A municipality from the sea to the plateau
Calheta is the largest municipality on Madeira’s south-west coast. It runs along the shore from Arco da Calheta in the east to Ponta do Pargo, the westernmost point of the island, and climbs from the sea up to the edge of the Paul da Serra plateau. Its seat is the town of Calheta, with the sand beach, the marina and the MUDAS art museum. Read about each place in the eight parishes.
It is one of the oldest settlements on the island. People were farming here around 1430, and on 1 July 1502 King Manuel I made Calheta a town (vila). Sugar made it rich in the 1500s, and the Engenho da Calheta still grinds cane and distils rum today. The full story is in our short history of Calheta.
The name means a small cove, the kind of sheltered inlet where boats could land. The weather is the other half of the story: the mountains catch the trade-wind clouds, so this side of the island is drier and brighter than the north. That is why we call it the sunny side of Madeira.
- area of the municipality
- 111.5 km²
- people at the 2021 census
- 10,915
- parishes, from Arco da Calheta to Ponta do Pargo
- 8
- year Calheta became a town
- 1502
- height of Ponta do Pargo lighthouse above the sea
- ~300 m
Ten things to do in Calheta
- Swim at the sand beachCalheta has one of the few sand beaches on Madeira’s main island, sheltered by breakwaters beside the marina. All the beaches.
- Walk to 25 Fontes and RiscoThe two classic levada walks start at Rabaçal, in laurel forest above Calheta. Book a trail slot first. Walks and levadas.
- Watch the sun set at Ponta do PargoFrom the lighthouse at the island’s western tip the sun drops straight into the Atlantic. Sunset spots and times.
- Look for whales and dolphinsBoats leave Calheta marina to look for sperm whales, pilot whales and several kinds of dolphin. Whale watching from Calheta.
- Taste rum and mel de canaThe Engenho da Calheta, a working sugar cane mill from 1894, has a small museum and a tasting room. Visit the Engenho.
- See contemporary art at MUDASThe museum by architect Paulo David sits on the cliff above the beach and holds about 400 works. Calheta town.
- Watch the surfers at Jardim do MarOne of Europe’s best-known big-wave spots breaks below the village promenade in winter. Surfing in Calheta.
- Find the Chapel of the MagiA Manueline chapel from the 1520s in Estreito da Calheta, with a Flemish altarpiece found nowhere else on Madeira. Estreito da Calheta.
- Eat fish in Paul do MarThe fishing village serves the day’s catch looking out to sea. Where to eat in Calheta.
- Join a village feastSummer processions walk over flower carpets, with bands, espetada and bolo do caco. The festival calendar.
Places and landscapes
- The eight parishesFrom the marina town to the lighthouse: what to see in each village.
- Beaches and swimmingSand at the marina, boulders and surf further west.
- Walks and levadas25 Fontes, Risco, the Paul da Serra plateau and trail fees.
- Day tripsPorto Moniz, Fanal, Funchal and the peaks, with driving times.
- ActivitiesParagliding, diving, canyoning and more.
- Sunset spotsViewpoints, the lighthouse and sunset times month by month.
Whales and waves
- Whale and dolphin watchingSpecies by month, boats from the marina and how to choose a trip.
- Watching responsiblyHow boats should behave near whales and dolphins.
- Boat tripsSunset cruises, coastal trips and private charters.
- Big game fishingMarlin, tuna and wahoo seasons, and how a day out works.
- SurfingJardim do Mar, Paul do Mar and when the swell comes.