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Madeira East Coast: Off-Road Scenic Adventure
4.9
235 Ratings
Curral das Freiras
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!
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 tour begins at the stunning yet lesser-known Miradouro do Paradao. From this vantage point, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of Funchal and the renowned Nun’s Valley. This spot is typically serene and remains largely “off the beaten path.”
- Pico do Arieiro - As the third highest peak in Madeira, Pico do Arieiro…
- Valley of the Nuns - The tour begins at the stunning yet lesser-known Miradouro do Paradao. From this vantage point, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of Funchal and the renowned Nun’s Valley. This spot is typically serene and remains largely “off the beaten path.”
- Pico do Arieiro - As the third highest peak in Madeira, Pico do Arieiro offers breathtaking views. The aim is to arrive early to avoid crowds and hopefully witness the spectacular sights above the clouds. While specific times aren’t set, the usual stay is about 30 to 45 minutes, which is generally sufficient to take in the scenery.
- Ribeiro Frio - Known for its rainbow trout farm, Ribeiro Frio is bypassed to avoid the bustling tourist areas.
- Santana - The journey continues off-road to Santana, one of Madeira’s most iconic villages. Here, visitors can explore traditional A-frame houses and visit an authentic home to learn about historical living conditions in this part of Madeira. Lunch follows at the renowned Quinta do Furao restaurant, offering the best meal in Santana with excellent value and a stunning view.
- Miradouro do Guindaste - Post-lunch, a visit to a favored viewpoint on the island’s North East provides exclusive views of the coastline.
- Engenhos do Norte - A stop in the quaint village of Porto Da Cruz, famous for its sugar and rum history, includes a visit to the renowned rum factory to sample some of the world’s finest rum.
- Ponta de Sao Lourenco - The exploration concludes at Ponta de Sao Lourenço, the island’s easternmost peninsula, celebrated for its striking volcanic rock formations and vibrant colors.
- Miradouro da Ponta do Rosto - The final destination on the east tour showcases the peninsula in all its splendor.
What's Included
- Guided stops and scenic viewpoints
- Off-road 4x4 vehicle
- Local driver-guide
- Guided stops and scenic viewpoints
- Off-road 4x4 vehicle
- Local driver-guide
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Entrance Fees (if applicable)
- Personal Expenses
- Food and drinks
- Entrance Fees (if applicable)
- Personal Expenses
Additional Information
Embark on a full-day off-road journey to uncover the untamed beauty of Madeira’s eastern coastline. Traverse volcanic peaks, ancient laurel forests, and charming mountain villages while your knowledgeable local guide narrates tales of the island’s rich history and natural wonders. Relish breathtaking views of the Atlantic and discover secluded locations…
Embark on a full-day off-road journey to uncover the untamed beauty of Madeira’s eastern coastline. Traverse volcanic peaks, ancient laurel forests, and charming mountain villages while your knowledgeable local guide narrates tales of the island’s rich history and natural wonders. Relish breathtaking views of the Atlantic and discover secluded locations that remain unseen by most tourists. This tour is ideal for those seeking to explore the authentic Madeira beyond the usual routes.
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Minimum age is 5 years
Location
Valley of the Nuns
Caminho da Padaria
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(235 Ratings)
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Mikejarod
Sep 5, 2026
Great tour - Great tour. Vitor was a great guide..
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Climber19294092337
Aug 26, 2026
So much seen just in one day! - Fabio is absolutely fantastic guide with great knowledge of the island. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
V1435nxjillb
Aug 22, 2026
Best Tour Company EVER! - Hit the Road Madeira has it all! Convenient pick up and drop off,
Knowledgable tour guides dedicated to you having the ultimate experience,
Safe driving with capable vehicles, Local expertise and insights
Ability to ask questions, hear stories and crack jokes all day.
We took the West tour . . . liked it so much we also took the East tour. Our
guides, Omar and Tiago, were easy to talk to and flexible. They each showed us a good mix of the best sites the island has to offer. Both clearly love their home and want any visitors to love it as well!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michael_s
Aug 20, 2026
Fantastic tour! - Wonderful tour! Our guide, Vitor was excellent and made the day full of interesting stories and discoveries around the East side of Madeira. He took us on many roads that were only accessible by 4x4 and avoided most of the crowds to see some of the hidden beauty of the island. Great stops for drinks, lunch and a bit of exploring. We also had a fun interesting group of people from the UK, Romania and us from the US.
My only one caution is that the Land Rover seats 6 (plus driver) and since we were the last to be picked up at our hotel, we ended up in the way back of the vehicle in the 2 seats that face each other. If you have any back issues or are taller than 5’7”, it’s a bit uncomfortable. Luckily, we rotated so we only had to sit there for the beginning of the trip. Despite this, I would still highly recommend the tour, but be aware. It is still SO much better than one of those large minibuses.
Review provided by Viator
Florin_l
Aug 7, 2026
This was an excellent... - This was an excellent tour and a great way to experience Madeira. Tiego was knowledgeable and friendly, the scenery was spectacular, and the itinerary was well planned with plenty of time at each stop. I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting the island.
Review provided by Viator
Michaelasq3263xy
Jul 24, 2026
Absolutely recommended! - An unforgettable day trip! We were lucky to be the only participants, which made the tour particularly relaxed and personal. Our guide Tiago was very friendly, attentive, and gave us a lot of interesting information.
The varied stops led us to beautiful, uncrowded places where we had enough time to enjoy the view and take photos. The place for lunch was also perfectly chosen. The food was very delicious and the view beautiful.
Thank you very much for this great day – we would book the tour again anytime and can recommend it without reservation!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Curious61005345625
Jul 18, 2026
Highly Recommended - We are visiting Madeira for the first time for a week and decided to choose a couple of tours which would give us a good idea of the island. I am not a big fan of the big bus tours and normally do private trips, so when I found Hit The Road and saw that they have a max capacity of 6 I thought this was a good alternative! After checking out their TikTok and YouTube I booked both the east and west tour.
I literally cannot explain how great our guide Fabio was, he is truly is an asset to your company! He was very knowledgable and so friendly! We managed to see a lot of the island and gives you an idea of what else is out there as many places were pointed out and recommended.
Never at any point did we go anywhere that was over crowded, we always got to experience each place we went to without it being packed! They clearly know what time is best to visit each place and I am extremely grateful as I was worried that some areas would be too busy for my anxiety.
So do not hesitate to book these tours and if you can request Fabio I would!! Thank you so much for making our holiday that little bit extra magical and I will definitely be back and hope to see you again :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tricklt
Jul 14, 2026
Brilliant full day tour - We had a brilliant time on this tour. Our guide Tiago was amazing - he was really knowledgeable and passionate about the island, and went out of his way to show us some hidden gems as well as some of the more popular highlights. The scenery was stunning, and it felt like we packed lots into the day - we made lots of short stops and had a longer break for a delicious lunch in a beautiful spot organized by Tiago. We were combined with two other couples which was a nice group size, we all took turns sitting in the front and back - even the small seats in the back of the jeep were surprisingly comfy! 100% recommended Hit The Road and Tiago :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lewisj473
Jul 13, 2026
A must do trip - Beautiful day in out in the hills. Our tour guide Tiago was extremely friendly, knowledgeable and passionate about the local environment
Review provided by Tripadvisor
U4459xvdianneb
Jun 2, 2026
Family on tour - Our driver Fabio was magnificent under pressure from a crying 8 month old He adapted to suit the family
Review provided by Tripadvisor
