Madeira: a hushed green island of Portugal

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Madeira is a Portugese island, whose understated charm stems from its natural beauty and the range of environments found there - jungle, coast, mountains, waterfalls, sunny beaches and steep cliffs and in its mild climate.

It might also have something to do with the fact that you don't see many tourists wearing ugly shorts and stupid t-shirts. Mostly elderly folks travel to Madeira, and a lot of childless couples. Of course, if you don't fit into these catagories, you won't be left out as long as you appreciate hiking, photography, and relaxing in a natural setting.

There are hiking trails everywhere, and you rarely lose sight of the sea while traipsing along. There are pebbly beaches, but Madeira is not really the kind of place where you go to get a tan. It has a more active atmosphere. It takes only half an hour to get from the mountains to the coastal fishing villages, and the resulting panoramas are incredible. I ended up taking around 600 pictures in a just over a week. Renting a car is a good plan, because public transportation hardly exists. Also, being surrounded by the sea, food on the island is unsurprisingly fish, fish, and more fish.