Fanal Forest

Floresta do Fanal is one of the emblematic places of our island.

It’s a mythical place where fairies and elves play when it’s foggy.

Fanal Forest is a magical forest in the northern part of Madeira Island.

Fanal is one of the most emblematic places in the municipality of Porto Moniz and is located between Ribeira da Janela and Planalto do Paúl da Serra.

Often, but not always, there is mysterious fog in the forest between the 600 year old trees, creating scenes from a movie.

Sometimes the fog can be too humid, too thick or no fog at all.

Well known for its unique beauty and its grove of centuries-old Tis (Ocotea foetens), these specimens that have stood the test of time date back to before the discovery of the island.

The branches twisted with layers of moss have such interesting shapes that they almost seem alive.

But with all the different weather circumstances in Madeira, you have to be lucky to get the perfect conditions.

15 to 40 million years ago, most of southern Europe was covered by this type of laurel forest.
But today, 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 beautiful Laurissilva Forest.

But today, only 16% of the forest remains on the island.

It’s very important to preserve these forests as they play an important role in the hydrological balance of Madeira Island.

It is part of the Laurissilva Forest classified as World Natural Heritage by UNESCO, since December 1999 and is part of the European Network of Sites of Community Importance – Natura 2000 Network