Cabo Girão

Cabo Girão, on the coast of Câmara de Lobos, is one of the highest sea cliffs of Europe: a wall of rock of almost six hundred metres that falls straight from the plateau to the Atlantic. At its top, a glass skywalk hangs over the abyss, and the view runs along the coast from Funchal to the western tip of Madeira.

The cliff

The cliff was formed by the ancient volcanoes of the island and rises almost vertically from the sea, with the terraces of the fajãs — small platforms of farmland — at its base, reached only by boat or by paths cut in the rock. Above the wall, the viewpoint of Cabo Girão opened its suspended glass platform in 2012, and the place became one of the icons of Madeira: a balcony over the ocean where the paragliders launch and the light changes with the hours of the day.

What to see

• The glass skywalk, suspended over the cliff.
• The views along the coast, from Funchal to the west.
• The fajãs of Cabo Girão, the terraces at the base of the wall.
• The paragliders, taking flight from the plateau beside the viewpoint.

Visiting

The viewpoint is reached by road from Câmara de Lobos and Funchal, with parking beside the skywalk; the visits are made in all seasons, though the mornings usually bring the clearest light. The cliff is a place of strong winds and vertigo, so visitors should keep to the platforms and the marked paths, and check the conditions with the official information of the municipality.

Nearby

The city of Funchal and the cliffs of Ponta do Pargo frame the coast around Cabo Girão.

Information: cm-camaradelobos.pt.

Image credit: Cabo Girão, Madeira, by Otto Domes, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.