Funchal Tours and Trips

Madeira is a hiking paradise, trails were good, great vistas, nice food, friendly people and our trip-leader Benny was superb! We were very pleased with everything, this trip was one of our best so far among two others we had with Explore.

Guide Beni very good - thoughtful, knowledgeable of both terrain and plants. Victor, bus driver also fab with a generous sense of humour. Hotels good with out of the way Garden Ocean worthy of it's 4star rating. Restaurants good and although almost London prices, both dinners in Funchal (Gruta and Cota Cruz &Abreu) exceptional. Madeira

Fabulous walking holiday. The group members were so nice and our guide was superb. He had an excellent knowledge and was extremely informative about the area, its history, plants and constructions. The hotels were very nice and with good facilities. Our guide was mindful of the group and enabled all to engage and have a sense of personal achievement. Our driver was also brilliant, friendly and informative, adding to the whole experience. It was the first time we travelled with Explore, and were very impressed. We had an amazing experience., saw some great scenery and thoroughly enjoyed all the hikes.

This was a great introduction to marvelous Madeira, the Hawaii of the Atlantic. The five walks covered the stunning variety of Madeira's landscapes; the spectacular coastal scenery of Pont Sao Lorenco and the North Coastal Path, the mystical Fanal Forest, an intimate Levada, and the incomparable Pico to Pico (recently reopened after a 2year closure). All but the Levada walk were MUST DOs. There are more iconic Levada walks (the 25 fountains or PR17), but they have become incredibly crowded due to the popularity of Madeira, and don't have the access controls of the other trails. The beauty of the Exodus guided trip was knowing that all permits and transport needs were taken care of, and we were properly prepared for each day's adventure! Accommodations were comfortable, and in the case of Aqua Bay Natura in Porto Moniz - SUPERB! We all had ocean view rooms with a balcony overlooking the lava pools. Access to the lava pools was free and the hotel provides robes and towels! The free day in Funchal was perfect for taking the cable car to Monte Palace and descending on the famous toboggans. Madeira is a walker's paradise, and Exodus has curated an excellent itinerary allowing you to enjoy it stress free.

The walks were carefully chosen to avoid busy areas and to provide a snapshot of the variety that Madeira can offer. Our guide was able to adjust the itinerary to accommodate the weather, whilst ensuring that we did all that was planned. Benny was an excellent guide, with an extensive knowledge of local plants, and an unwavering good humour. Highly recommended

Great trip with Explore. Have never booked with them previously but would go again with them. All transfers etc worked as expected. Itinerary was well organised to see a lot of the island with different walks in differing areas. The guide Benny was really informative, fun, kept the group together and was flexible in the itinerary when weather was changeable. I would say this was the gentle side of moderate as found the walks themselves pretty easy. The last day was a bit more of a climb but other than that were quite gentle. Good to have options for Funchal and the free day. From whale watching, additional hike, botanical gardens etc. we had dinner most nights as a group in restaurants pre booked by guide but was very much optional. We ate like this on all bar one day and had some incredible meals but there was no pressure if you wanted to do something else. Handy to be able to pop to supermarket each morning for snacks and lunch and Benny brought some local items most days to try. Great trip! Take swimsuit and torch