Top 10 Madeira (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides)

Around Western Madeira
84
Left Ribeira da Janela Right Ponta do Sol
Best of the Rest
! Ribeira da Janela
This wild, uninhabited valley
18 km (11 miles) long, joins the
sea beside a rocky islet with a
window-like hole (hence the
name, “Window Valley”). The road
descends through a misty world
of ancient trees kept moist by the
condensation of clouds. d Map C1
@ Fanal
This forest house halfway up
the Ribeira de Janela is the starting
point for walks that lead
through an alpine landscape of
herb-rich meadows, filled with
ancient laurel trees. d Map C2
£ Ponta do Sol
The American novelist John
dos Passos (1896–1970) visited
this sun-trap village in 1960 to
see his grandparents’ house –
now being turned into a cultural
centre. d Map D5
$ Lombada
On a ridge above Ponta do
Sol is one of Madeira’s oldest
houses – the 15th-century mansion
of Columbus’s friend João
Esmeraldo (see p65). The watermill
opposite is fed by one of the
island’s oldest levadas. A pretty
church of 1722 is lined with tile
pictures of the Virtues. d Map D5
% Arco da Calheta
Another early church survives
at the heart of this sprawling village
– the mid-15th-century
Capela do Loreto, founded by the
wife of Zarco’s grandson. d Map C4
Lombo dos Reis ^ The “Ridge of the Kings” is
named after the tiny, rustic Capela
dos Reis Magos (“Chapel of the
Three Kings”), which has a rare
early 16th-century Flemish altar
carving of the Nativity. d Map B4
Lugar de Baixo & Above the tiny freshwater
lagoon at Lugar de Baixo is a visitor
centre with pictures of the
wild birds that frequent this
rocky shore, though you are
more likely to see domesticated
ducks and moorhens. d Map D5
* Prazeres
The priest at Prazeres has
established a small children’s
farm opposite the church, but
the main attraction is the flowerlined
path along the Levada Nova
(“New Levada”), which can be
followed east or west. d Map B3
( Paúl do Mar
The best approach to this
fishing (and surfing) village is
down the twisting road from Fajã
de Orvela. On the way, look out
for a glimpse of the stunning
Galinas Gorge. d Map A3
) Cristo Rei
This statue of Christ (on the
ER209 road to Paúl da Serra) is
reminiscent of the famous one in
Rio de Janeiro. It is also the
starting point for easy levada
walks – west to the Paúl da
Serra, east to the waterfalls at
Cascalho. d Map D4