Das Ilhas as Mais Belas e Livres, translated from Portuguese, means “of all the islands, the most beautiful and free”. The islands of Madeira, found off the coast of northwest Africa is a natural paradise. Here, the pace of life moves slowly, and time passes without hurry.

The archipelago’s rugged volcanic landscape makes for excellent hiking. We enjoyed trekking through its protected laurel forests, which are found only in a few locations on Earth. Along the coast are plenty of challenging routes cutting close to the cliffs. Here, we could hear the waves of the Atlantic crashing below, the endless blue stretching into the horizon.