Twenty seconds of The Wild North Coast, written for this very spot. On the tour it plays by itself as you arrive.
If the south coast is Madeira's polished side, the north is where the island shows its raw, dramatic face, and the Guindaste viewpoint is your front-row seat. Bolted onto the cliffs above the Foz da Ribeira do Faial, this platform pushes you out over the open north Atlantic, with nothing between you and the horizon but air and seabirds.
Below, the ocean batters black volcanic rock; there's no gentle beach here, just power. And rising out of the sea to your side is the Penha de Águia (Eagle Rock), a colossal 590-metre monolith that splits the coast in two and dominates everything around it. Locals named it for the ospreys that once nested on its cliffs.
This is a completely different island from the sunny banana slopes around Funchal: greener, wilder, wetter, with waves that draw surfers to nearby Porto da Cruz. Stand here for five minutes and you'll understand why the north has its own character, its own pace, and, soon enough, its own tour. This is just the trailer.
Local tip: mornings tend to be clearest; the north coast catches cloud and rain more than the south, so a bad-weather day in Funchal can still be fine here, or the other way round. The lower platform has the best angle on Eagle Rock. Take the steps down.
