A view of Laurel Forest in Madeira

Second place prize: a view of the Laurissilva (laurel forest) of Madeira, Portugal. Photo by Jorge Nelson Alves

Wiki Loves Earth, a competition where participants take photographs of protected natural areas and upload their photos to Wikimedia Commons, was held internationally for the second time in 2015.

The world’s largest LAURISSILVA forest is located on the island of Madeira. In 1999 the 15,000 hectare indigenous ‘living relic’ was awarded the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site. It plays an important role in the ecological balance of Madeira thus sustaining the endemic flora and fauna.

(Please, click on the picture to enlarge it or here.)

Calheta municipality in Madeira

Jardim do Mar (Calheta - Madeira island*) where Sofia's Place is located

Jardim do Mar (and Sofia's Place) is located in Calheta municipality. It is the home to close to 12 thousand people and it is located between the southern and western end of the island of Madeira. Its area of approximately 116 Km2 makes it the longest of the Autonomous Region of Madeira.

The village of Calheta houses the Arts Centre Casa das Mudas, a project designed in complete harmony with the surrounding landscape, which features a wide cultural offer. Casa das Mudas holds exhibitions of various kinds, plays, musicals, conferences and many other events.

In Calheta you can also visit a working rum distillery that dates back to the 19th century. You can take a self-guided tour to see how the local rums and poncha liqueurs are made, and you can sample the rums in the tasting room for a small fee.

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*Photo rights: FC Turismo da Madeira

Nature & Adventure in Madeira

(video direct link)

Nature & Adventure activities (Active Tourism) are extra reasons to visit Madeira Islands. On land, on air or on sea, the choices are plenty and everybody can experience activities, offering a multiplicity range, designed for all age groups.

Particularly in CALHETA municipality territory (Southwest), where Jardim do Mar is located, you can do all: hiking, mountain biking, surf, bodyboard, wind surfing, diving, climbing, canyoning, paragliding, sailing, dolphin & whale watching or (big game) fishing.

CALHETA, besides its breathtaking landscapes and the friendly local people, has the best weather conditions all year round.

It is not the first time we hear someone saying that the impressive landscape is similar to Jurassic Park island ("pretty similar to the Jurassic Park island", it is said on the this video). We have also heard comparisons to New Zealand type landscapes.

All that in Europe and with good climate.

Come and feel the landscape around you. Dive in it.Take a deep breath. Surrender to the charms of an island that exhales energy and inspires emotion and adventure.

Besides all this, you may also feel Madeira's Nature profound and empowering quietness, working as a self (relaxing and healing) retreat from modern life rush, stress and anxieties.

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Related info:
NATURE/ECO Tourism & Madeira & Sofia's Place

Sugar cane to the rum factory

Sugar cane comes in trucks to the rum factory in Calheta. You can make a visit and try the traditional cake and rum.

Calheta municipality (Southwest of Madeira)

Calheta municipality, in the Southwest of Madeira, is the sunniest area of the island. It is where Sofia's Place is located. Jardim do Mar village is part of Calheta.

509th anniversary of Calheta municipality

This year celebrations of the 509th anniversary of Calheta municipality, located in the West area of Madeira Island, start on the 22 and of June and finish on the 25th, in Vila da Calheta, five minutes away from Jardim do Mar by car.

On the 24th you have live music and open air disco. The next day you have the traditional parade (marchas) in the honour of São João (Saint John) with groups from all the eight counties (freguesias) of the municipality. At midnight there will be a firework show over the beautiful bay of Vila da Calheta and then live music.

Please, be welcome and have fun.

David Lloyd in comics festival in Calheta

David Lloyd doing autograph signing in our V For Vendetta copy

David Lloyd is a world famous British comics artist best known as the illustrator of the story V For Vendetta.

He was in Madeira to open an exhibition on the graphic novel V For Vendetta, in Casa das Mudas Art Centre, in Calheta (5 minutes away from Sofia's Place).

V For Vendetta (2006) is a film based on the aforementioned comic book. The movie was exhibited in the Art Centre auditorium, after the exhibition opening and the autograph session, last Friday March 26.

Digital culture at Casa das Mudas Arts Centre

Digital music and culture at Casa das Mudas Arts Centre between December 3 and 6, 2010. The event is supported by THE WIRE magazine. It takes place every December, on the Portuguese Island of Madeira, in Casa das Mudas Arts Centre, in the village of Calheta. Just 5 minutes drive from Sofia's Place.

All details at:
Madeiradig

Calheta is 5 minutes drive away

The modern Centro das Artes (Art Center) is a main attraction in Calheta

Calheta is an administrative region in the South West of Madeira and covers an area of 115 sq Kilometres and eight villages.

Whale and dolphin spotting or fishing excursions can be arranged from Vila da Calheta, in the marina. Ferry trips from Funchal to the nearby island of Porto Santo can be arranged also in Calheta.

Some of the island's finest scenery and walking are within a 20 minute (10 kilometres) drive into the mountains.

In Calheta you should visit the international Centro das Artes (Art Center) and the rum factory and museum. You can find the old and the new, the roots and the modern, the local and the universal. Madeira is about contrast in every sense.

In the village above Jardim do Mar, 5 kilometres away and named Prazeres (Pleasures), you can find a little zoo and an art gallery by the church. In Prazeres you also find a health resort in Jardim Atlântico Hotel offering a host of facilities, including swimming, tennis, sauna, gym, games room, vegetarian and wholefood restaurant, and a range of holistic therapies.

You can visit locals of cultural and historic interest in the municipality of Calheta or in the whole island, do scenery drives, you can also do whale and dolphin spotting from Calheta Marina, do “levada” walks up in the mountains, do mountain biking, go in boat trips along the coastline, go sailing, pier fishing, big game fishing from Calheta Marina or Funchal, scuba diving or snorkeling, surfing, wind-surfing, water skiing and paragliding.

However many people feel happy just relaxing, sunbathing, walking around and socializing in the friendly and cosy village of Jardim do Mar, where you cannot get bored and have a quiet time at the same time. You can choose quietness and excitement whenever you wish and as you feel. Like you can choose being by the sea or in the mountains in very a short time. The contrast and diversity of experiences offered by Jardim do Mar and Madeira island is perhaps their main factor of attraction.