Beat the crowds by getting on the gondola when it first opens & no lines is always welcome.
The lush vegetation of the garden of Monte Palace Madeira surrounds enormous ponds, filled with Koi fish, which provide a pleasant spectacle to visitors, due to the transparency of the water and the brightness and colour of the fish. The garden’s paths have been enriched with a collection of 17th to 20th century tiles. Coat of arms, sculptures, niches, pagodas, buddhas and lanterns can also be seen in the garden.
Since we came straight up, now everything is down, so we started our adventure.
Any day I get to hug a Sequoia is a good day
We met a few friends along the way
Entering the Japanese section of the gardens
The flowers bursting along the trail
Lots of beautiful water flowing
We’re not done yet because our afternoon requires a gondola ride partway down the mountain to the Jardim Botanic Gardens
Madeira is famous throughout the world for being an island where tropical and exuberant Nature reigns supreme. At the Botanical Garden Viewpoint, visitors have the opportunity to be surrounded by a diverse and vibrant natural universe, while enjoying a landscape marked by the sea, the mountains and, between them, the city of Funchal.
The Botanical Garden Viewpoint was created at Quinta do Bom Sucesso, built in 1881 by the Reid family, and opened to the public in 1960, covering an area of approximately eight hectares, five of which are landscaped and home to an endless number of species of trees and ornamental shrubs. There are more than 2000 exotic plants from all continents, some of them endangered in their lands of origin.
A sweet butterfly followed me for a bit
Topiary Garden
Unique Tropical Palm trees
Always feel lucky to have a cat encounter. He just looked up from his nap and we think he smiled 😻
Perfect end to a day in the gardens
Tomorrow we’re driving up the coast to the natural pools of Porto Moniz
