Ribeiro Frio to Portela

A spectacular walk today - following the levada from chilly Ribeiro Frio in the densely forested interior for 8 miles to Portela. Before we started we did a quick 3 mile hike to Balcões (literally "balconies") where this stunning view met us.

This is the laurisilva forest indigenous to Madeira: laurels and cedars, juniper and camphor. It has a primeval feel - the ice age killed off these forests in mainland Europe so they can only now be found on Madeira (with UNESCO World Heritage status) the Canaries and the Azores. There's hydrangea and agapanthus growing wild too, it's just beautiful.