Madeira – São Lourenço, a walk on the edge of the island

The easternmost trekking route, the São Lourenço (St. Lawrence in Polish) peninsula route, is, in our opinion, the most spectacular route in Madeira.

In a previous post we described a walk along the levadas, where the island’s vegetation, levadas and waterfalls were a delight. Here we are faced with almost wilderness, rugged coastline, sharp cliffs and (indeed, above all) breathtaking views.

First thing in the morning, we set off by car from Funchal in an easterly direction, towards the town of Canical. The start of the trail begins a piece further on, so continue heading east until the end of the road – to the traffic circle. There is a parking lot here, where you can leave your car for free and set off on a walking tour.

São Lourenço Peninsula

The route on the São Lourenço peninsula in Madeira is of medium difficulty, but nevertheless can be dangerous in adverse conditions (wind, rain). At first it may seem simple – wooden steps, footbridges what’s hard about it?

After a short distance, however, the wooden beams end and the route leads along steep slopes. The length of the route to the farthest viewpoint is 4 kilometers (plus the same distance on the way back).

We freely admit, we did not prepare properly for this route. It may not be too demanding however, there are parts where you go close to the cliffs and you have to be very careful. In addition, the aforementioned weather conditions may hinder the route. Initially, we were happy to have hit good weather – sunshine, a few clouds, a light wind, almost ideal conditions for walking 8 kilometers.

We also recommend our eBook “Madeira” »! All in one place with 106 pages full of inspiration, descriptions and practical advices.

Along the route, however, on bare slopes, these conditions can be troublesome. Throughout the route, it was in vain to find shade, and the sun was heating up quite strongly. Be sure to stock up on sunscreen to protect yourself from the strong rays, which you may not feel as much, but the painful effects may already appear in the evening.

Despite the sunshine, it was chilly at the same time, as the wind blew mercilessly, and after just a while of walking (quite briskly) we had to dress, in everything we took with us. There were parts of the route where we almost felt like we were going to be blown off the trail and had to hide behind rocks.

In addition to warm clothes and good filters, it is essential to take water and something to drink with you – there are no stores, bars or anything along the route where you can stock up on food or drinks.

However, let’s focus on the more pleasant part of the trip, i.e. what you can already see all along the way. Along the route we pass fantastic views of the rocky coastline and numerous cliffs.

At times the route runs on really dangerous-looking slopes, so you have to be careful not to get too close to the edge. In many places it is safe to lean out and look at the geological history of the island on colorful rock formations.

An added attraction during the march is the opportunity to watch planes descend into the Madeira airport and often have to contend with strong winds (as if the airport itself wasn’t enough of a challenge). At times we even looked at the planes swaying from the wind with fear in our eyes.

One of the landmarks before the last section of the route is a house(Casa do Sardinha), hidden under several (literally!) palm trees.

It can be reached from two sides, and it is best to make a circle (approach from one side and return from the other). It’s just one last sharp climb up from it and we’re at the last vantage point.

The tour culminates with a view of the peninsula and two islets: Cevada and Farol.

Summary

The route is truly scenic, and the views reward all the effort of taking the trail. The route took us much longer than we anticipated, as we took photos every now and then – it’s hard not to with such landscapes, full of cliffs, coves and rocky coastline.

Therefore, we recommend our gallery all the more highly!

Zobacz galerię wszystkich zdjęć >>>

For those thirsty for even more Madeira experiences, we recommend the entry Madeira’s greatest attractions-our TOP 10:-)