Hi from Madeira!
June 11, 2025
It’s only just the beginning and already this place feels like home. The views are unreal, the weather has been perfect, and everyone is bringing such amazing different personalities to the group! There’s been a lot of laughter, great music, a surprising amount of ice cream, and such amazing time spent together.
Our adventure started in Lisbon with big smiles and excitement all around before we flew to Madeira and officially kicked things off! Once we got to Madeira we grabbed Mexican food for lunch, took some time to settle in, then wandered around Funchal for a bit. The city is super charming! Keltin found a playground gym setup and absolutely impressed us all with her skills! We can’t wait to watch her thrive during rock climbing. After pizza and our first Moonup in a secluded little plaza, Andrea, Shila, Louise, Lola, and Anna ran down to the water to catch a firework show, which was such a warm welcome to the island and a truly magical way to end the first night of the trip.
Our first full day was amazing! After breakfast, we went canyoning which was so awesome and everyone really leaned into it. Caroline and Emily were our first LODs and set the tone with such excitement and thoughtfulness. Bella was also especially sweet and helpful, even offering to carry the bag without being asked. She is always offering up ways to help others!! After a fun day we then made our way up to a house at the top of the mountain, with a view that stretched across the entire city! It honestly felt like a postcard! There, we had a cooking lesson with a local family, and it quickly turned into such a fun and memorable evening. We helped chop vegetables, skewer meat, and prepare some of Madeira’s traditional dishes. Ellery was a natural at chopping garlic and Libby loved cutting up tomatoes! We got to try the island’s famous honey cake, and bolo de caco a warm, garlicky bread that was an immediate favorite. The family was incredibly kind and welcoming, and their little boy and two dogs added so much life and laughter to the night. Gelato and a Moonup in a peaceful park wrapped the day up perfectly!
Day 4 was a big hike day for us! We did São Lourenço and it was absolutely beautiful. We took our time and kept up the energy! Shila summed up the adventure by explaining to the group what us Moondancers sometimes call “type two fun” with saying “Y’all, now that we’re done with that hike… it was so fun”. During the hike we got to sit and enjoy lunch with an incredible view. And after lunch we got to take a dip our first swim in the Madeiran ocean!! What a memory.!! After the long and fun hike we had a relaxing afternoon. We cooled off at the beach, had dinner, and ended with Moonup led by Shila and Bella.
The next day was a slower morning with a late wakeup. The group surprised Ansley with a Madeira hat and socks for her birthday and sang to her at the beach with a cake! The beach day was so special! The girls had great conversations and truly have become such good friends. Lots of swimming, soaking up the sun, and eating fresh fruit and cookies. Keltin made friends with locals and jumped into a volleyball game. Surfing was our afternoon/evening activity. We took a short bus ride to a nearby beach and jumped right in to the surf lesson. Carrington and Shila were even helping the instructors teach us all the tips and tricks. The waves were big and the girls had so much fun!! Surfing was a huge hit that’s for sure. We ended the day with a really special Moonup led by Keltin and Carrington with lying under the stars, listening silently to one of our favorite songs called Second Thoughts by a band of former Moondance leaders. Just as the song was ending, we saw the most incredible shooting star. It was such a magical moment.
Day 6, we started with a yummy breakfast and a hike up a beautiful mountain in the town of Machico. We ate sandwiches at the top with a view of Madeira. We were able to watch a few planes take off and land up close, which was so cool! On our way down, we ran into some billy goats!! It felt just like a scene from a movie! Afterwards, we treated ourselves to gelato, which really hit the spot, especially since it was such a warm and sunny day. We hung out at the beach for a bit and read our books before getting ready to go surfing again! The surfing today was extra fun. We got to dive right into the ocean and get going. Everyone was able to get up and the instructors were so impressed by their skills. Everyone’s already starting to feel like a little family, and we’re so excited for what’s ahead. Thank you for sharing your amazing girls with us. We feel so lucky to have these few weeks with them! More soon!
Andrea & Ansley
Shoutouts:
Emily: Hey guys! I’m having so much fun!! Everyone here is great and I have made so many close friends that I can’t wait to tell y’all about. Love and miss yall so much!
Bella: Hi! I’m having lots of fun – it is really pretty here and everyone is nice. Love you!
Caroline: HAIII!! I’m having so much fun and made such good friends!! Please keep extra good care of Mollie and Mr. Pickles and give them extra kisses for me. Coopppiieeeeeeeeee I love you and miss you soo much!! Dad – I finished the hunger games book and it’s SO. GOOD.
Anna: Hiiiii mom and dad plus sally and Ginny I’m having lots of fun!! And I’m lowkey bad at surfing but I enjoying doing new stuff and pushing my body to do more!! Make sure you walk Mr bear and willie and take pics of possum and fluff for me! Love yall thanks for letting me go on this trip!! Love all of yall
Keltin: Hola mom dad and Palmer I am having so much fun. It is so pretty here and the weather is awesome. I hope you guys are enjoying North Carolina. Say hi to Johnny and Woody for me. I miss you guys and can’t wait for the rest of our summer adventures. I love you sm.
Carrington: hiiii I hope yall are having a good peaceful week! Happy birthday mom I am sad to miss!!! I hope Liza Mae had a good time at starter camp and did well. I can’t wait to hear about it. I am having so much fun and made lots of good friends but I am excited to see yall!
Louise: Hi Mom, Dad, Frances, Wills, and Walker!! I miss yall. I am having so much fun here, it’s super pretty. Lots of hiking and good views, I can’t Wait to tell y’all about it. I hope all Is well at home!! Give Woody and Lucy a snuggle for me. Love yall!!(p.s please feed my fish he only eats the really small pebbles in the container, you kind of have to sort through them in the cap to find them)
Shila: Hey Mom and Dad!! I’ve been living great here in Madeira. We’ve done things like canyoneering, hiking, and surfing! We’ve been surfing at the most beautiful beach I’ve ever seen. It’s surrounded by rocky cliffs and blue water. I’m writing you this now sitting on the beach with a view of the mountain we hiked this morning. I hope you guys are having a great time in Italy!! I love y’all so much!
Ellery: Hi Mom and Dad! I’ve been having the best time here in Madeira. My favorite thing has been surfing and we saw a shooting star last night. It was the coolest thing ever. I hope you guys are having a good trip so far in Switzerland! Send pictures and updates on the fam group chat. Miss and love yall so much! I can’t wait to show yall pictures and videos of my trip. ❤️❤️❤️
Lola: Hi Mom and Dad and whoever is seeing this!! It is beautiful here and I am having a blast! Right now we are chilling on the beach in Machico, a small Madeira town, but the beach sand is imported from Morocco. Also we did a steep hike to a gorg view! I miss yall so much and can’t wait to see you!!! I loved surfing and I can’t wait to hit the waves again today because I was just getting the hang of it. We also did canyoneering which was soooo cool and I wish I could share that fun with you!! I am so excited to show yall all the cool pics I’ve taken. Give Mav a big hug for me!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Libby: I am having fun here in Madeira! There are lots of new foods I am trying. We have been staying in hotels which have been nice so far. We have done 2 really hard hikes that were super difficult but they had beautiful views and I took lots of photos which I can’t wait to show yall. I have met a lot of new girls and some of us have mutual friends. My birthday is in 2 days and I’m excited. Can’t wait to tell you a lot about it and see yall! ❤️ Lou: I am missing the cat but sometimes I don’t even think about it so I’m doing okay. Please tell jack I said hi!! Miss you so so so much and hope you are staying busy.
Landed in Madeira
June 7, 2025
Hello Madeira Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely on Madeira! The group is so excited to start their adventure together!
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next week! This will allow you to follow along with the trip. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!
-Moondance HQ
