The next main event here on the island of Madeira is …. the Carnival, Mardi Gras or Carnaval 2008. Both locals and island visitors agrees that this is one of the best Carnivals of whole Europe. If you have not seen the Carnaval of Madeira yet … then have a look at the following pictures and judge for your self.

There are two main parades, namely the Allegoric Parade and ‘o Trapalhão‘.

The Grand Carnival Float Pageant or Allegoric Parade (Cortejo Alegórico) takes place on the Saturday of the Carnival weekend, with a total of 1,500 participants … members of numerous Samba groups …. which will compete against each other by giving the best performance and show on the streets of Funchal.

Colours, music, dancing, laughter, singing, erotic and mind-dazzling costumes are a few of their ‘weapons’ to achieve their goal … which is … getting the bystanders and tourists also to dance. It is like Carnival in Rio …. only closer to home!

The second parade is called ‘o Trapalhão‘, which is the Fun Parade in which everybody can take part.

If you have lived or are living on Madeira then this day will amaze you … because you will detect an unknown side of the local people of the island …. in daring and exciting costumes … or creations of their own …. that sometimes you wonder ‘are these the same people I run into each day?‘

Carnaval Trapalhão takes place the same day as the ‘Mardi Gras‘ (French for ‘Fat Tuesday’, meaning Shrove Tuesday) … the Tuesday … the day before Ash Wednesday and ending the Carnaval period.

Both parades take place in the center of Funchal.

The Grand Carnival Float Pageant start at 21h00 … with the participation of eight groups with more than one thousand people (so be on time!).

Route: Starting from the Praça da Autonomia (South side), going along Avenida do Mar and Avenida das Comunidades Madeirenses (Southbound), crossing to the Northbound side (in front of Marina Shopping) then going up Rua Dias Leite, Rotunda do Infante, Av. Arriaga (Northbound side – as far as the Banco de Portugal), Avenida Zarco (Northbound side), Rua Câmara Pestana and Praça do Município where at 11.00 p.m. is the closing of the Grand Carnival Parade.

Carnaval images are property of Madeira Archipelago.com (www.madeiraarchipelago.com)

This article will help you to find a suitable from and to Madeira Islands.
The best way is first to determine which airlines will be flying to Madeira on a certain period. Then you can search for that airline site and get the best flight and price for you to travel to Madeira.

To find all scheduled flights that start from Madeira (FNC) Airport for all destinations, click on the following link:

ANA Portugal Airports
…. and select in the Origin list Madeira (FNC). Then select the Destination, Departure and Return calendar.

You can also download (and print) the complete scheduled timetable of all flights from/to Madeira in PDF format. Just click on the following link:

Aeroporto da Madeira Scheduled Timetable

Next a list of sites of the most airlines that are flying to Madeira:

AIR-BERLIN
AIR LINGUS
AUSTRIA AIRLINES / FLY NIKI
CONDOR
BINTER CANARIAS
BA BRITISH AIRWAYS
EASYJET
FINNAIR
FIRST CHOICE
FLYGLOBESPAN
HELLO AIRLINES
JETAIRFLY
PALMAIR
LAUDA AIR
LTU
LUXAIR
SAS
SATA
STERLING
TAP
THOMAS COOK
THOMSON / THOMSONFLY
TRANSAVIA
TUIfly / HAPAGfly

Did we miss any? Let us know … and we will update our list.

More than 192.000 pictures of Madeira have been published on Flickr.com … and that number is increasing each day. All photos taken by visitors of Madeira Islands …. captured images during the excursions, bus tours, guided walks etc. to the various locations on the island.

From these images I have selected the best photos. These are at the moment over 700 pictures that I like the most. Beautiful images …. unforgettable picture moments …. amazing intercepted views …. and all taken by over hundred visitors of Madeira Island. It is amazing what people see and come across during their trips and excursions …. and it amazes me how much there is still to see here on an island in the Atlantic Ocean. You can not see it all in just one or two weeks.

So sit back and enjoy the show … see what that others have seen and captured on their digital cameras. And maybe you will decide to visit Madeira (again) …. after your visit you will publish your photographs and they will also appear here ….
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The Madeira Tourism Board together with the British journalist and photographer, Terry Marsh, organizes the Madeira Islands Walking Festival which the 1st edition will take place on 15th till 19th of January this year. This initiative will be an annual event that aims to draw more walking enthusiasts to the island.

The festival consists of 20 pre-designated walks, recommended by the Regional Government of Madeira Islands. The participants can choose 4 strolls per day, of different levels of difficulty and duration.

The festival gives the participants the chance to visit and get acquainted with Madeira’s natural environment and to discover the Laurissilva forest, recognized by UNESCO as an officially World Natural Heritage designation. Walkers will experience Ond Orama’s poetic words at first hand:

Middle of the mighty Atlantic lays floating garden where majestic mountains, blue sky and never-ending ocean daily meets daily. These children of Mother Nature flirts with the beautiful lady Laurisilva, who is continues under the heritage watch of the world and therefore not easy to win her heart. A romance that changes frequently …. a daily struggle that visitors contemplate at first sight when they put their first step on the island soil. Steps that take us to the Levadas, the veins of the archipelago, that dances across the mountains, cliffs and forests.

For more information of this initiative visit the official site at www.madeiraislandswalkingfestival.com

Festival Director, Terry Marsh is author of the Globetrotter Island Guide to ‘Madeira’, published in 2007 by New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd (ISBN 978-1-84537-555-3).

Here are the first pictures taken from the Madeira New Years Eve Fireworks of 2008 …. taken by Miguel Lopes (também obrigado!).

To see the slide shows you need (at least) Adobe Flash Player 9 plugin installed into your web browser. (more…)

Here are the first pictures taken from the Madeira New Years Eve Fireworks of 2008 …. taken by Helder Silva (obrigado!).

To see the slide shows you need (at least) Adobe Flash Player 9 plugin installed into your web browser. (more…)