The laurisilva forest, a UNESCO site and a relict of forests that covered southern Europe millions of years ago, holds the Madeiran laurel pigeon — the island's flagship endemic bird — along with firecrests and chaffinches of the distinctive local race. The levada paths, irrigation channels with maintenance walkways beside them, run through it and are the classic way to walk the island.

Ribeiro Frio and Fanal are the accessible forest sites, Fanal with its ancient moss-draped til trees emerging from cloud, which is as atmospheric as European forest gets.

The waters off the south coast hold resident short-finned pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins year-round, with sperm whales, Bryde's whales and several beaked whale species seen on trips out of Funchal and Calheta. The deep water close inshore makes this one of Europe's better cetacean destinations.

The Desertas and Selvagens islands hold the seabirds — Zino's petrel, one of Europe's rarest birds, breeds high in the central massif and is the object of dedicated night trips, while the offshore islets hold shearwaters and the Mediterranean monk seals that have slowly recovered here.

Spring brings flowers and breeding birds; summer is the best for cetaceans and calm seas. The island's mild climate makes any month workable.

Practicalities

Funchal is the base, with direct flights from across Europe. A hire car reaches most levadas, though the mountain roads are steep and the tunnels endless.

Zino's petrel viewing is strictly controlled to protect a tiny breeding population — go only with the authorised guides. Levada walks vary from gentle to genuinely exposed; check the grade before setting out and take a torch for the tunnels.