Northwest Madeira Jeep Safari: Fanal and the Lava Pools

Northwest Madeira has the island's most dramatic scenery and its most difficult roads — which makes an open-top 4x4 the right way to get there.

You set off from Serra d'Água, in the valley that separates the mountain massif from the plateau. From there you climb to Paul da Serra, a high, bare plateau with very open views and a sense of emptiness that is rare on an island this size.

Then comes the Fanal forest, where centuries-old laurels stand draped in moss and, on a misty day, look like a film set. Afterwards you drop down to Porto Moniz and the volcanic pools the sea has carved into the lava rock.

The day closes at the Poço das Lesmas pools, at the Véu da Noiva waterfall — which falls straight into the ocean at Seixal — and on a quiet stretch beside a levada. Lunch is included.