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THE WEEKLY #221: PORTO SANTO ISLAND HOME BASE

Jackson Groves

Posted on Last updated:

Categories THE WEEKLY, MADEIRA, PORTUGAL

THE WEEKLY #221: PORTO SANTO ISLAND HOME BASE

I’ve been moving around for five years now. There’s a certain style of travel I have come to love, which allows me to explore a new place but also have a base and a little balance. My favorite set-up is when I have an island or region to explore but I can remain in one or two home base setups. Think of an island small enough that you can day-trip to all of the spots or a mountain region where there are multiple hikes to do but you can return to the same accommodation at night. With so many different logistics to my adventures, having the constant of the same place to sleep and work online provides me with some stability and enables productivity and the time to rest.

This week on Porto Santo was my second week of exploration on the island. I stayed for five days at one hotel and then switched to another for the second block of five days courtesy of the tourism board. I had a mountain bike, which allowed me to reach any part of the 11-kilometer long island within an hour. It ticked all of the boxes and the end result was that I had a great time, was super-productive, and created a really great guide.

I think almost all of the mornings and evenings I hit the sunrise or the sunset. With just a short distance to ride my way to a hike, a beach, or a viewpoint it wasn’t a huge mission each time. During the day, I would rest a little bit or visit some of the spots that were nice during direct sun like tidal pools or beaches. In the end, I was able to cover almost the entire island and create a comprehensive guide. Like all places, if I stayed for a year I’m sure I’d explore more of the hidden gems but with 28 things to do in my guide, it’s definitely going to keep people busy.

If you want to check out the big guide I wrote for Porto Santo you can click the link below. I rode 150 kilometers and 2100+ meters of incline throughout ten days as I adventured around the island to create the guide.

View the guide: PORTO SANTO TRAVEL GUIDE: 28 AWESOME THINGS TO DO

I’ve finished editing all of the Porto Santo photos and have selected my top 35 to show you below. I’m back in Madeira now for at least another month and after that… who knows. It’s 2020, the year of unpredictability. Go with the flow and hope it leads you somewhere epic.

a lighthouse is silhouetted against a sunset sky.
a person in a boat in the middle of a body of water.
a person standing in a cave looking out at the ocean.
an aerial view of a pier in the middle of the ocean.
a large body of water next to a cliff.
a man standing on top of a mountain next to the ocean.
a body of water surrounded by large rocks.
an aerial view of a sandy beach and ocean.
an aerial view of a street with traffic lights.
a man standing on top of a hill next to the ocean.
the sun is shining through the clouds over the ocean.
a person standing on top of a mountain under a cloudy sky.
an aerial view of the ocean and rocks.
a group of people kayaking through a cave in the ocean.
an aerial view of an island in the middle of the ocean.
a man standing on top of a mountain next to the ocean.
an aerial view of a beach and mountains.
an aerial view of a person on a surfboard in the ocean.
a couple of people are kayaking in the water.
a group of lighthouses sitting on the side of a road.
an aerial view of a beach with umbrellas.
a person standing on top of a mountain next to the ocean.
a person standing on top of a mountain next to the ocean.
an island in the middle of the ocean.
an aerial view of the ocean and cliffs.
a man standing on top of a cliff next to the ocean.
a man standing on top of a rocky cliff.
an underwater view of a sandy ocean floor.

Luis Vasconcelos

Sunday 4th of October 2020

2020 is a bad year for most of the people, but for you is the opposite. You found a place with few cases of Covid 19, no deaths yet, since March a safe place to explore, and because distances are short you can do mountain, beach, sunset and sunrise and still work on your projects.