DREAMSCAPES FALL/ WINTER 2024
58
Land and Sea
FLOATING IN THE
HEART OF THE
ATLANTIC, THE TINY
ISLANDS OF MADEIRA
AND PORTO SANTO
HOLD THE SOUL OF
THE SEA
O
ur headlights like two small suns are quickly swallowed by
the thick onyx cloak that currently blankets Madeira Island.
Our destination is Pico do Areeiro. My husband, six-month-
old son and I hurry to catch the sunrise, which is suddenly
cresting an ocean of clouds that have settled over the coastline. The
ethereal inversion of sea and sky overflows our travel cup with awe.
The clouds then part and we glimpse shrouded ridges that arc
like the spine of a dinosaur, tumbling towards a surging sea. The
"Pearl of the Atlantic" is beginning to reveal itself to us: a map to
discover, a trail to explore, a treasure to be found after a lifetime of
feeling lost.
A HIKER'S PARADISE
Lace up your hiking boots because Pico do Areeiro also serves as the
trailhead for Madeira's most famous of hikes. Vereda do Pico Ruivo
via Pico Areeiro (PR 1.2) is the archipelago's highest summit (and the
third highest point in Portugal), and this thrilling trail exposes
intrepid hikers to craggy cliffsides, dark, dank tunnels that cut
through rugged peaks and rickety ladders hammered into otherwise
impassable rock faces. Most people will hike this as an out and back,
but be sure to book a local tour or order a pickup on the other side.
BY JENNIFER MALLOY
