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Southwest tour - the opportunity to see, in a day, important highlights of the island.
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In the 15th century, Ponta do Sol’s main agricultural product was the sugar cane, which brought great prosperity and development to the town. Nowadays, banana plantations predominate in agriculture
Thevillage of Ponta do Sol:its name “sunny point” derives from the fact that this is one of the sunniest places on the Island.
Located in the centre of the town, the Nossa Senhora da Luz Church (the Our Lady of Light Church) was built in the late 15th century.
Ponta do Sol Pier was the largest and the safest place to lay anchor in the Southwestern coast of Madeira until mid-20th century
The Ponta do Sol Pier stands out for its architectural value, with a wide perfect round arch, in basalt stone, which connects the coastal cliff to the pier
Madalena do Mar, a remote fishing village that until 1960 could only be reached by boat.The location and climate help make this, the largest banana producing area on the island
The Rota da Banana in Madalena do Mar is a nice easy walk through the lush green banana plantations
Up to 200 bananas can grow on one truss. A banana plant only produces one bunch of bananas, then the plant is cut down so that the new plant can grow. Madeira once exported bananas throughout Europe. Until the bananas were declined at auctions because, according to the European Union, they must meet a certain length and curvature. Now the production is only intended for Madeira and a small part goes to mainland Portugal and some parts of Spain. Madeira bananas have a great soft and sweet taste.
ThePrazeres Educational Farm; Quinta Pedagogica dos Prazeres, housing various animals as well as an array of aromatic herbs, organizes the Showcase of scarecrows (in partnership with some local schools)
ThePrazeres Educational Farm is run by the church, which is right next to it
Ponta do Pargo, the extreme Southwest point of Madeira Thelighthouse, built on a steep hillside at 290 meters above sea levelwas constructed in 1922 to help fishermen navigate in the dangerous coastline
Paúl do Maris considered to be one of the warmest places in Madeira, even in the winter, the temperature is quite warm and the waves of Paul do Mar are widely appreciated by surfers.
Paul do Mar - O Homem do Mar(The Man of the Sea) by António Mendanha, his son Nuno Mendanha and his daughter Vânia Mendanha
Jardim do Mar The promenade built across the village offers a pleasant walk from one end to the other
New road ‘false tunnel’ to Calheta open 2022 The protection structures, known as ‘false tunnel’, are supported on the side of the slope and are developed over the road to protect against falling blocks
Calheta, a lovely sea area with an artificial sand beach and where we find one of the most emblematic sugar cane factories on the south coast of Madeira
Porto de Recreio da Calheta. The marina is located about 14 miles west of Funchal and has berths for some 300 yachts from six to 20 metres. It is the second largest marina in Madeira. The marina also boasts a refuelling and wastewater disposal dock, a ramp for hoisting small boats, 400 paid parking places and nautical facilities that include the Calheta Yacht Club.
Praia da Calheta (English: Calheta Beach) is a beach located near the town Calheta. The artificial beachis made with sand imported from North Africa. However, these sand-imports were quite controversial, as the sand was taken from Western Sahara, a Non-Self Governing Territory which has been largely occupied by Morocco since 1975
The Mother Church of the Holy Spirit houses one of the first parishes established on the island of Madeira. Originally built in the 15th century, was completely rebuilt in 1639. It has Manueline and Mannerist architectural lines and houses a valuable artistic and religious collection
The Mother Church of the Holy Spirit Last supper
