Vila, Porto Moniz Trip Overview
This tour begins in Santana and follows alongside the Levada do Rei. The path ends at Ribeiro Bonito.
When we finish the walk it’s time to have lunch in Santana, a beautiful spot surrounded by the green of nature with a menu typical Madeiran cuisine.
In the afternoon, we go on a trip to water-powered Sawmill, located in São Jorge, this is the only water-powered Sawmill operating on Madeira Island.
The next visit is the Watermill in São Jorge, which is the last watermill still in operation in Madeira.
Then we go to The Cabo Aéreo Viewpoint, in Arco de São Jorge, it has a picnic area with a view of the sea, São Jorge pebble beach and remains.
The next stop is Ponta de são Jorge lighthouse, followed by the Boca das Voltas viewpoint.
Arco de são Jorge is the next destination, where visit the Beira da Quinta viewpoint and Cabo Aéreo viewpoint
We return to Boaventura and visit the São Vicente Caves (vulcanic center – ticket not included) just before returning to the pick-up location.
Additional Info
* Duration: 6 hours
* Starts: Vila, Porto Moniz, Portugal
* Trip Category: Day Trips & Excursions >> Day Trips
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What to Expect When Visiting Vila, Porto Moniz, Madeira, Portugal
This tour begins in Santana and follows alongside the Levada do Rei. The path ends at Ribeiro Bonito.
When we finish the walk it’s time to have lunch in Santana, a beautiful spot surrounded by the green of nature with a menu typical Madeiran cuisine.
In the afternoon, we go on a trip to water-powered Sawmill, located in São Jorge, this is the only water-powered Sawmill operating on Madeira Island.
The next visit is the Watermill in São Jorge, which is the last watermill still in operation in Madeira.
Then we go to The Cabo Aéreo Viewpoint, in Arco de São Jorge, it has a picnic area with a view of the sea, São Jorge pebble beach and remains.
The next stop is Ponta de são Jorge lighthouse, followed by the Boca das Voltas viewpoint.
Arco de são Jorge is the next destination, where visit the Beira da Quinta viewpoint and Cabo Aéreo viewpoint
We return to Boaventura and visit the São Vicente Caves (vulcanic center – ticket not included) just before returning to the pick-up location.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Levada Do Rei, Sao Jorge, Madeira Portugal
Trail along the Levada do ReiThis tour begins in Santana, the northern part of the island. The trail that follows alongside the Levada do Rei levada (a levada is an irrigation channel that transports water from the mountains to the fields) and begins at the Water Treatment Plant at Quebradas in São Jorge, ending at the source of the levada, in the spectacular Ribeiro Bonito stream.
The first part of the trail crosses a forested area where some specimens of indigenous vegetation are found here and there. The tunnels formed by the luxuriant vegetation and the great variety of species that you can find here are excellent living examples of the potential of nature, while the beautiful levada is evidence of the valuable cultural heritage of the island.
The path ends at Ribeiro Bonito, where you are aware of feeling you are in a true sanctuary of nature. This is one of the areas of the Laurisilva forest – World Nature Heritage of UNESCO since 1999, where the genuinely Madeiran vegetation reaches its highest expression, in total isolation, and leaving you imagining how it would be to go back to the time of the discovery of the island.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Santana, Santana, Madeira, Madeira Islands
We visit Cabo Aéreo Viewpoint and Miradouro da Vigia, Then we go to The Cabo Aéreo Viewpoint, in Arco de São Jorge, it has a picnic area with a view of the sea, São Jorge pebble beach and remains. This viewpoint is named for the cable that was once used to assist farmers and fishermen in transporting their goods a tradition that is still maintained till nowadays.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Farol da ponta de Sao Jorge, Estrada do Farol, Sao Jorge, Santana, Madeira 9230-000 Portugal
We visit the São Jorge Lighthouse.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Sao Jorge Watermill, Sitio Do Pico 9230-156, Sao Jorge, Madeira Portugal
Visit is the Watermill in São Jorge, which is the last watermill still in operation in Madeira. Here we can see how the population used the driving force of water for their livelihood. This watermill, still in operation, is located in Achadinha, in São Jorge. This mill, which is over 300 years old, was recently restored and is fed by the water from the Levada dos Reis.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Sao Jorge, Sao Jorge, Madeira, Madeira Islands
In the afternoon, we go on a trip to water-powered Sawmill, located in São Jorge, this is the only water-powered Sawmill operating on Madeira Island and allows us to see how the population used the driving force of water in their daily lives. Visitors have the opportunity to see live water, the saws, the drive wheel, and the entire day to day operation of the sawmill.
We also visit the Beira da Quinta viewpoint and Cabo Aéreo viewpoint, in addition to the high sea cliffs (up to about 500 m), we can observe the triangular depression of Arco de S. Jorge, which was formed by sliding-type mass movements, and more recent solifluction events.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Miradouro da Beira da Quinta, Er101 875, Madeira Portugal
From the Miradouro da Beira da Quinta, in addition to the high sea cliffs (up to about 500 m), we can observe the triangular depression of Arco de S. Jorge [St. George’s Arch], which was formed by sliding-type mass movements, and more recent solifluction events. The steep slope that corresponds to the slipping head reaches, locally, 800 m in altitude. Within the depression, several levels can be observed that correlate with the top of the dislocated materials from the various events that contributed to the current depression.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Arco de Sao Jorge, Arco de Sao Jorge, Madeira, Madeira Islands
The Quinta do Arco Rose Garden displays one of the largest collections of rose bushes in Portugal, with over a thousand different species.
In the gardens of Quinta do Arco, located in Arco de São Jorge, on the north coast of the island, you can visit one of the largest collections of rose bushes in Portugal, with some species of rare roses and other endangered species. The collection consists of over one thousand different species of this flower.
Here you can admire old and modern, climbing and non-climbing rose bushes. The most important and rare are identified by their names and varieties. This rose garden was awarded the “Garden of Excellence Award” by the “World Federation of Rose Societies”.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Boaventura, Boaventura, Madeira, Madeira Islands
The São Cristovão Viewpoint is located in Boaventura parish. This viewpoint offers stunning views over the North Coast, the Boaventura Islet and Ponta Delgada village.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Sao Vicente Caves, Sitio do Pe do Passo, Sao Vicente, Madeira 9240-039 Portugal
Formed 890 thousand years ago, these are among the first caves of volcanic origin to be opened to the public in Portugal.
The São Vicente Caves were formed 890 thousand years ago by a volcanic eruption, which occurred in Paul da Serra. The outer part of the lava that was exposed to lower temperatures, solidified rapidly while the inside remained liquid with lots of gases, forming a series of lava tubes.
The caves were first reported in 1885 by locals, and opened to the public on October 1st, 1996.
They were among the first volcanic caves to be opened to the public in Portugal and may be visited by following an underground route running for over 1,000 m. The height of the caves varies between 5 and 6 metres.
At the end of the tour, visitors may access the Volcano Centre, a pavilion offering a range of educational and entertaining audiovisual displays that recreate the geological evolution of the caves, the eruption of a volcano and even a simulation of the birth of the Madeira Islands.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Miradouro do Veu da Noiva, Er 101, Seixal, Madeira 9270-154 Portugal
Situated on the old road which connects Seixal to São Vicente, the Véu da Noiva Viewpoint offers one of the most typical landscapes of Madeira. From this point you can see the Véu da Noiva Waterfall, which resembles a bride’s veil, due to its height and the torrents of water that gush down the hillside.
From this viewpoint there is also a pleasant view of the Atlantic and the slopes of the northern coast of Madeira.
Duration: 15 minutes
