Clinging to a barnacle-covered cliff as the Atlantic Ocean crashes beneath me, I have only seconds to scold myself for thinking a vacation to Madeira was going to be boring.
How could I have imagined that this sunny Portuguese island, blessed with a subtropical climate, volcanic sand beaches and a breathtaking terrain of mountains and ravines, would be – dare I say it? – sleepy?
‘Leap!’ shouts my instructor and I’m pulled back into the present, jumping into the sea and gasping in shock from the cold as my fellow adventurers shout their support.
Believe me, there’s nothing stuffy, ordinary or boring about this beautiful island, which has rightly been named the world’s best island destination for the past seven years trotting by World Travel Awards, beating Bali, Barbados and the Seychelles in the process.
In addition to beauty, beaches, the warm welcome of the locals and mouth-watering delicacies, Madeira is making a name for itself as the birthplace of daredevil activities such as canyoning, coasteering, trail running and mountain biking, as well as hiking.
My boyfriend and I, twenty-somethings looking for thrills, find our base for the week – the Castanheiro Boutique Hotel – tucked away down a side street in the island’s capital, Funchal.
The four-star hotel is a maze of courtyards made up of buildings dating back to the 18th century, with a restaurant, cocktail bar and spa.
The star attraction is on the fifth floor: a rooftop infinity pool and bar with panoramic views.
We’re not here to spend all day sipping piña coladas up there, however, and our guide, João from Mountain Expeditions, arrives to take us on a jeep tour of the eastern part of the island (from from €35 pp for a half-day tour with mountain expedition).
Our first stop is Pico do Arieiro, which, despite being Madeira’s third highest peak at 5,965 feet, is easily accessible by car.
Although we left Funchal under the sun, we ride in dense clouds but the cold is forgotten as the mist gives way to breathtaking views of rocky peaks and lush valleys. “Welcome to our civilized Jurassic Park,” says João.
Despite the small size of the island, in a day trip you can see landscapes seemingly from all corners of the world.
There are pine forests that would be right at home in the Canadian Rockies, Mediterranean-style bays and Amazonian waterfalls, while the island’s dramatic eastern tip, Ponta de São Lourenço, wouldn’t seem moved to the Cornish coast.
Standing on this rocky outcrop, we look back across the island and see the reason for Madeira’s ever-changing weather – clouds gather ominously on the north side of the island but are held back by the mountains, letting the south shine in the sun.
After a walk through Santana to see the traditional half-timbered houses, we stop at Hotel and Restaurant Quinta do Furao (rooms from £74.50) for a lunch of espetada – beef served on a skewer.
Sales manager Décio Silva tells us that while the hotel was once populated almost exclusively by older Germans, it now embraces the younger clientele who move in to enjoy the island’s more adventurous activities.
“You can go on crazy adventures or lay by the pool with a cocktail,” he explains. “In Madeira it is possible to do both.”
Covid has put a damper on Madeira’s tourism industry, but it has helped welcome two new types of customers: digital nomads and the Instagram generation (the hotel’s outdoor swimming pool became an online hit in 2020 thanks to its coastal backdrop).
Back in Funchal, there’s plenty more to capture, including cobbled streets lined with shops, a palm-lined promenade and exotic flowers.
There may not be many party scenes but Funchal has its fair share of bars, including Dash, for cocktails, and Venda Velha in the old town, where you can sip poncha, the drink made with Madeira rum (passion fruit is the best).
Foodies flock here for the seafood — upscale Akua serves exquisite fish dishes while Peixaria do Mercado’s scabbard tempura was fresh from the nearby market.
We then prepare our foray into extreme sports: canyoning. We signed up at the beginner level but Francisco, boss of adventure sports company Epic Madeira, has other plans.
After donning wetsuits loaded with carabiners, we head to Ribeiro Frio to begin a challenging course of abseiling, climbing and paddling through a narrow canyon filled with waterfalls.
When Francisco Pereira founded Epic Madeira 16 years ago, canyoning was fairly new, introduced to the island in the early 2000s. But he still finds reasons to fall in love with it.
“I call it nature’s face,” he says, pointing to a mossy face nestled in the wall above a rock pool.
I embrace the mixture of tranquility and the thrill of throwing myself out of things. Thanks to the guides, I make it to the end, shivering with elation and cold water pooling in my shoes.
We are back the next morning for our next activity with Epic Madeira – coasteering.
The idea is to use the natural grips of the gnarly volcanic rocks to scale the cliff, jump into the ocean below, and away from my comfort zone.
After two hours we reach “the exit” – a steep straight climb to the cliff. My reward ? A sense of accomplishment that I have never felt on vacation before.
Looking from the edge of the cliff to the ocean from which I have just crawled, I make two promises.
I will never underestimate Madeira again – and will be back soon for more adventures.
Coasteering from 70€pp, canyoning from 60€pp with epic madeira. Castanheiro Boutique Hotel has rooms from £101pn.
Jet2holidays offers seven-night holidays to Madeira from £459 pp*, departing from 9 UK airports: Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, London Stansted, Manchester and Newcastle.
*Price per person, based on 2 people sharing 7 nights on certain holidays only. Terms and conditions apply, see Jet2holidays.com for details. Correct May 2022.
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