• ABOUT THE SPOT

Paragliding in Porto da Cruz, Machico, Madeira Portugal

Elevation (take off):
732m / 2400ft
Elevation (landing):
14m / 45ft
Paragliding is an adventurous sport, that gives you the opportunity to fly like a bird and get amazing views of landscape from the sky. You can feel the veil of the clouds embracing your body. You may feel you wanna scream loud "freedom" and hear the echo of your voice. The fresh air is flirting with your face while the adrenaline you feel by being up there makes the mountains, the trees and the stones begging you to take your place on the ground, only for one moment.

So, if you want to find this combination of feelings, then you should visit Porto da Cruz. It’s located at the northeastern corner of Madeira, the Portuguese island. It’s a small village in the municipality of Machico. If you visit this place, at the start of your exploration you can’t imagine the treasures that are hidden. Follow the steam and you will find a 26m/85ft height tower. It’s an old factory of sugar cane, which started the sugar production in 1927, and it’s still working in the same way. Τhe villagers will serve you  ‘vinho seco americano’, a local dry red wine made of ‘americana’, which is a type of grape.

It’s worth to get on Penha d’ Aguia, an imperial rock that seperates Porto da Cruz from Faial, a civil parish in the municipality of Santana, in Madeira. The view from up there is amazing, but if you para-glide, the view is beyond your imagination. So, if you want to fly, you must have the authorization from the owner.

From Porto da Cruz you go up to Portela and then to Lamaceiros. The GPS coordinates for the take off are 32°44’43” (32.7455)N,  16°50’10” (16.8363)W (elevation: 732 m/2400 ft) and for the landing are 32°46’5″ (32.7682)N, 16°49’24” (16.8234)W  (elevation : 14 m/45 ft). The paragliding association is at your disposal, everything you need for. In Porto da Cruz you can find accommodations to relax and you can do other activities when you don’t have fun with the sky and the clouds.