Fanal forest Madeira

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Most photographs of Madeira's twisted trees in the fog come from one place, and visitors often find it harder to reach than they expect. The Fanal forest Madeira is known for is a grove of old til trees on a gentle slope at 1,110 m, on the edge of the Paul da Serra plateau, in the far north-west of the island. Some of the trees are older than the island's discovery in 1419.

From Funchal, Fanal is 47.4 km by road, about 76 minutes, the slowest of the usual trips from the city. No regular bus goes there, so it takes a car, a day tour or a walking tour with a transfer.

The grove is part of the Laurisilva, the laurel forest listed by UNESCO, and it lies inside a quiet reserve of the Madeira Natural Park. Fog is frequent because of the altitude, and it is the fog that makes the pictures.

Part of the Laurisilva

The common mistake is to treat Fanal as a lone grove. It is one corner of a much larger forest, and the rules of that forest apply.

The Fanal forest Madeira Laurisilva visitors walk through belongs to the Laurisilva of Madeira, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in December 1999. The Laurisilva covers about 15,000 ha, about 20% of the island, mostly on north-facing slopes, inside the 27,000 ha of the Madeira Natural Park. About 90% of it is believed to be primary forest, most of it never felled, and its oldest trees may be over 800 years old.

Laurel forest of this kind once covered much of southern Europe, and it now survives only in the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands; Madeira's is the largest area left. Its dominant trees are all of the laurel family: the til, the laurel, the barbusano and the vinhático. The forest also plays a large part in the island's water supply, and the levadas run through it.

Fanal itself is part of the Natura 2000 network and a Rest and Quiet Reserve of the Madeira Natural Park. Keep to the paths and keep the noise down: the silence is part of what the reserve protects. The UNESCO listing sets out why the forest was listed.

Where Fanal is, and the mist

Visitors often set out for Fanal from Porto Moniz town, expecting it by the sea. It is up on the plateau.

The Fanal forest Madeira location is on the ER209, the road between the parish of Ribeira da Janela and the Paul da Serra, the island's only plateau, at about 1,500 m. The grove sits at 1,110 m, on a gentle slope of about 5%, in the municipality of Porto Moniz. There is a forest post on the road, and several leisure areas around the grove.

The Fanal forest Madeira mist is not a rare event: fog is frequent at Fanal because of the altitude. Check the forecast for the north-west, not for Funchal: the two are often very different, and a clear forecast is the one to pick if you want the view over the plateau.

Dress for the height either way. The grove is more than 1,000 m above Funchal, and PR13 climbs as high as 1,420 m, so bring a warm layer and a waterproof even in summer.

Getting there

The mistake is to look for a bus. There is none, and the drive is longer than the distance suggests.

By car, Fanal is 47.4 km from Funchal, about 76 minutes; Porto Moniz, 48.4 km, is 20 minutes quicker by road despite being further. Plan it as part of a day in the north-west: the Porto Moniz pools, Seixal's black sand beach and Fanal all lie in the same municipality, and Seixal is 47 minutes from Funchal.

By tour, the west-coast and 4WD day tours from Funchal include Fanal as one stop in a day of about 7 to 8 hours, usually with Porto Moniz and Seixal. That is the simplest way for a first visit, since the driver deals with the plateau road and the parking.

On foot, PR13 walks in from the plateau to Fanal, and a walking tour with a transfer takes care of the problem of a linear trail: you start at one point on the ER209 and finish at another. Pay the €4.50 trail fee on the SIMplifica portal before you set off.

Whichever way you come, give the grove at least an hour; it is a place to wander, not a single viewpoint.

The til trees

People often assume the trees are just old laurels. They are tis, one of the four dominant trees of the laurel forest, and the grove is listed on its own.

The IFCN, the regional forest authority, records Fanal's til grove in its inventory of unique and monumental trees. Its large tis, Ocotea foetens, are estimated at hundreds of years old; the tallest measured stands 20.5 m, and the widest trunks reach perimeters of 2.28 m. Some of the trees date from before the island's discovery.

The Fanal forest Madeira fog trees stand in groups on the open slope, with heather, other trees, mosses, lichens and ferns growing around them.

The grove also carries traces of its human past, of the time when firewood was cut and carried from the area, and of the volcano: near the tis, a volcanic crater fills with water in the rainy season to make the Fanal winter lagoon.

Leave the trees as you find them. Climbing on the trunks and branches damages them, and these are some of the oldest living things on the island.

Some of the trees in the Fanal forest date from before the island's discovery, with the widest trunks reaching perimeters of 2.28 m.

Fanal in the fog

The mistake is to leave as soon as the fog comes in. It is the reason many people make the trip.

The Fanal forest Madeira fog ancient trees scene is at its strongest when the cloud sits on the slope and the trees appear one group at a time. Stay a while and walk between the groups of trees rather than photographing from the road.

In fog, keep to the paths you can see, stay close to the road on a first visit, and do not set out on PR13 or PR14 in thick fog without the route on your phone.

The winter lagoon, in the old volcanic crater near the grove, holds water only in the rainy season; outside it, there is no lagoon to see.

The Fanal forest scene is at its strongest when the cloud sits on the slope and the trees appear one group at a time.

Walks from Fanal

Visitors often walk only between the trees by the road. Two classified trails start or end here.

On any Fanal forest Madeira map, two routes lead in or out along the ER209. PR13, the Vereda do Fanal, starts at Assobiadores on the Paul da Serra and ends at Fanal: about 11 km, 10.8 to 11.4 km depending on the measure, in about 4 to 4½ hours, rated moderate, between 1,420 m and 1,130 m. It passes a 360° viewpoint over the Paul da Serra and Rabaçal and ends at the Fanal picnic park and forest post.

PR14, the Levada dos Cedros, starts at Fanal on the ER209 and runs 7.2 km, about 3 hours, rated moderate, to Curral Falso on the same road.

Both are linear, so arrange a pickup at the far end or walk out and back. Both cost €4.50 for visitors over 12, paid in advance on the SIMplifica portal; the IFCN's fee page sets out the rules. A fire burned part of the area in 2012.

The hiking guide covers the island's other walks.

Before you go

People often trust a years-old blog post about the trails and the road. Check on the day.

For the Fanal forest Madeira latest trail conditions, read the IFCN's trail notices, where closures of classified trails are posted, and check the forecast for the north-west rather than for Funchal: the weather on the plateau and in the city are often very different.

Take water, food and a warm layer; the leisure areas have space to rest and picnic. With a car, combine Fanal with the Porto Moniz pools, 20 minutes' less driving from Funchal than Fanal itself, or with Seixal's beach.

The classified trails charge a fee; pay it before you walk. Take your rubbish away, and remember that Fanal is a Rest and Quiet Reserve.

The Laurisilva guide covers the rest of the laurel forest, from Ribeiro Frio to the Caldeirão Verde.

Common questions

How do you get to Fanal from Funchal?

By car, 47.4 km and about 76 minutes, or on a day tour to the north-west. No regular bus goes to Fanal.

How old are the trees at Fanal?

The til trees are estimated at hundreds of years old, and some date from before the island's discovery in 1419.

Is Fanal always foggy?

No, but fog is frequent because of the altitude. Check the forecast for the north-west, not for Funchal.

Do the Fanal walks cost anything?

Yes. PR13 and PR14 cost €4.50 each for visitors over 12, paid in advance on the SIMplifica portal.