthusiast of nature and active tourism, hiking is only the start. Conquer the mountains on a mountain bike, go for a trail run, or if heights don’t scare you, launch off a ridge paragliding. Canyoning drops you into the most secret, untouched corners of the island’s ravines, following the same water that feeds the levadas above. And when the trail meets the coast, there are excellent spots for surfing and bodyboarding where you can fly over the Atlantic swell instead of the mountains. See the full list of tours and activities we recommend on our activities page.

Watch Madeira

A few minutes of footage says more than we can in words. Here’s a taste of the levadas, the peaks and the forest that are waiting for you.

Ready for your adventure?

Among all the outdoor activities Madeira has to offer, levada walks and mountain hikes remain the way most travellers choose to discover the island’s beauty — and the way most of them fall for it completely. Pick a trail, pack light, and find your campsite above the clouds.