Portugal
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
13.8km²
Area
61km
Coastline
442m
Highest point
24°C
Warmest sea
September
604km
To the mainland
When to go to Desertas Islands
Best for the beach from August to September.
The sea is warmest in September (24 °C) and coolest in March (18 °C). Comfortable swimming (21 °C or more): from July to November.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Small Portuguese archipelago, part of Madeira archipelago
Desertas Islands is an island in Portugal. It covers 13.8 km², with 61 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 442 m. The nearest mainland is 604 km away.
Getting there
- Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport (FNC)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 29 km in a straight lineCar hire at FNC airport (Funchal)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- 604 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From August to Septemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Desertas Islands in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Desertas Islands, each with its own numbers.
1beachCoastya
Beach with the warmest sea
23.6°C
Porto do Vinho
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 183 m above the sea. 55 % of it is below 200 m.
- 21 %0–50 m
- 34 %50–200 m
- 45 %200–500 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
5 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 19 |
| Night low (°C) | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 18 |
| Sea (°C) | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 20 |
| Rain (mm) | 31 | 41 | 35 | 23 | 15 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 18 | 35 | 46 | 44 |
| Wet days | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Sun h/day | 5.3 | 6.0 | 7.4 | 8.7 | 9.4 | 10.2 | 10.2 | 9.8 | 8.5 | 7.1 | 5.4 | 4.9 |
| Wind (km/h) | 22 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 24 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 24 | 23 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.5 | +1.1 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.3 |
| 2021 | +0.2 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +1.2 | +0.8 | −0.1 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | +0.8 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.6 |
| 2022 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.8 | +0.4 | −0.2 | −0.5 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +1.1 | +1.4 |
| 2023 | +1.3 | +0.6 | +1.5 | +1.4 | +1.7 | +1.3 | +1.5 | +1.5 | +1.2 | +1.8 | +1.8 | +1.8 |
| 2024 | +2.1 | +2.3 | +1.6 | +1.6 | +1.5 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.1 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +1.1 |
| 2025 | +1.0 | +1.5 | +1.0 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +0.3 | −0.2 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +0.3 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q27923) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit 
mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.You are here
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit