The magical cloud forest of Fanal (Madeira), with its beautiful, centuries-old laurel trees captures every photographer's imagination. The bizarre shapes of the trees give the primeval forest a fairytale atmosphere on a sunny day, but when the mist sets in, the forest changes from fairytale-like to ghostly (in a good way, admittedly :-) ). You almost imagine yourself in Tolkien's Middle-earth.
One of the most striking trees was surely this one, which looks straight out of "Lord of the Rings". I spent more than an hour there just to capture this tree from all sorts of angles. Upon arrival, the fog I was hoping for was nowhere to be seen, but persistence won out and after half an hour the clouds rose out of the valley and filled it with the mysterious fog, allowing me to take some enchanting photos.
Lagoa do Fanal is located in the northwest of the island on the Paul da Serra plateau. You can really wander around for hours and be amazed by the mysterious trees on a dreamlike walk. This Unesco World Heritage Site is a must see for any visitor.
Madeira has a lot more beauty to offer and so do I :-). Be sure to browse through my Madeira album to discover even more stunning landscapes of this wonderful island.
Freelance photographer with a passion for night and travel photography.
When I'm on the road I always have my camera with me because you never know what an opportunity will present itself and it would be a shame not to be able to capture that perfect moment. I like to look..
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