Travel Guide > Calheta > Jardim do Mar
Jardim do Mar
Surfing paradise
If there is a place in Madeira that stands out from the other in the Island in terms of waves, that place is undoubtedly Jardim do Mar. This place is a true paradise for surfers, where world class competitions have frequently taken place.
In the civil parish of Jardim do Mar, the surfers have the possibility to defy high waves, considered amongst the best in Europe.
According to accounts, the name Jardim do Mar (garden of the sea) is owed to the abrupt transition of upright bare slopes into a green and cheerful resort, leaning over the ocean in picturesque way, a beautiful place which in the past used to be covered by a mantle of wild flowers.
Located by the seaside, Jardim do Mar is a picturesque and populated area with a chapel, where the centre of the civil parish is located.
One thing that can be said about Jardim do Mar is the fact that it is a real oasis between the sea and the mountain.
The civil parish, besides the fishing industry, is very rich in agricultural terms, due to the unique conditions presented by the ground.
As such, in this kind of fishing villages, there are several restaurants where you can enjoy all sorts of fish specialties, as well as fresh products from the land.
Amongst the oldest settlers, reference should be made to Gonçalo Alves Araújo, who came from the mainland to Madeira Island in the end of the 15th century, and kept plots of uncultivated land.
Jardim do Mar has today about 252 inhabitants. The civil parish’s most important economic activities are agriculture and the hotel industry, living mainly off the local, national and international surfers. The surfers enliven this small village, when resting from the strenuous and passionate activity of surfing the sea waves.
Generally, Jardim do Mar has a lot of sun and during the winter there is hardly any rainfall.
How to Get There
To get to Jardim do Mar from Funchal you need to take the freeway in the direction of Ribeira Brava (Funchal-Ribeira Brava). Take the Ribeira Brava turnoff. Follow the signposts towards Calheta and Jardim do Mar, which is located further ahead towards the most western part of Madeira Island.
