Twenty seconds of The Eastern Edge, written for this very spot. On the tour it plays by itself as you arrive.
Standing on this headland east of Funchal, arms open to the Atlantic, is a statue of Christ the King, and here's the fact to save for dinner: it's older than the famous one in Rio de Janeiro. Garajau's Christ went up in 1927; Rio's came four years later, in 1931. The little island in the Atlantic beat Brazil to the icon.
But the real treasure here is underwater. The sea below the statue is the Garajau Marine Reserve, one of the first protected marine areas in Portugal. Because fishing has been banned here for decades, the water teems with life: big groupers that come right up to divers, shoals of fish, rays. Snorkellers and scuba divers come from all over for water this clear and this alive. There's a cable car that drops down the cliff to a pebble beach at the bottom if you want to get in.
Up top, the view runs the whole coast (Funchal to the west, the airport headland to the east), and the breeze off the ocean is the kind that resets your head. It's a quiet, slightly solemn spot, and a perfect gateway as you point yourself east.
Local tip: if you've got swimming gear, the cable car down to Reis Magos and the reserve beach is worth it. The snorkelling right off the rocks is some of the best near Funchal. Sunrise here, with the statue lit by the first sun, is special and empty.
