Porto Moniz: history, pools and parishes

Introduction: remote but essential

Tucked into the north‑western corner of Madeira, Porto Moniz might look like a sleepy fishing village perched at the end of the world. Don’t be fooled – this municipality has punched above its weight for centuries.  Founded in the late 15th century by Francisco Moniz O Velho, the son of Madeira co‑discoverer João Gonçalves Zarco, the settlement grew around fertile valleys and a dramatic lava‑carved coastline.  Sailors found shelter in the natural harbour, monks built chapels and farmers planted cereal, potatoes and later vines.  Today Porto Moniz is famous for its volcanic swimming pools, mystical Laurissilva forests and villages that feel suspended between sea and sky.  This 2,500‑word romp explores the municipality’s quirky history, whaling adventures, parishes, cable cars and waterfalls, with tongue firmly in cheek and plenty of respect for the hard‑working locals who call the “capital of the north” home.

Early settlers and captaincies

Porto Moniz didn’t suddenly spring from the ground with sun loungers and cafés.  The area was probably colonised around the last quarter of the 15th century; Francisco Moniz O Velho established a farm and built a small chapel.  As a nobleman from the Algarve and son of Zarco, he brought clout and labourers.  These early settlers grew grain, bred cattle and harvested timber.  Life was hard but the landscape was generous – steep ravines captured rain, irrigation channels (levadas) tamed mountain streams and terraced fields clung to slopes.  During the 18th century the colonists added vine cultivation, while the 19th century introduced potatoes, giving rise to Madeira’s hearty diets.

Administrative life was equally dynamic.  A municipality was created on 31 October 1835 but abolished and re‑established multiple times until 1898.  Porto Moniz served as the boundary between the captaincies of Funchal and Machico.  Achadas da Cruz sits at the point where João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira famously divided the island into two domains.  The parish’s name likely derives from a chapel of Vera Cruz (Holy Cross) built in the 16th century, and its coat of arms features a Latin cross flanked by two silver streams.  Such symbolism underscores how religion and natural geography defined early Porto Moniz society.

A fortress against pirates and today’s aquarium

By the early 18th century Porto Moniz had grown prosperous enough to attract unwanted attention from pirates.  In 1730 the townspeople built São João Baptista Fort to protect the harbour.  The replica you can visit today is faithful to the original and uses stone salvaged from the ruined walls.  It was reconstructed between 1998 and 2000.  The fort now houses the Madeira Aquarium, where 12 tanks (including a 500 000 litre saltwater tank) display more than 90 native marine species.  Strolling through vaulted chambers where cannons once stood, you’ll find cuttlefish, parrotfish and groupers gliding past thick glass – a gentle reminder that the ocean has always defined Porto Moniz.

The parish church also dates from these formative years.  Francisco Moniz’s original chapel of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception washed away in the 1748 earthquake, prompting parishioners to rebuild on higher ground.  Today the Porto Moniz Parish Church impresses visitors with its 17th‑century altarpiece carved by master artisans Manuel Pereira de Almeida and Manuel da Silva and a Baroque‑style organ imported from Lamego.  Despite its simple architecture, the church contains two side chapels with Rococo and Neoclassical altarpieces, testament to the wealth that whaling and agriculture brought to the community.

Lava pools: nature’s infinity tubs

Porto Moniz’s most iconic attraction isn’t man‑made at all.  The natural swimming pools are volcanic cavities that fill with crystal‑clear seawater, replenished by waves breaking over their lava rims.  Formed over millennia by cooling lava, the pools’ unique shape allows constant circulation, ensuring the water is exceptionally clean.  The complex comprises a 3,210 m² solarium and a 3,800 m² swimming area up to two metres deep, providing ample space for sunbathers and lap swimmers.  Facilities include children’s pools, playgrounds, changing rooms, a bar and a first‑aid post.  Sun loungers and parasols can be rented, though locals often sprawl on the black lava or nestle into crevices with picnic baskets.  As you float in natural basins carved by volcanic fury, you’ll appreciate why travellers often rank these pools among Madeira’s must‑swim experiences.

For those preferring free adventures, the older pools near Cachalote (outside the paying complex) provide rugged beauty.  Their jagged outlines and swirling Atlantic waves have starred in travel blogs and even rumours of a Star Wars film shoot.  Whether or not lightsabers ever clashed here, these pools showcase the raw interplay of rock and ocean that defines Porto Moniz.

Whaling: from oil lamps to history

Decades before tourists paddled in lava pools, Porto Moniz was a centre of Madeira’s short‑lived whaling industry.  In 1940 whalers from the Azores brought lookouts and two open boats to Madeira.  They built a blubber‑melting station (tryworks) at Ribeira da Janela and killed the first whales off Porto Moniz on 2 February 1941.  Whale oil illuminated lamps and even powered cars during the fuel shortages of World War II.  In remote villages without electricity, whale oil remained a household staple into the 1970s.  The work was dangerous: crews launched small open boats, hurled hand‑held harpoons and towed their catch ashore with sheer muscle.  Yet whaling provided a vital income when cattle farming and vine cultivation could not feed growing families.

The boom was brief.  A modern tryworks built in Garajau (south coast) in 1942 drew processing away from Ribeira da Janela.  By the late 1970s whales were no longer hunted around Madeira.  Many former whalers turned to fishing, agriculture or the nascent tourism industry.  Today only stories and the restored Whale Museum in nearby Caniçal commemorate this period.  When you see the elegant sperm‑whale sculpture in Porto Moniz’s harbour you’re honouring the daring men who risked their lives on treacherous seas.

Parishes and people: four worlds in one municipality

Porto Moniz comprises four parishes: Porto Moniz, Seixal, Ribeira da Janela and Achadas da Cruz.  Each has its own geography, history and traditions.

Porto Moniz parish: the hub

At 21 km² and roughly 1,668 inhabitants (2011 census), the parish of Porto Moniz is both the largest population centre and municipal seat.  It occupies the strip between Fajã do Porto Moniz and Ribeira da Janela.  The village sprouted around Francisco Moniz’s estate and the chapel of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.  Over time it expanded to include hamlets like Vila Junqueira, Lamaceiros, Ribeirinho, Pombais and Santa.  Agriculture remains important, but services, hospitality, tourism, baking, construction and wood processing now provide livelihoods.  Festivals honour the parish patron saints: Santa Maria Madalena on 22 July, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December and Our Lady of the Mount on 15 August.  Such festas draw emigrants home and fill the streets with colourful bunting and poncha sellers.

Seixal: black sands and waterfalls

Seixal covers 29.50 km² and housed 656 residents in 2011.  Its name comes from seixo, the Portuguese word for a willow tree used to make wine barrels.  Early settlers cultivated grains at Ribeira da Laje, a fertile valley where streams were harnessed for mills.  Today Seixal is famous for its black sand beach; volcanic sands have accumulated naturally along the coast just east of the harbour.  Visitors can rent kayaks, bodyboards or enjoy showers and a bar at the beach complex.  Nature lovers head inland to Chão da Ribeira, an emerald valley above Seixal.  This picnic area is dominated by Laurissilva forest, farmland terraces and a small barbecue park.  In January locals gather here for the Panelo Feast, where meat and vegetables simmer in giant cauldrons and strangers become friends over steaming bowls of stew.  Seixal’s economy blends agriculture, viticulture, commerce, hospitality and crafts like embroidery and shoemaking.

Seixal boasts many points of interest: the Santo Antão church, natural swimming pools, a fishing pier and, just off the old coastal road, the Véu da Noiva waterfall.  From the Véu da Noiva viewpoint you can watch the suspended mouth of the Ribeira de João Delgado stream cascade down a cliff like a bridal veil.  The waterfall forms where the coastline has retreated so quickly that the river plunges straight into the sea.  It’s a dramatic backdrop for sunrise photos or spontaneous marriage proposals.

Ribeira da Janela: where levadas meet Fanal

Ribeira da Janela covers 19.90 km² and counted 228 residents in 2011.  The parish is named after the island’s longest watercourse: the Ribeira da Janela.  Near its mouth stands a rock islet with a crevice shaped like a window (“janela” in Portuguese), inspiring early sailors to call the settlement Janela da Clara.  Fertile soil and abundant water made this valley the “vegetable garden” of Madeira; terraces still yield vines, beans, potatoes and corn.  Irrigation is provided by two historic levadas – Levada do Lombo Gordo and Levada dos Cedros.  The parish includes villages such as Penedo, Casais de Baixo, Casais de Além and Casais da Igreja.

The mountains above Ribeira da Janela hide Fanal, one of the most mystical pockets of Madeira’s Laurissilva forest.  Here centuries‑old Til trees (Ocotea foetens) pre‑date the island’s discovery.  Fanal’s landscape is dotted with viewpoints, a barbecue area and a winter lake formed in an ancient crater.  Classified as a Rest and Quiet Reserve by the Madeira Natural Park, it invites visitors to slow down and watch fog curl between moss‑covered branches.  Several hiking trails begin here: PR 13 Vereda do Fanal and PR 14 Levada dos Cedros traverse rolling pastures and primordial woods.  Fanal is not just pretty; the Laurissilva forest acts as a natural water reservoir, capturing moisture and feeding the levadas that sustain agriculture across Madeira.  It’s a living, breathing reminder of the island’s prehistoric ecosystem.

Ribeira da Janela’s parish church, Our Lady of the Incarnation, was rebuilt after a flood in the late 17th century.  Its neoclassical altarpieces and glazed arch window draw architecture buffs.  Festivities include Nossa Senhora da Encarnação on 25 March, Santo António on the last Sunday of July and the Festa do Senhor in August.  Economic activity centres on agriculture (especially vines), electricity production (the hydroelectric station uses levada water) and cooperage.

Achadas da Cruz: cable cars and cliffside culture

The smallest parish by population, Achadas da Cruz, covers 10 km² and had 159 inhabitants in 2011.  It sits between Ponta do Pargo and Ponta do Tristão and originally belonged to Funchal’s captaincy.  Garcia Rodrigues da Câmara is credited as the first settler.  The parish is divided into villages such as Achada da Arruda, Cova, Igreja, Pinheiro and others.  Locals farm cattle, grow crops and weave wickerwork.  The Nossa Senhora do Livramento festival on 1 May fills the village with pilgrims and traditional music.

Achadas da Cruz’s star attraction is the cable car descending steep cliffs to Fajã da Quebrada Nova.  Built not only for tourists but to help farmers carry produce from terraced fields by the sea, the cable car offers panoramic views of green hills and the north coast.  The ride lasts about five minutes and operates daily.  From the station at the bottom you can stroll along a pebble beach or hike the Vereda do Calhau and Vereda da Ladeira trails.  It’s a rare chance to experience a farming community cut off from modern roads – the only way up or down is by cable or a gruelling footpath.

Hiking, levadas and viewpoints

Porto Moniz’s dramatic topography has long required ingenuity.  Levadas – narrow irrigation channels carved into mountainsides – carry water from wet northern slopes to drier agricultural terraces.  Some have become hiking paths.  The PR 15 Vereda da Ribeira da Janela (2.7 km) follows an old footpath that once linked the hamlet of Curral Falso (Fanal) to the coastal village.  Villagers used this route to transport barrels of wine and produce over the mountains.  Today hikers pass terraced fields of potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans and maize and admire houses perched on steep slopes.  Modern trail markers evoke the memory of men and mules bending under heavy loads.

Another highlight is the Miradouro do Véu da Noiva on the coastal road between São Vicente and Seixal.  From here you can watch the namesake waterfall plunge off a cliff like a bridal veil.  Photographers love the juxtaposition of white water, emerald cliffs and the endless Atlantic.  The viewpoint also offers sweeping views of vegetation‑covered cliffs along the north coast.  Bring a poncho – spray from the waterfall and passing rain showers can leave you looking like a drowned best man.

Laurissilva forest: Madeira’s living museum

Much of Porto Moniz lies within the Laurissilva forest, a relic of the subtropical laurel forest that once blanketed Southern Europe.  Fanal and Chão da Ribeira provide accessible glimpses into this UNESCO World Heritage ecosystem.  Ancient til trees (Ocotea foetens) shade mossy glens and capture fog which trickles into aquifers feeding levadas.  This forest acts as Madeira’s natural reservoir, releasing water slowly throughout the year.  It hosts endemic birds like the Madeiran firecrest and laurel pigeon, which you might see while picnicking among Fanal’s roaming cows.  Hiking through the Laurissilva connects you to an ecosystem older than your ancestors; some trees are over 500 years old.

Chão da Ribeira, in Seixal, is another Laurissilva gem.  Set in a green valley above the parish, it offers contact with indigenous and exotic vegetation.  Farmland terraces and tool sheds dot the landscape, blending human labour with natural beauty.  It’s also the starting point for canyoning trips and rigorous hikes to high plateaus.  Whether you’re chasing waterfalls or just building up an appetite for poncha, these forested valleys remind you why UNESCO declared the Laurissilva a world heritage site.

Demography: an ageing yet resilient population

According to the 2011 census, Porto Moniz municipality had 2,711 inhabitants, about 1 % of Madeira’s population.  The parish of Porto Moniz contained more than half the residents (1,668), followed by Seixal (656, 24 %), Ribeira da Janela (228, 8.4 %) and Achadas da Cruz (159, 5.86 %).  By 2021 the municipality’s population declined to 2,517.  Citypopulation.de estimates show a gender split of 1,169 males and 1,429 females in 2024.  Age data reveal a greying community: around 740 residents were 65 + years old-  Emigration to Funchal, mainland Portugal and abroad has thinned the younger workforce.  Yet those who remain maintain centuries‑old traditions while embracing tourism as a lifeline.  Population decline has also rewilded some farming terraces, returning land to heather, broom and creeping laurel.

Economy: from agriculture and crafts to tourism

For centuries Porto Moniz relied on agriculture and livestock.  Each parish specialised: Seixal produced wine, fruit and vegetables; Achadas da Cruz wove baskets from willows; Ribeira da Janela harvested timber and vines; Porto Moniz farmed crops and built crafts.  Agriculture remains important, but economic diversification has become essential.  After the whaling industry collapsed, locals found employment in hotels, restaurants and tourism services.  The natural pools, aquarium, fort and cable car attract thousands of visitors each year, supporting accommodation and souvenir shops.  Government statistics note that residential tourism has grown because of Porto Moniz’s tranquillity and low population density (32.7 inhabitants/km²).  Some families operate Casa do Povo cooperatives, selling honey, poncha, embroidery and rattan goods.

Festivals and traditions

Porto Moniz may be small, but its calendar is packed.  Each parish hosts annual religious festivals honouring patron saints.  In Porto Moniz parish, Santa Maria Madalena (22 July) and Nossa Senhora da Conceição (8 December) draw processions and folk music.  Seixal celebrates Santo Antão on 17 January and the Santíssimo Sacramento on the penultimate Sunday of August.  Ribeira da Janela’s liturgical calendar includes Nossa Senhora da Encarnação (25 March), Santo António (last Sunday of July) and the Festa do Senhor (second Sunday of August).  Achadas da Cruz honours Nossa Senhora do Livramento on 1 May.  Beyond religious events, locals hold the Semana do Mar (Week of the Sea) festival each summer featuring regattas, concerts and a massive seafood fair; the Panelo Feast in January at Chão da Ribeira; and whaling commemorations that pay tribute to bygone harpooners.

Cable cars, cliffs and pebble beaches

The steep topography of Porto Moniz means villages cling to cliffs and terraces cascade down to the Atlantic.  The Achadas da Cruz cable car, built to connect farmers with their fields at Fajã da Quebrada Nova, now thrills tourists.  The 5‑minute ride provides panoramic views of green hills and the coastline and underscores how ingenious locals are at navigating vertical landscapes.  At the bottom you’ll find stone cottages and agricultural plots accessible only by this cable or by steep footpaths.  For the strong‑willed, the Vereda do Calhau and Vereda da Ladeira trails offer challenging climbs up the cliff – just remember that farmers once carried baskets of yams and baskets of grapes along the same route.

Elsewhere, the Seixal fishing pier and natural pools provide glimpses of maritime life.  Fishermen still cast lines from basalt ledges while children chase crabs in tidal basins.  In Achadas da Cruz there’s a tiny beach at the base of the cable car, perfect for skipping stones and watching the sun dip behind the Ilhéu Mole islet.  And along the coast road, dramatic viewpoints like Miradouro da Santa and Ponta do Tristão (the northernmost point of Madeira) give you front‑row seats to Atlantic storms.

Education and science: the Living Science Centre

Porto Moniz isn’t all about nature and history; it also nurtures curiosity.  On the seafront promenade stands the Centro de Ciência Viva, a science centre managed by the municipality.  It is part of Portugal’s national network of “Living Science” centres and hosts interactive exhibitions on astronomy, geology and Madeira’s ecosystems.  The permanent Laurissilva – UNESCO World Heritage Site exhibition allows visitors of all ages to explore the island’s endemic flora and fauna through hands‑on displays.  The centre includes a multipurpose hall and auditorium for conferences, making it a cultural hub for residents.  Combined tickets allow entry to both the science centre and the aquarium.  It’s an ideal rainy‑day activity when Atlantic squalls sweep into the north coast.

Conclusion: timeless beauty and resilience

Porto Moniz may be isolated by cliffs and ocean, but it stands at the crossroads of history, nature and modern tourism.  From Francisco Moniz’s 15th‑century farm and the 1730 fort built to repel pirates to the gleaming saltwater pools and cable car that carry 21st‑century visitors, the municipality has adapted without losing its soul.  The Laurissilva forest continues to supply water, clean air and fairy‑tale landscapes, while parishes like Ribeira da Janela and Seixal balance agriculture with eco‑tourism.  The decline of whaling and a falling population might have spelled doom, but Porto Moniz reinvents itself through community festivals, science museums and adventurous trails.  Whether you’re sipping poncha after a dip in the natural pools, wandering through foggy til forests or riding a cliffside cable car down to a secluded beach, Porto Moniz will leave you awed, amused and perhaps a little bit in love with Madeira’s wild north.