East of Madeira Full Day Tour: Explore Mountain Peaks, UNESCO Heritage Forests and Historical Towns
4.6
83 Ratings
Funchal
Embark on a full-day tour in East Madeira and explore mountain peaks, UNESCO heritage forests, historical towns, and stunning coastal views. Discover the highest accessible mountain, the Laurissilva forest, Santana village, Ponta de São Lourenço, and the historic town of Machico.
Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Camacha - We start this excursion to the eastern part of the island with a visit to Camacha, a locality known for making handicrafts such as wicker baskets making a visit to the wicker factory.
  • Pico do Arieiro - One of Madeira’s highest peaks at 1810 m
  • Balcoes de Ribeiro Frio - Here we visit a trout nursery and take a short walk along the Levada dos Balcões ending with a view of the three highest mountains.
  • Santana - Stop for lunch and see the famous thatched houses
  • Miradouro da Portela - Viewpoint of Portela, passing by Santo da Serra, known for its beautiful rural landscapes and the famous golf course where international tournaments are held annually.
  • Ponta de Sao Lourenco - Stop at one of the most iconic and fabulous views of the island overlooking the entire area of the São Lourenço peninsula located in Caniçal
  • Machico - Stop at a viewpoint called “Pico do Facho” where you can see the entire bay of the city of Machico and the beautiful golden beach
What's Included
  • Climate-controlled vehicle for your comfort
What's Not Included
  • On-board WiFi
Additional Information

Embark on this adventure to Pico do Arieiro, the tallest mount accessible by vehicle and the third loftiest on the island (1818m). Prepare to be stunned by the spectacular vistas of the mountains and the island.

Proceed downward to Ribeiro Frio, nestled in the Laurissilva forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where nature exists in absolute balance.

As we journey along the northern coast, we pass through Faial and reach Santana, a small town famous for its unique thatched roof homes.

Following lunch, marvel at Ponta de São Lourenço, abundant with numerous rock structures and breathtaking views.

We then arrive in Machico, a historic city which was the initial landing spot of the explorers in 1419.

Conclude the tour with a return to the Hotel.

Location
Funchal Cable Car
Avenida do Mar e das Comunidades Madeirenses
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.6
(83 Ratings)
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Deborah_d
Mar 27, 2024
An excellent day in the East - An excellent way to experience the East part of the Island. Alberto was an excellent guide. So knowledgeable and his command of different languages was excellent. The view points were excellent. I enjoyed the Levado walk, even though the weather was a bit wet. Great value for money. Can highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
David_b
Mar 25, 2024
Madeira east - Excellent driver, full of interesting facts, worked hard to make most of unsettled weather. Friendly, amusing and informative
Review provided by Viator
Anna_d
Mar 18, 2024
100% recommend taking a tour of the island with Alberto! - We had a fantastic day with Alberto touring the East of Maderia - we highly recommend! We were amazed at all the languages that he can speak and the knowledge he has of the island, is phenomenal! We were a group of 3, 4 including Alberto so we travelled in a car which made so much sense instead of travelling in a 16 seater. All of the stops were beautiful, at Pico Do Arieiro it was quite misty and you couldn’t really see anything but you can’t control the weather. It was a beautiful drive up and Alberto showed us videos of what it can look like when it’s blue skies and sunshine. Every stop had its own beauty. The Levada walk was great, it gave you time to stretch your legs and see some spectacular views as well as the chance to try Poncha - definitely give it a try! Alberto is the most friendly tour guide that we have met and will be hard to beat with his enthusiasm and extensive knowledge of the island and its economy. Thank you so much for a great day and memorable tour!
Review provided by Viator
Karen_m
Mar 7, 2024
Too much fun - William was the best! He was funny and engaging. The whole group became instant friends and we saw such wonderful sights! Highly recommend taking this tour as a small group like we were (7 of us from 4 different countries). Thank you for a wonderful day :)
Review provided by Viator
Janethi4186xb
Feb 18, 2024
A scenic and informative trip - Pick up from hotel as detailed. Drive through amazing scenery, beautiful views from Pica de Arrieira. Enjoyed the walk to Balcoes viewpoint and then down into Santana. Pleasant little town with the cute thatched cottages. Rum tasting followed by a drive to the east of the island where there were more fantastic views. An informative and enjoyable trip with a good balance of travelling, walking and time for coffee/ lunch etc. would definitely recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
968lizk
Jan 15, 2024
Excellent East island tour! - Fantastic tour from start to finish. William (Guilherme) was an excellent guide with lots of knowledge and insight. We would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Madeira.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shazslim
Jan 5, 2024
Informative day Well worth it - Extremely informative tour of the island We had Luca as our guide and he was so informative and knowledgeable, nothing was too much trouble for him , the whole day was what we all wanted to do / look at giving us commentary for the whole day in two different languages
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nick_h
Feb 10, 2024
Great trip to see the east of the island - Our driver and guide made the trip more special by being so friendly and informative about the island and the places we were visiting. The trip was a good way of seeing the island. I would have preferred that we skipped Camacha as the wicker factory has closed down and there's nothing there to see. We could have done with less time at Santana as its not a large town. But visiting Pico do Arieiro was great and our driver also changed the itinerary so we could see the statue of Christ. All in all, good value for price.
Review provided by Viator
Ida_h
Jan 21, 2024
Average trip - Nice guide but the itenary did not fully match the trip (one of the stops had been closed already in 2019) and time was split weirdly between the stops (too much time in stops where there was nothing to do and too little for levada walk). Wheelchair/stroller friendly trip only if you are willing to hang out in the parking lot in at least two destinations.
Review provided by Viator
Manxman678
Mar 17, 2024
Tour not as described. - This Ihla tour was not as described. The maximum number on the tour was stated to be 16. There were 38 on our tour. As they used a 40 seater coach rather than a minibus the itinerary had to be altered as the coach was unable to access parts of the route. No notification nor apology was given. The guide was informative and knowledgeable, unfortunately we could only understand a limited amount of commentary as our speaker at the rear of the aged bus was poor.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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1 Adult
May 2024
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