A dramatic landscape of jagged peaks and deep canyons, lush green vegetation and an array of bright and beautiful blooms, there’s no wonder that Madeira is often referred to as the ‘Hawaii of Europe’. With a dramatic coastline featuring waterfalls cascading down cliff faces, along with colourful towns and villages dotted around, the Portugese island is a year round destination that’s popular with outdoor enthusiasts wanting to make the most of the spectacular scenery. To get a good taster of the what the island had to offer, we took a Madeira tour with a private guide, allowing us to visit the best stopping points on the eastern side of the island.
Walking through the capital city of Funchal, you’ll see lots adverts for tours around the island in many forms. From Jeep Safari’s to bus groups, many of the tours start in Funchal and head to specific destinations or take in the western or eastern side of the island. These full day trips can pack in a lot of destinations on a whistle stop tour, and whilst good value for money, we were looking for something a little more tailored. Visiting Madeira for the first time for a friend’s wedding, after a three year travel hiatus, we were keen to spend time with friends, relax and enjoy the surroundings but also allow some time to explore.
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A MADEIRA TOUR WITH A PRIVATE GUIDE
On the recommendation of a family who have been visiting Madeira for decades, we were given the contact details of a local taxi and tour guide with a great reputation, who came well recommended. Having done our research on Madeira, we knew of a number of places we wanted to visit, but were open to recommendations. We made contact with Angelo Gomes (ANGELO MADEIRA TOURS), who responded and advised what would be possible to realistically squeeze into a day. Much of Madeira’s road networks are made up of winding mountain roads, so while the distances may be short, driving times can vary greatly depending on where on the island you want to visit. We agreed a date and time to be collected from our accommodation, the PESTANA CASINO PARK HOTEL, and looked forward to our full day tour.
VISITING THE BEST SPOTS ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE ISLAND
Whilst we wanted to visit a number of places dotted around the island, we knew time would be a factor and opted to focus on the central and eastern side of the island on our Madeira tour. We were picked up promptly at 10am, for a tour that would last until approximately 6pm. Angelo ran through his plan for the day, with some pointers on where we would be visiting and in which order, specifically to avoid the hotspots at peak times of the day. This, we thought, was a great benefit of taking a Madeira tour with a private guide who had extensive knowledge of the island. Bottled water was provided in the comfortable, air conditioned car and we set off on our adventure which would take in scenic viewpoints, hiking destinations and some of the gorgeous coastal towns of the east.
Stop #1: See the statue of Christ at the Cristo Rei viewpoint
Heading east, the first stop on our Madeira tour would be the Cristo Rei viewpoint, around 15 minutes out of Funchal. Located in the Garajau Partial Natural Reserve, this clifftop viewpoint features a statue of Christ, built in 1927 . The statue, at 14 metres high, depicts Christ with arms open, facing the ocean. From the clifftop parking area, there’s also a cable car down to a popular pebble beach below, and the biodiversity of the area makes it a popular spot for scuba diving thanks to the clear waters and interesting fish species that swim here.
Stop #2: Explore the seaside town of Santa Cruz
A seaside resort located next to Cristiano Ronaldo airport, Santa Cruz is a fabulous spot to explore the streets of brightly coloured buildings before wandering along the promenade of Praia das Palmeiras beach. With sunbathers relaxing under parasols, or taking taking a dip from one of the jetties, the vibe was super relaxed. Green spaces, playgrounds and squares were dotted with cafes and restaurants, and the centrally located Mercado de Santa Cruz was a lovely little market to explore.
Set away from the promenade in the centre of the town, a lovely municipal garden sat next to the São Salvador Church, a beautiful seventeenth century church with a gorgeous interior including a painted wooden ceiling and stunning altar.
Stop #3: Capture amazing airport views from Pico do Facho
The next top on our Madeira tour was a fabulous viewpoint called Miradouro do Pico do Facho, overlooking the town of Machico with its marina and (man made) golden sand beach. Beyond the town, the viewpoint offers fabulous views of the elevated runway at Maderia’s Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport where you can watch planes touch down and take off. When opened, the airport’s runway was a mere 1600m in length, and considered one of the most challenging airports in the world for pilots to land.
With work taking place in the early 2000’s, the runway was extended by a kilometre with an elevated section over the water. The extension increased capacity at the airport, and allowed a wider variety of aircraft to land, in turn helping the tourism industry of the island. Whilst the runway is now longer, that hasn’t alleviated all the landing issues at the airport. The location, nestled into the bottom of the hills, sees a fair amount of crosswinds and planes take a fairly sharp turn before coming into land. This can cause some interesting landings and a few last minute aborted landings. Thankfully, we touched down first time, but it was a bit of a white knuckle experience!
Stop #4: Take a coastal walk or a dip at Porto da Cruz bathing complex
Heading up towards to the northern coastline of Madeira, we next visited the coastal town of Porta da Cruz, which really started to give us a feel of the dramatic coastline that Madeira has to offer. A walk along the short promenade, looking east, provided views of the jagged cliffs dropping down into the sea. Where many of the volcanic islands in this area of the Atlantic Ocean are dry and barren, Maderia’s rugged landscape is fertile and rich – a palette of greens carpet the mountains, cliffs and valleys in between.
One of the main draws of Porta da Cruz is the seafront bathing complex. The complex features two outdoor swimming pools alongside sun loungers, changing rooms and a bar. It’s the perfect spot to take a dip, or sunbathe in spectacular surroundings. There’s also a pedestrian walkway that loops around a short headland providing perfect photo spots where you can watch the waves crashing against the rocks below. Taking the headland walk anti-clockwise past the Porto da Cruz Bathing Complex, you’ll end up at Enghenos do Norte, a rum distillery dating back to 1927. The distillery offers tours and has a bar area and gift shop where you can pick up some great value bottles of the rum which is distilled onsite.
The distillery area also offers a great vantage point to see Penha de Águia – a 600 metre high rock formation, also known as Eagle Rock. Seeing it from the ground is impressive, but there are also hiking trails to the top, this vantage point providing panoramic views across this magical landscape.
Stop #5: Observe dramatic waterfalls cascading down cliffs at Miradouro da Quinta do Furao
Heading northwest towards Santana, we were told of another viewpoint that well worth a visiting. The Hotel Quinta do Furão sits atop the cliffs of Achada do Gramacho, set within beautiful grounds and vineyards. This clifftop location provides an incredible view facing southeast with views of the dramatic coastline and a spectacular waterfall cascading down the cliffside.
Wandering among the grapevines of the hotel property, a pathway leads to, and hugs the cliff edge, providing the magical views of the coast. Although we didn’t stay, the Hotel Quinta do Furão is well recommended with a fabulous restaurant to boot. It may well be on the list of accommodation options next time we visit Madeira. Wandering back to the car park, there are further views of the hotels backdrop and the inland mountain peaks of the island.
Stop #6: Visit the triangular little houses of Santana on your Maderia Tour
A lunchtime stop in the pretty town of Santana provided some time to stroll around the town before heading to visit the traditional triangular houses of Madeira. A popular stop on a Madeira tour, a collection of these houses stand in Santana, many of which are now used as cute gift shops selling local wares.
These triangular houses form part of Madeira’s heritage, made of straw and wood with a steep thatched roof. The colourful buildings consisted of a ground floor living space with a kitchen area and bedroom, with an attic above to store agricultural products. Whilst most of the houses here were reutilised, our previous stop at the Hotel Quinta do Furão featured a reconstruction of one of these houses at the entrance, which could be freely explored.
Stop #8: Experience some breathtaking scenery at Levada Dos Balcões
Having visited many coastal spots during the morning, leaving Santana we headed inland into the mountains with a view to doing some short but rewarding hikes. The island is a hikers paradise, so if you do a private Maderia tour, be sure make sure there is plenty of time allowed for some exploring.
The levadas of Madeira
If you’ve done any research on hiking in Madeira, you may have seen the word levada come up a number of times. What is a levada, I hear you ask? Well, the levadas of Madeira are man-made irrigation channels that carry water across and around the island. These shallow constructed streams were constructed to carry water for agricultural purposes from the higher elevations that see more rain to the drier parts of the island. There are more than 200 levadas on Madeira – over 1800 miles in length, some of which were originally constructed centuries ago.
Given that these levadas are relatively flat and relatively accessible to the roadways of the island, footpaths were created alongside them which now comprise a network of levada walks around the island. Many of these hiking trails are numbered and prefixed with a PR, so it’s relatively easy to do your research on the more popular hikes. We were very keen to experience at least one levada on our Maderia tour, so we made our way inland to Ribeira Frio, deep in the forest, to embark on our short levada walk.
PR11 – Vereda Dos Balcões
The perfect levada walk for people short on time, the Vereda Dos Balcões hike is a short out and back 3km walk to a spectacular viewpoint. Dropped off in the village of Ribeira Frio, we climbed some steps to reach the levada and started the walk through the stunning Laurissilva forest. The laurel forest of Maderia is the largest surviving area of primary laurel forest, this type of vegetation now only found in Madeira, The Azores and the Canary Islands.
Following the levada for a little while, the trail heads away from the water before opening out on the balcões, the balcony, with incredible views from the ocean to one side and the tallest peak on Maderia, Picu Rivio, to the other. To say the landscape is dramatic would be an understatement. The lush green mountains with pointed peaks stretch for miles, with the tallest peak at over 1800 metres in height.
Stop #9: Take in the most dramatic views from Madeira on the Pico do Arieiro hike
At 1818 metres above sea level, Pico do Arierio is one of the highest points on the island, offering unobscured views in all directions, making this the perfect spot for a sunrise or sunset hike. The landscapes and rock formations are jaw dropping, and this is the starting point of the most popular hike on the island – the PR1 Vereda do Arieiro (Pico do Arierio to Pico Ruivo) hike. This 5.4km trail is an out and back hike which traverses across the mountain ridges with quite significant positive and negative elevation gains and drops along the way.
There’s a large car park at Pico do Arierio, alongside a gift shop, cafe and toilets which is perfect to pick up some supplies if required. Before setting off on the hike, it’s worth climbing a few steps towards the large round radar station to Miradouro do Pico do Arierio, which provides a great overview of the area and start of the undulating hiking trail.
Given that our Madeira tour had already visited a number of locations, there wasn’t enough time to take on the full Pico to Pico route, so I allowed myself about 30 minutes to head one way before turning back. The elevation differences during those thirty minutes were fairly significant, with a large amount of steps heading down (and then back up). The trail traversed the mountain ridges, ducking under low rocks and mostly had steep drops to one or both sides. Not a hike for those afraid of heights, or sufferers of vertigo. Around each and every corner, the landscapes seemed to become more dramatic, the pointed rock faces covered in fauna with large clumps of Pride of Maderia flowers growing on the cliff edges.
Around twenty minutes into the hike, a fabulous viewpoint called Miradouro Ninho da Manta (Buzzards Nest) offers one of the best views on the trail. The landscape drops sharply below this viewpoint, at an elevation of 1,744m, providing wonderful views of the valley below snaking its way towards the coast in the distance. Although the weather was warm and sunny, there was a haze, so views out into the distance were obscured. Cloud inversions are a regular thing on this hike, with the trail sitting above the clouds, which form an enveloping sea below. On my next visit to Maderia, I’ll be sure to do the full Pico to Pico trail, but to have a taster of it on this whistle stop Madeira tour was fantastic.
Stop #10: Marvel at the stunning Nuns Valley from Miradouro Eira do Serrado
Whilst it didn’t form part of our Madeira tour thanks to a road closure which would have created a long diversion, the final point of interest to visit on a tour of the eastern side of the island is Miradouro Eira do Serrado. This fabulous viewpoint, north of Funchal, looks out across the village of Curral das Freiras, also known as the Nuns Valley. It’s thought that the name derives from a story that the nuns of the Santa Clara convent took refuge on Maderia in the heart of this valley, which would have been difficult for pirates to reach.
The valley is completely enclosed by steep and tall mountains, and the village sits slightly elevated in the centre. The highest viewpoint at Eira do Serrado is accessed via a pathway from the Eira do Serrado Hotel & Spa. The short walk on a slight incline has a number of viewpoints from which you can gaze out over the valley and back down towards the hotel, which sits on the cliff edge overlooking this magnificent landscape, surrounded by greenery and wild Agapanthus drifting in the breeze. The wedding we attended, the main purpose of our visit to Maderia, was held at the hotel, on an outdoor terrace overlooking the valley. What a breathtaking backdrop for a wedding, wouldn’t you agree?
BOOKING YOUR MADEIRA TOUR AND OTHER TRIP RECOMMENDATIONS
PRIVATE MADERIA TOUR | Angelo Madeira Tours came well recommended by friends who had been visiting Madeira for decades, using Angelo’s services and island knowledge to it’s full advantage. Friendly, professional and prompt, Angelo can carry out tours in a number of languages, and tailor to your specific needs.
Check out the ANGELO MADEIRA TOURS FACEBOOK PAGE, contact to book on angelomadeiratours@gmail.com, or via Whatsapp on +351 919 912 578
TRIP BOOKING RECOMMENDATIONS | Our trip to Madeira was booked as a package holiday through TUI, with private transfers included from the airport. We chose to base ourselves in Funchal, where we could explore the city easily by foot. Although we didn’t hire a car during this trip, we would definitely consider it for our next visit, although many of the island’s roads are fairly narrow and winding.
GENERAL TIPS | Flights to Madeira take about three hours, depending on your UK departure airport with Funchal being about 20 minutes car ride from the airport. Currency on the island is the Euro, with the main language being Portugese, although most people we encountered spoke perfect English. As always, it worthwhile making the effort to learn some Portugese phrases at least. The temperate climate of the island allows for year round temperatures in the low 20C’s, although we visited during a very humid heatwave.
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