The fishing village of Camara de Lobos, on Madeira, Portugal, was actually a fluke. I wanted to visit the Cabo Girao SkyWalk, and an easy way to go about it, turned out to be the Yellow Bus, a hop-on hop-off going from Funchal, to Camara de Lobos, to the glass platform. When we approached Camara de Lobos, and I spotted the harbour, I knew I had to hop-off, and explore the adorable little thing. It is a fairly tiny place, so it can be quickly done, if needed. The said harbour is probably the most striking feature. A small bay with colorful fishing boats, cafes lining one side, a lighthouse, and views of the sea beyond. From here you can take a narrow, cobblestoned street filled with cafes, restaurants, and bars, and cool street art. After a short while you’ll arrive at the square, in front of the main church. Also looked like a nice spot to take a breather. Returning I took the backroad running along the coast, spotting a gravel beach, and a waterfront promenade. From the harbour there is also a street leading up the hill, which is in the middle of the town centre, and which you in fact by now have encircled. For some unknown reason I didn’t do the climb, which I kind of regret, as I am thinking it would be a nice thing to do. If serenity is what you’re looking for, head here!
Base yourself in Camara de Lobos or in Funchal? I am afraid Camara de Lobos will be too small to keep you busy for several days. Funchal might miss the charm in some areas, but has a lot more to offer on the to-do side. I’d stay in Funchal, and visit Camara de Lobos on a day trip, instead of the other way around.
The YELLOW BUS departs from the waterfront in Funchal. Stop is called Avenida do Mar Funchal Marina Terminal. It was more off than I expected, so leave some time to find it. The more well-known City Sightseeing bus departs from the same spot, so make sure you get on the right one, as City Sightseeing do not go to Cabo Girao, if that’s a thing you wanna do. First you are taken on a loop around Funchal. Not the most exciting as I had already crisscrossed the city centre plenty. I did see a couple of spots I had not been to, but, yeah, not a must do. After leaving the downtown area, we started climbing through residential/suburban areas to Pico dos Barcelos, which provides great views of the mountains and Funchal. After descending it was more or less highway driving all the way to Camara de Lobos. In Camara de Lobos you need to change to another bus/route, if you want to visit the Cabo Girao Skywalk. Easy transfer. Now you’re on a smaller bus taking you up again, towards the viewpoint (only stop), but this time through more rural farmland, for 35 minutes. What’s perfect with this way of visiting the cliff, is that the bus waits for you at the glass platform. You are given 15 minutes, which I found to be enough. You can of course wait for the next departure. Going back down, same scenery, but from Camara de Lobos to Funchal you take the coastal road through what appeared, to me, to be a high-end hotel area. Apparently this is your access to the Lido Promenade and Formosa Beach.
The backroad
The harbour
Street art
Spotted on the way
