East of Madeira: Full Day Adventure in 4x4 covering Pico Do Areiro, Ribeiro Frio, and Santana

Embark on a full-day adventure in Madeira’s East region with a 4x4 tour. Explore Pico Do Areiro, Ribeiro Frio, and Santana, and experience dramatic views, rural areas, traditional houses, local cuisine, and wine or rum tasting. Perfect for those who love big views, culture, food, and fun!

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Valley of the Nuns - The first stop of the tour is the not so famous but very beautiful Miradouro do Paradao. From this viewpoint you will see Funchal from above as well as the famous Nun´s Valley. It´s usually very quiet up here and very much “off the beaten path”
What's Included
  • Hotel pick-up and drop-off for your convenience
  • An optional brief 45-minute Levada walk
  • Insights into the island’s culture and history
  • Expert guide and driver providing a fun and informative experience
  • Exclusive small-group tour with a maximum of 6 passengers
  • A relaxed experience without strict time constraints
  • Travel in comfort with a closed top Land Rover Discovery suitable for any weather
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Pick up fees (outside of Funchal)
Additional Information

The East 4x4 tour has a little bit of everything and is suitable for everyone!
The First stop is Pico Do Areiro, the 3rd highest peak on the island, 1811m above sea level.
There are usually very dramatic views and we tend to spend a fair amount of time up there.
After that, we venture to the North side of the island, into the more rural areas such as…

Location
Valley of the Nuns
Caminho da Padaria
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(174 Ratings)
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Plantationpharmacy
Jul 25, 2025
- Great experience. Vitor was the best guide ever. At the last moment we had our two young boys join us due to a fishing trip cancellation. The boys were very disappointed about not being able to fish, but now they can only talk about how much fun this tour was and how they’d love to do another with Vitor The off roading has “ inspired” them! I’ll let you know if that’s a good thing! Thanks again
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adamsmum21
Jul 13, 2025
The beauty of Madeira in a 4x4 ..... - We had a great day with Hugo. The scenery was beautiful and amazing, he managed to take us places that were quiet and not the usual tourist haunts. We also visited the Observatorio e Parque de Astronomia which you shouldn't miss if the clouds are in the right place, but may be busy... We drank poncho (highly recommended!), saw inside a traditional house and had lunch at a great restaurant called Calhau de Sao Jorge. Hugo had a great knowledge of the island and made our day fun and interesting, well worth the expense.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Daydream28644816740
Jun 30, 2025
Australian Experience with Madeiran Roots. Wonderful experience with Hit the Road Madeira - I have been to Madeira multiple times and I decided to do a tour with my family. It introduced us to Madeira that was intriguing. The tour guide Tiago was extremely knowledgeable and made the tour fun. Prior to the tour the communication with the HTRM team was responsive, clear and highly professional. Looking forward with our next tour with HTRM.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
882lynseyl
Jun 19, 2025
East tour - Fabio was an amazing tour guide, full of information, showed us the real Madeira. Warm and friendly.this company has the best tour guides, passionate about their homeland, also mix it up so to miss the big crowds.
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Chass
Jun 14, 2025
Magical Madeira - The experience was phenomenal. Our tour guide Fabio was quick to come up with alternative ideas when the weather was looking iffy and also to avoid the crowds. Such a wonderful experience. I can’t wait to visit Madeira again it is truly magical. If you are not renting a car I highly recommend doing both the East and West tours like I did to make it to all the popular view points.
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Thej687
May 25, 2025
Brain Tattoos From This Experience - Wow! What a great tour this was. Thiago was an incredible guide, and a big thanks goes out to our Canadian and Lithuanian friends, who were the icing on the cake, making this such a fun experience. We explored areas that in no way, shape or form, we could have reached via a rental car, and Thiago picked fruit and flowers, directly off off bush and tree, for us to taste, all of which were amazing. As Thiago says, we created brain tattoos of these experiences, which will last a lifetime. Thank you Thiago, and Hit the Road tours.
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Irisgv7116qj
May 19, 2025
The Perfect Tour to Introduce You to Madeira! - We had the best tour with Fabio! It was a fantastic introduction to Madeira, and Fabio made sure we saw places that were off the beaten path. We never ran into any crowds, which was exactly what I wanted! He had great recommendations, and we got to see some amazing views. I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Madeira!
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Anngoldsby
May 9, 2025
A most amazing, memorable day - Hit the road Madeira 4x4 tours are absolutely amazing. Fabio took us on the East 8 hour tour today and it was like being driven around by a real friend. We were taken to " off the beaten track " places that we would never have seen. We stopped for coffee, looked around the rum factory, had the most wonderful lunch and topped this off with poncha at a little restaurant with the most fabulous views imaginable. Thanks so much and we will see you again when we are next in Madeira.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Abas77
Jul 4, 2025
A wonderful day! - East tour - I've been following Jeff on YouTube for some time. The info he shared about Madeira was a huge help in preparing our trip. We thought it would be smart to explore the island first with experienced people... The island has few secrets left for Jeff and his team. We rode the East tour with Vitor. Beautiful places visited, a very nice walk through the forest (+-30min), hidden gems, authentic cottage in Santana, great views of the pico above the clouds. Delicious! On the way we stopped for a nice lunch (Vitor arranged a nice and especially delicious restaurant with a fantastic view) and for the one and only freshly made poncha. Mmmm... This is soooo good! We were told fun and interesting facts about Madeira all day. Overall a very successful day! I can only recommend these Tours to those who visit Madeira. You won't regret it!
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Ariev-1955
Jun 26, 2025
Madeira east off the road. - Nicely picked up at hotel. 6p in discovery Landrover is possible but is tight in the back. Tour program modified, not all steps made. Lots of miradouros. Nice off the road driven by beautiful nature. Coffee stop super. Lunch excellent, but also allowed in local tent. Other stops nice (rum factory, pocha stop).
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $86
up to 6 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).