Ponta do Pargo, the lighthouse at the west end
A lighthouse on a 290 m cliff at the western tip of Madeira, looking out over the open Atlantic towards the sunset.
Ponta do Pargo at a glance
The lighthouse on a 290 m cliff at Madeira's western tip, facing the open sea and the sunset.
- Where
- Calheta, at Ponta da Vigia, the western tip
- From Funchal by car
- about 55 min
- Time to allow
- 20 to 30 minutes
- Height of the cliff
- 290 m
- Light above the sea
- 312 m
- Lit since
- June 1922
Go there with us
Prices are for the whole car, not per person. Each page has the price for 5 or 6.
What you see
The lighthouse stands on Ponta da Vigia, the westernmost cape of Madeira, on a cliff 290 m high. The white tower, 14 m tall with a red lantern, has shone since June 1922, and its light is 312 m above the waves.
From the viewpoint beside it there is nothing between you and the open Atlantic, and the cliffs of the west coast run away to the south and north. Next to the viewpoint is a small museum about Madeira's lighthouses.
It faces the sunset in every month: the sunset guide has the times.
Before you go
- It is far from everything else. About an hour from Funchal, and not on the way to Ribeiro Frio or Curral das Freiras, which are in the middle and the east of the island. A loop of Ponta do Pargo, Ribeira da Janela, Ribeiro Frio and Curral das Freiras is 171 km with about 4 hours at the wheel before any stop.
- The exhibition is open in the daytime, so don't count on it at sunset.
- Bring a windproof layer for sunset on the cliff.
Ponta do Pargo with us
Ponta do Pargo isn't on our ready-made west day, which turns inland after Achadas da Cruz. With a day with a driver you can combine it with Achadas da Cruz, Porto Moniz or the south-west villages, and stay for the sunset.
Nearby, on the same day
All places-
Achadas da Cruz cable car
A small municipal cable car that drops down the north-west cliff to the fields and pebble shore of Fajã da Quebrada Nova.
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Porto Moniz
A village at the north-west tip with seawater pools in the black lava rock: a paid complex and free pools nearby.
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Calheta
A west-coast town with Madeira's first man-made beach, 100 m of golden sand by the marina.
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Ponta do Sol
A small south-west coast town with a pebble beach, a stone pier from 1849 and a 15th-century church.
Ponta do Pargo questions
Can you combine Ponta do Pargo with Ribeiro Frio and Curral das Freiras?
Not in a day you'd enjoy. The loop is 171 km with about 4 hours of driving before any stop. Pair Ponta do Pargo with Achadas da Cruz and Porto Moniz instead, and see Ribeiro Frio on a day in the east.
Is Ponta do Pargo good for sunset?
Yes. It faces west over the open sea in every month. The sunset guide has the times and the other west-coast spots.
A day in the far west with a driver
Ponta do Pargo, Achadas da Cruz and Porto Moniz, with the stops you choose and the sunset if you like. Send us a date and we reply within 60 minutes, 07:00–22:00.
Your own route, full day €280 per car for 1 to 4 people, €320 for 5 or 6