The Desertas Islands are visible from Funchal to the South-east, at about 18 miles distant. Looking at them from North-west to South-east (from left to right) there are the Agulha (Nail) Islet, the Chão (floor) Islet, Deserta Grande (the big Deserta) and Bugio.

The Agulha Islet is a pinnacle that once had foolish Madeira people as it resembles a warship and as it did not replied to their signals they had fired against it.

Ilhéu (islet, in Portuguese) Chão is like a small plateau with 96 meters high and about 1 600 meters long.

Photo by Tânia Pestana

Deserta Grande, as the name says, is the largest of those islands, with 10 km long at its greatest width with 1,5 km. It has only one landing place, where there is the house of the Nature guards from the Natural Park of Madeira. Its highest point is 493 meters.

Photo by Tânia Pestana

Bugio is about 7 thousand meters by 800 wide and it highest point is 411 meters and it is the breeding place of Fea’s Petrel, a rare seabird from Madeira. This is the reason why it is more protected than the other islands, so you can only pass around by boat at the depth line of 100 meters.

Photo by Tânia Pestana