📹Porto Santo Island

Evaluating the Northern Sweeps

The ferry docks. Parking is impossible. The sand burns. I drive past the crowded western harbor every single morning just to avoid the chaotic tourist shuttles. This island remains incredibly dry year-round. Municipal pipes transport processed water everywhere. Desalination plants run constantly near the main port facility. Drinking water requires significant industrial effort via basic reverse osmosis technology. This exact mechanical reality dictates my entire daily commute. Precipitation rarely hits the low central peaks. Pico do Facho rises just 517 meters above sea level. It blocks almost zero atmospheric moisture. Clouds float directly overhead without breaking. The exposed central tarmac provides zero aerodynamic shelter. Regional aviation utilizes the flat central basin. That concrete runway perfectly splits the eastern dry zone from the western rocky hills. Afternoon winds regularly delay outbound passenger flights. When the massive August crowds suddenly arrive on the morning ferry from Funchal and the exact local population of 5,500 permanent residents spikes uncontrollably causing the municipal water pressure to strain heavily under the sudden intense demand, the ticket prices skyrocket and the heat radiating off the yellow sand becomes absolutely punishing. The summer tourists rent cheap scooters. They block the coastal roads entirely. Smart visitors target the early September window. The ocean retains maximum thermal heat. The crowds vanish. Facilities remain fully open but entirely empty. The ferry journey takes two and a half hours. Rough seas often complicate the morning crossing. Winter swells produce extreme mechanical pitch. I always park near the thick stone walls in Vila Baleira to protect my car from the blowing coastal dirt. The local infrastructure barely handles the sheer volume.