‘Hawaii of Europe’: how Madeira’s hiking trails offer movie-set-worthy scenery

‘Hawaii of Europe’: how Madeira’s hiking trails offer movie-set-worthy scenery

On my right, Jurassic fern fronds and violet morning glories cascade over a cliff on crystalline water, smashing into the craggy shore hundreds of feet below. To my left, lime-green succulents cling to a wall of volcanic rock. “You can see why Portuguese call this ‘the Garden in the Ocean’,” says Silvia Mota, a guide for tour operator Backroads’ new walking and hiking trip in Madeira, Portugal. This lush, 286 square mile (740 sq km) island – alm…