In this part I present the important points of the days 4 and 5 together. We have some longer bus trips and hiking so that there are not so many good pictures. Also, there is not too much to talk about.
On the fourth day (Sunday), our bus takes us right across the island. We start at the fishermans' village of Camâra de Lobos and the continue to the stepp cliffs of Cabo Girão, featuring a lookout with glass floor platform. After another break at Ribeira Brava we travel towards the middle of the island, having a stop at the lookout north of Serra de Água.
The first big item on our list for today is the Vereda do Fanal, a hiking path. Located at the northwestern end of the plateau Paul da Serra, we finally get some stretched-out landscape ... if there were not that fog (actually, the clouds). Sometimes, the air gets clears and sun passes through, but the fog does not disappear until we reach our bus again. At least the trees served for a spooky scenery.
We carry on towards the north coast where we have a short stop for a view, then reach Porto Moniz in the northwestern corner of the island. This city is know for the natural swimming basins, formed by solidified lava.
After some bathing and a quick lunch we start our way back, stopping near the waterfall Véu da Noiva (Bride's veil) and having a Poncha drink at the Taberna da Poncha.
On the fifth day (Monday) we start for another levada hiking, this time along the Levada do Furado in the east of the island. As with all levada paths, this one is easy to walk, but you should have a safe step when looking down. The start of our path is a trout farm.
The whole track takes us about 4.5 hours, but there are many impressive sights towards the coast. Shortly before it ends, the levada splits up, and we follow the Levada da Portela. At the end we have our afternoon snack in the restaurant Portela a Vista.
Public pictures
