FANAL FOREST MADEIRA – Complete Guide to the magical forest
Fanal Forest is a magical forest in the northern part of Madeira Island. Often, but not always, there is mysterious fog in the forest amongst the 600 year old trees, creating scenes straight out of a movie! The twisted tree branches with layers of moss on them have such interesting forms that it almost looks as if they’re alive. Whether you’re a tourist, amateur photographer or professional photographer, you have to experience Fanal Forest with fog at least once! But with all the different weather circumstances in Madeira, you have to be lucky to get the perfect conditions! Sometimes the fog can be too wet, too thick, or there is no fog at all. In this blog post I will try to explain how you can predict fog at Fanal Forest. But of course also what to expect, the best viewpoints, photography tips for Fanal Forest and the hikes that can be done from here.
About Fanal Forest
The magical Fanal Forest is part of the Laurisilva forest which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its ecological importance and beauty.
15 to 40 million years ago, most of Southern Europe was covered in this type of laurel forest. But nowadays, it can only be found in Madeira, the Azores, and the Canary Islands. When explorers first saw Madeira, most of the island was covered by the beautiful Laurisilva Forest. But nowadays, only 16% of the forest is left on the island. It is very important to preserve these forests as they play a major role in the hydrological balance on Madeira Island. But thanks to its UNESCO status, Fanal forest will be protected and remain in pristine condition for many years to come so that these ancient trees can continue to flourish.
Besides the mystical Fanal Forest, the Rabaçcal area around Fanal is particularly known for its amazing levada walks. Part of the forest is Vereda do Fanal where you can admire more of the beautiful Laurisilva forest. But also Levada dos Cedros and Levada das 25 Fontes are both fun levada walks where you can not only see Laurisilva forest but also some of the most beautiful waterfalls in Madeira.
Fanal Forest tours
To learn and see the most from your visit to Fanal forest, it is highly recommended to book a tour. There are several tours going to Fanal forest which you can book. All of these tours include transport with hotel pick up and drop off and certified guides. You can reserve the tour now and pay later, with cancellation up to 24 hours in advance to receive a full refund. Here some of the Fanal forest tours which I recommend.
- Fanal forest private guided tour
- Vereda do Fanal private guided walk
- Fanal forest guided group walk
- Trail running tour through Fanal forest
How to get to Fanal Forest
Fanal forest is located on the north-western part of Madeira Island in the Madeira Natural Park. The parking is quite easy to find as you can find the dedicated parking lot on Google Maps as ‘Fanal Parking’ and ‘Posto Florestal Fanal’. Both parkings are at different entrances, but I would say that Fanal Parking is the most central parking. One of the parkings is directly next to the road with picnic tables and the other parking is a little side road near a white building. Take into account that there are no facilities at all near the forest. So bring enough water and snacks. From Funchal it is about an hour drive but from Calheta it’s only 30 minutes.
General travel must haves for Madeira
Before we dive into the best things to do in Madeira, let’s check a few things to make your travels in Madeira easy and safe.
Have you thought about how to get around in Madeira? A car is the easiest way to drive around the island.
- Book your rental car here and compare the providers to get the best deal.
- Book your scooter or motorbike here to get around in Madeira. Most of the scooters you can drive with driving license (A1/A2/A) from 18 years old, or from 25 years old with a car (B) license. The motorbikes have a minimum age of 20 or 21 with A (moto) license.
Do you prefer a private driver for the day and the freedom to create your own itinerary?
Did you already book your accommodation?
Are you insured during your travels?
- Buy your travel insurance here. Safetywing not only includes coverage for travel delay, lost checked luggage, emergency response, natural disasters and personal liability. But also covers all your medical expenses for hospitalisation.
Best time to go to Fanal Forest
It doesn’t really matter in which month you visit Fanal Forest because it’s perfect for exploring year round. But, as you might know, the forest can be completely covered in fog. This creates a mystical vibe and makes it feel as if you’re on a movie set! Of course the fog is not always there, but it is quite common that it hits this area of the island which is 1150 meters above sea level. However, it could be a challenge to know when the exact best time is to visit the forest for fog. In the section below I’ll try to explain how you can predict if there’s fog in Fanal.
How to predict fog at Fanal Forest
Although it’s very hard to predict when there will be fog in this area, you can see a pattern in the cloud movements at the highest peaks of the island. It just depends how low the clouds are, which you can check on several weather apps. Keep in mind that the forest lies on an altitude of 1150 meters above sea level. On the weather apps and Madeira webcams you can get an idea about the current weather and cloud situation on the island.
We have been to Fanal Forest over 10 times during the 7 months that we’ve lived on Madeira Island. We went many times in the morning and were only 2 times lucky with the right foggy circumstances. Other moments of the day we had fog was around midday. It is completely depended on the weather conditions per day. If the weather is moody in Madeira, then you have more chance of fog at Fanal Forest. The best way to know is to look up to the sky and estimate if it’s low or high clouds. When the peaks of Madeira are covered in clouds, which is between 1700-1800 meters, you have a chance of fog at Fanal Forest. Just like many other photographers that went to Madeira for this mystical forest, you have to go as often as you can. Sometimes you’re lucky in the first attempt, sometimes you have to come back several times.
What to expect at Fanal Forest
It is very hard to explain what you can expect at Fanal Forest because the outcome is so depended on the weather. With sunny clear skies it is a great place for a picnic and a walk. There is a public bbq spot at the parking lot and there are several concrete picnic spots scattered around the parking. A perfect place for a lunch break.
Once you make your way into the forest, you can expect some cows that live here. Don’t be scared because they are used to people. But make sure to not bother them. If they get curious and walk towards you, keep calm and turn away from them. Of course, always keep an eye on where these animals are. They can be jolly and jump around. For some people this might feel intimidating.
It might be clear now that the weather really determines how your experience of Fanal Forest will be. All weather conditions are beautiful. Even with sunset, without fog, but with beautiful low hanging clouds we had a wonderful shoot here. Every moment of the day and type of weather has its charm. But of course the fog is most magical and will let you feel as if you’re walking in a fairytale dream world.
Sunset at Fanal Forest
Our Fanal Forest video
During the many times we went to this magical forest, we made a short video. Above you can watch our short video about Fanal Forest Madeira!
But also for our final Madeira film we used a scene of Fanal forest in our film. Below you can watch our complete Madeira film called ‘Forever Madeira’. Please enjoy watching this video we worked for about 7 months on while living in Madeira.
Photography tips for Fanal Forest
Whether you’re a tourist, amateur photographer or professional photographer, Fanal Forest is a perfect place to challenge your photography skills. The amount of fog has a lot of influence on the type of pictures you can create. All the trees together in Fanal Forest can look a bit too chaotic on pictures without fog. So that’s the huge advantage of foggy days, it hides chaos in the forest.
We have experienced Fanal Forest during all sorts of weather conditions. With too much mist so we almost couldn’t see 10 meters ahead of us. With too wet fog and also without fog. Every time the forest looked different and the outcome of pictures was also different. Below you can find our photography tips for Fanal Forest.
We also covered an extensive guide about fog photography tips to improve your skills when photographing in foggy weather.
1. Use manual focus
Fog is a blanket of tiny water droplets that scatter the light and add a layer of grey contrast in a scene. As a result, fog photography does not usually contain harsh highlights or deep shadows, unless sun rays are piercing through. Therefore the contrast will sometimes be so low that your autofocus won’t work. That’s the time to switch to manual focus. It’s actually always the best to use manual focus in foggy conditions. The reasons is, even if the autofocus manages to lock onto something, it might be mistaken.
2. Use a small aperture
The reason for this is because the depth of field is greatly reduced in foggy conditions. This means that the denser the fog is, the less focus point there is in trying to get everything sharp. So the further away a subject is, the more vague it will be in both contour and color. Therefore it is better to use a smaller aperture to get at least some detail back, especially when using a wide angle lens. Even if it looks in your camera as if there’s less mist in your image, you can always adjust that in post production with the dehaze slide.
3. Choose the right focal length
It’s maybe hard to choose the right lens for fog photography because telephoto lenses compress the fog (making it denser) and wide angle lenses will make the fog look less. So what you can do is choose a tele lens when the fog is not very strong and a wide angle lens when the fog is very dense.
4. Expose correctly for fog
Using the right exposure to make pictures in fog depends on the weather conditions. The density of fog and having light sources or not influences the settings on your camera a lot. When shooting pictures in the fog you can create a very moody scene if there’s no light source. But if there is sunlight peeking through branches, you can make use of the magical light rays which turns out to a more vibrant image. Adjust your exposure accordingly, so go + 0.7 stop on a moody day without light source and when there is some light – 0.7 stop. Especially when there are light rays that you don’t want to blown out.
Fanal Forest viewpoints
Once you make your way up the hill towards the pinnacle, you will have amazing views over Fanal Forest on one side and towards Seixal and the ocean on the other side. This view can change completely depending on the weather. Sometimes we only saw a sea of clouds instead of the ocean with clear skies above us, Another time we were literally in the clouds and there was nothing to see at all. Therefore this is such an interesting part of Madeira. Always different weather circumstances which gives the area each and every time a different experience when you visit.
Fanal Forest from above with the drone. You can see the trees dotted over the area and the pinnacle sticking out from the landscape
The pinnacle from Fanal Forest seen from a bit closer. Beautiful low hanging clouds on the ocean side
Fanal lake
Only after heavy rain, a pond arises a little bit further down the road from Fanal Forest. This Fanal lake, also known as Lagoa do Fanal, almost looks like a mirror and creates beautiful reflections. It’s perfect to take photos or to have a picnic. You can walk around the lake and find some of the same twisted trees as in Fanal Forest itself. We loved to take some pictures here and play around with the reflections. Below one of the results from our shoot here and an aerial view of the pond.
Keep in mind that this lake only exists after weeks of heavy rain
HIKES AROUND FANAL FOREST
Vereda do Fanal
One of the hikes that goes along Fanal Forest is Vereda do Fanal. This 11 kilometre one way hike takes you along the Paul da Serra plateau and ends at Posto Florestal Fanal. Because it is a point to point hike, it means you either have to hike your way back, get a taxi back to your car or hitchhike. You start this hike along the ER209 at PR13 sign for Vereda do Fanal.
But you can also book a tour for Vereda do Fanal and then you don’t have to worry about transport because that is being taken care of!
In the first part you follow a forest trail with some stairs here and there, alternated with the incredible views on the Rabaçal valley. The tree branches create a natural shelter of the sun and are a welcome variety from the open spaces on the trail.
When entering the last two to three kilometres of the hike you will see a little change of scenery. The paths are now accompanied by the typical Ocotea Foetens, also known as Stinkwood tree, which is the enchanting and famous Fanal tree with twisted tree branches.
You will then end the Vereda do Fanal hike on the hill that looks out over Fanal Forest below.
Read here everything about Vereda do Fanal
Levada dos Cedros to Fanal Forest hike
The second hike that starts in the nearby area is Levada dos Cedros. This levada walk is one of the oldest watercourses built on the island, originated in the 17th century. During the Levada dos Cedros walk you will pass through the area of Madeira’s primitive forest until it reaches the parish of Ribeira da Janela. The beautiful Laurisilva forest is classified as World Nature Heritage by UNESCO in 1999 and is in a vibrant state of conservation and development. At the end of the Levada dos Cedros you will find a few beautiful waterfalls to refresh. Eventually you can combine a visit to Fanal Forest after you come back from Levada dos Cedros.
The total distance of the hike out and back is about 12 kilometres with several points of interest along the way. Depending on the time you spend at the waterfalls, how often you take a break etc, you can do the Levada dos Cedros hike in about 3 – 4 hours.
Read here everything about Levada dos Cedros
More Madeira travel inspiration
I hope you enjoyed this blog post about the magical Fanal forest.
For more information about Madeira, head over to our other travel blogs.
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