Some time ago, precisely at the beginning of the 20th century, there was a train that took people to the highest part of Funchal, in a neighborhood called Monte. Due to the geography of the Island and its vertiginous paths, the Madeirenses have always sought tools to facilitate urban displacement, as well as the transportation of goods.
After some time the way of getting moved changed and in a very pioneering process the Madeira Island built a cable car that became attraction, since it had been implanted inside the city and in partially urban terrain. The construction dynamics was carried out with ambitious engineering challenges in the foundations and assembly of the towers, which involved the movement of huge metal structures to places of difficult access, until the cable laying of steel along a distance of 3200m. No doubt a bold project that today fills the Madeirenses with pride and admiration.
Today I will talk about the most beautiful scenery sitting in these cabins that show us beautiful views, as well as make us think of the courage and daring of this beautiful people who live here in Madeira.
The cable cars of Madeira are:
Fajã dos Padres
Achadas da Cruz
Rocha do Navio
Fajã do Cabo Girão
Garajau
Monte
And Botanical Garden
Different structures, different uses, but each inserted in places of extreme beauty. The largest of them is the Monte that is located in the Old Zone and can carry 800 people per hour, in a total of 39 cabins of eight places. The ride on this cable car takes us to Monte, where we can enjoy Monte Toboggan Wicker Sledges (http://guiailhadamadeira.com/carros-de-cesto-do-monte/) and visit the Botanical Garden, on average 15 minutes and has a difference of 560 meters. In this tour you can observe the city from a unique perspective, starting the trip with the urban landscape, being replaced gradually by the natural part. This cable car caters for people with reduced mobility, since both stations (arrival and departure) are prepared to receive this type of passenger.
We also have the Garajau cable car which was opened in 2007 and leads to a wonderful beach and the Garajau Nature Reserve (http://guiailhadamadeira.com/miradouro-do-cristo-rei/)
These engineering challenges are spread all around the Island and their prices starts from 1 euro (children in the Rocha do Navio cable car) to 15 euros (adults in the Monte Cable Car). For me a ride that has a moderate cost versus the feeling of excitement that involves sliding through steel cables into comfortable cabins and seeing the true beauty present here in the Pearl of the Atlantic.
