It's hard to believe that a single island has so many incredible things—magical sunrises, mystical forests, towering waterfalls, and everything in between. One moment you'll feel like you're at the end of the world—then a few minutes later, you'll realize that you're on top of the clouds.
Madeira is also an testament to the many ways that infrastructure can transform a place. Old irrigation channels, known as levadas, are now used as popular hiking paths. Its airport, one of the most dangerous in the world because of the constant strong winds, was extended into the ocean on 180 columns. And hundreds of tunnels and bridges criss-cross its mountainous terrain—many of them funded by the European Union, without which Madeira wouldn't be the destination it is today.
