Câmara de Lobos

Câmara de Lobos is a bay enclosed by cliffs a few kilometres west of Funchal, named for the monk seals - lobos marinhos - that Zarco's party found there in 1419. It is still a fishing harbour: brightly painted wooden boats drawn up on the shingle, and a fleet that goes out at night for espada, the black scabbardfish, a long eel-like deep-water species caught on longlines at six hundred metres or more and eaten across Madeira, usually fried with banana. Churchill painted the bay from a spot on the road above during a stay in 1950, and the viewpoint is marked and named for him. The village has bars serving poncha, the sugarcane spirit and honey drink made here, and a church with painted panels. It is a genuinely working place rather than a resort, with the poverty and the fishing economy visible.

History

This is believed to be where João Gonçalves Zarco landed in 1419, finding a sheltered harbour and a large colony of monk seals, lobos-marinhos, which gave the bay its name. The municipality was created by decree on 25 May 1835, and the village of Câmara de Lobos became a town on 3 August 1996 (Wikipedia, Câmara de Lobos).

What's there

• The boat bay - painted wooden fishing boats drawn up on the shingle.
• The espada fleet - the night fishery for black scabbardfish at six hundred metres.
• The Churchill viewpoint - the marked spot where he painted the bay in 1950.
• The poncha bars - the local sugarcane and honey drink made in the village.

When to go

Year-round. Two to three hours. Early morning shows the fleet returning; evenings are for the poncha bars.

Practical notes

A working port, not a picturesque one - it has fuel, nets and the smell of fish. Poncha is stronger than it tastes. Parking near the harbour is difficult. The village has real deprivation alongside the tourism.

Nearby

Cabo Girão and its skywalk are west; Funchal is east along the coast.

Key facts