Madeira's Naturalistic Treasure

Among the unmissable places to go trekking is the Fanal Forest. At an altitude of 1,150 metres, inland from Ribeira da Janela, it is a national park in which the Laurissilva, a centuries-old laurel forest typical of the islands of Macaronesia, is located. It is approximately 20 million years old, dating back to the Miocene and Pliocene Tertiary eras. However, the imprint of time, which makes it a 'living fossil', does not seem to affect its vibrant energy. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, it is a magical and unique place where archaic nature unites with the psycho-physical well-being one feels when standing under the ancient trees. In an ancestral past, it was distributed throughout southern Europe and northern Africa. Following the climatic changes brought about by the formation of the Mediterranean, the Laurissilva forest ended up finding its last refuge in the island regions. At present, it occupies an area of about 15,000 hectares in Madeira, which corresponds to 20% of the island, with greater expression in the northern highlands. It is a vast ecosystem that is home to a diverse fauna and flora, including trees, many of them centuries old, of the Lauraceae family (hence the name of the Laurissilva forest).