THE WEEKLY #215: I MADE IT TO MADEIRA

By JacksonUpdated The Weekly, Madeira, Portugal
an aerial view of a small village in the middle of the ocean.

In five years of travel, I’ve honestly never felt more freedom than when I stepped out of the airport on Madeira Island. It was a fresh start for 2020 and although I enjoyed my time in Adelaide, setting off on a new adventure had me feeling reinvigorated and stoked to explore the island.

My plan is to base on Madeira for a few months enjoying a relaxed lifestyle with lots of exploring, writing, photography, fitness, and just general wellbeing. Nothing too fast, nothing too crazy just some consistent adventures to keep the mind and body firing.

In a spontaneous lockdown decision, my friends Atiba and Ilse decided they would also base in Madeira for a while so we rented an apartment and a car together and the Madeira crew was set. If you are interested to check out their adventures and story you can do so over on their travel blog: Digital Travel Couple or their Instagram.

Atiba and Ilse have convinced me that one hike every two days is a good balance so I am restraining myself at this stage and have been enjoying the trails of Madeira. My Achilles has held on and with the recovery work I’ve been doing it seems to be on the revival although I haven’t yet tested it with any running.

Madeira is the ‘Hawaii of Europe’ and it genuinely lives up to that title. It was by far one of the steepest islands I’ve ever been on and I can’t even imagine riding a bike here, which is what stopped me from buying one as soon as I arrived. Driving around the island is like Santorini meets Jurassic park with small villas speckled all over the terraces and hills with towering mountains and ridges looming in the background. The water here is crystal clear with dolphins and sea-life in abundance. It’s basically the European paradise!

I’ve published a number of individual blogs about all different places we have been so far, which you can check out by viewing the Madeira Archives Page. However, if you are just interested to check out some photos of Madeira, I have put my favorite shots of the week below.

I hope you all had a great week and continue to make the most of what 2020 throws at us.

a small waterfall in the middle of a lush green forest.
a person standing on top of a mountain at sunset.
a plane flying over a lush green mountain.
a person standing on top of a cliff by the ocean.
a woman standing on top of a mountain at sunset.
a person standing on a path in the woods.
an aerial view of the ocean and cliffs.
a view of a sunset over the ocean.
a man standing on top of a mountain next to a fence.
a large bird flying through a blue sky.
a small island in the middle of the ocean.
a person holding out their hand to a bird.
a woman standing on top of a grass covered hill.
a group of elephants walking along a beach next to a body of water.
an aerial view of a small village in the middle of the ocean.
a woman standing on a cliff overlooking the ocean.
a woman in a bikini standing in a cave.
the sun is setting over the ocean with a boat in the water.
a person standing on a cliff overlooking the ocean.
a person standing on a rock in front of the ocean.
a group of people standing on top of a cliff.
a group of people on a beach next to the ocean.
a person standing in the middle of a forest.
a lush green forest filled with lots of trees.
a close up of a fern plant in a forest.
a woman standing in front of a waterfall.
a view of the ocean at sunset from the top of a hill.
a person standing on top of a mountain.
a man standing on top of a grass covered hillside.
a woman standing on top of a mountain at sunset.
a view of the ocean from the top of a cliff.
a person standing on a path between two large rocks.
a person standing in a body of water.
a tree in the middle of a lush green forest.
a tree that is growing over a rock.

8 thoughts on “THE WEEKLY #215: I MADE IT TO MADEIRA”

  1. I love the photos! We are leaving for Madeira next week and can’t wait, your photos really inspired us for this trip. Thank you so much for all your information too! I have one question… is it still green in August or will it be really dry now? I hope it is green… even if it is just a bit!!

    Reply

  4. You motivate me to explore Island of Madeira this year 😉 Making plans for November trip as is still good weather xD

    Reply

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Jackson Groves hiking above Machu Picchu

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Jackson Groves

I'm Jackson, a travel writer, photographer and hiking guide sharing detailed travel guides and honest advice from destinations around the world to help you plan your own extraordinary adventures.

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