Part of the easternmost tip, Ponta de São Lourenço. Photo: Raphael Jordan, France.

Beautiful flowering cactus. Photo: Raphael Jordan, France

Fauna and flora
There are no dangerous animals such as snakes, scorpions or spiders on the island so it is possible move freely without concern unless you are scared of heights. However, on Deserta Grande you could, with luck, find the highly poisonous Desertas' Tarantula (Lycosa ingens). Its length including the legs measures 8 cm and this makes it the largest spider of its genus in the world.
   Madeira is often referred too as the 'Flower island in the Atlantic', which without doubt is true. What strikes you, however, after a few days on the island is the silence and absence of insects. Anyone with the smallest interest in the natural world may wonder 'All this floral splendour, but no insects to be seen or heard? How come?' This fact combined with the relatively low numbers of landbirds make the outdoors beyond the citys somewhat quiet and this makes most bird calls very conspicuous. There is never a concert of singing birds on Madeira!
   What you probably will see of the land animals is Madeiran Wall Lizards in high numbers, a few species of butterflies and at night you will hear some crickets, for more information take a look at the 'Non-birds' section.
   Without doubt Madeira's flora is one of the main tourist attractions on the island. About 118 of the naturally ocurring species are endemic to the Madeiran archipelago. Before man set his foot on the island, about 793 fern-related and flowering plants grew naturally on Madeira. Since then, mostly by human intervention, some further 540 plants have gained a foothold. However, the arrived flora is something to behold. Like the Canary Islands, Madeira was once covered in Laurel forest, and although now much reduced the forest on Madeira (together with La Gomera in Canaries) is the largest and best-preserved area of this particular habitat left on earth!

Climate and clothing
The climate is pleasantly steady and mildly subtropical. Never too warm and never too cold. Its average temperatures, 22-25ºC in the summer and 16ºC in the winter, and a moderate level of humidity, confer upon these islands exceptional subtropical features. The seawater temperature is also very mild because of the influence of the warm Gulf current, with averages of 22ºC in the summer and 16º in the winter.
   At low altitudes along the coast T-shirt/shirt and shorts/thin trousers can be worn all year round, especially along the southern coast line. When seawatching along the northern coast line or on pelagics a wind jacket and trousers is recommended. Visiting higher altitudes up in the mountains will often require warmer clothing and a water/wind proof jacket, especially when searching for the endemic Zino's Petrel at night in Pico do Arieiro. Good walking boots and something on your head are necessities you can't afford to be without.

Check the weather and forecast for Madeira

Useful facts about the Madeira archipelago
Area: 794 sq km (of which Madeira is 741 sq km)
Population: 253.000 (of which Porto Santo has 3.500)
Capital city: Funchal (population; 108.000)
People: It is only in recent years that one can talk of the Madeirense as a collective society, since the topography of the island had previously been more conducive to the separate development of the various communities on the island. By nature Madeirans are farmers, the island having been originally settled by people from the Algarve region of Portugal.
Language: Portuguese is the national language, English is taught in schools and is used daily in commerce and international trade.
Government: Madeira is an autonomous region of Portugal. Autonomy was granted soon after the revolution of the 25th April 1974, that swept away the last vestiges of the Salazar dictatorship, that had governed mainland Portugal, the islands and the colonies since 1928. Despite Madeira's autonomous status, most of the laws enacted by the central government and by the Portuguese parliament are fully applicable in Madeira.
Visas: Visas are not needed by citizens of the European Union.
Health risks: There are no major risks.
Water: There is plenty of water to an excellent drinking standard. Porto Santo uses treated seawater. But to be sure you better use bottled water.
Electricity: 220V. Plugs as in Scandinavia and continental Europe with two round pins.
Currency: € EURO
To calculate the counter-value of the EURO in your currency unit (brittish pound, american dollar etc) you can use the calculator of the X-RATES website:
www.x-rates.com/calculator.html
Banks: Banks are open from 8:30 to 15:00hrs, Monday to Friday. Foreign Exchange offices work from 9:00 to 13:00hrs and from 14:00 to 19:00hrs, every day, except on Saturdays when they open from 9:00 to 19:00hrs. Outside these periods, the hotels can change currency.
   There are plenty of MultiBanco ATMs (Automated teller machines) in Funchal and a couple in the citys around the island and on Porto Santo, which accept most cards such as Visa, MasterCard, Visa Electron and so on to draw money.
Post: The main post office, or "Correios de Portugal", is at the centre of Funchal, at the Avenida Calouste Gulbenkian. There are daily collections at 11:00 and 15:00 from the post boxes (coloured red) placed all over the island.
Chemists: Chemists are open from Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 19:00, on Saturdays from 9:00 to 13:00. In addition, at the door of every pharmacy you will find advisory notes about the pharmacies currently open.
Hospital Centres: There are 67 health centres situated around Madeira, and one at Porto Santo. In Funchal there are two hospitals.
Police: The police presence is very discreet. If you need help, dial 112. There is a Lost Property section in Funchal, at Rua da Infância, 28.
Safety: Madeira is one of the safest holiday destinations in the world. If you take sensible precautions, you probably won't experience any problems. Most of the hotels have safes or deposit boxes where you can keep your valuables.

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