Walking in Madeira

An awesome trip and Explore never fail to deliver the best experiences. From the tour guide to the accommodation to the wonderful itinerary - excellent!!

Excellent and knowledgeable tour leader. A fascinating island and a good range of walks. Although a little more strenuous in places than expected. However, we thoroughly enjoyed the holiday.

Awesome and amazing tour! Our tour leader - Phillipe was incredible! He was personable, knowledgeable, and efficient in every aspect of his job as Tour leader! This is the best way to see Madeira - on foot, walking through amazing landscapes!

Our tour leader was fabulous with his extensive knowledge of the region peppered with anecdotes of his childhood. We felt like we were a fly on the wall for real Madeiran culture.

Our tour leader Benny was exceptional in making this tour a wonderful experience. His attention to all participants' interests and preferences was exceptional. He gave us experiences that felt personal and individual. We rarely met across other tour groups. in some cases, our hikes were completely isolated, which is optimal. His reccommendation for evening meals was excellent and facilitated lively conversations. What a wonderful holiday!!

The first nights accommodation also supported a wedding reception. As you can imagine this was very noisy into the early hours of the morning. Many in our group were very tired from traveling, and were untested when the first day's hike began. 😞

Walking in Madeira was fabulous. Each day a different lavada and completely different landscape. The tour guide was excellent too. The hotels however were dated. The last hotel in Funchal was undergoing serious renovations. (Completely ripping out the whole of the second floor) the noise was extreme and had been happening for the three weeks previously. Knowing this explore still put us in the hotel which was not acceptable in any shape or form.

I really enjoyed this trip.I’m went with my 21 year old son. The group gelled well. While The walking was easier than I was expecting and I would have liked a bit more of a challenge it was still very enjoyable. The countryside, views and flowers very all beautiful. We had a last minute change where we started in Funchal rather than Santana. As we had arrived early the first day it meant that we had an extra day to explore Funchal. Overall the restaurants that we were taken to were good , with lovely food and good value. Our guide Philippe was great , he clearly loves his homeland and the outdoors and was very knowledgeable about plants etc.

Loved the trip which was my first with Explore. While I found some of the walks a bit difficult that's a reflection of my ability and the sense of achievement was brilliant. Felipe, our tour leader, was excellent. He put in options on some days for those in the group who needed them and flexed some of the itinerary for weather conditions. The mix of landscapes, terrain and experiences will be hard to beat. The three hotels were all good, with two of them very good, and the restaurants chosen for group meals were nice and saved extra decision making at the end of the day. Highly recommend.

Fantastic walking holiday with Explore. Excellent group leader, knowledgeable and helpful, accommodating of individual needs and able to answer many questions and deal with problems.

Really enjoyed the walks in Madeira. Our guide took us to walk far more off the beaten path and on occasion we didn’t see another person for hours. The scenery is magnificent with mountains covered in yellow broom with agapanthus growing wild everywhere. The views were gorgeous and while the walk were the lower end of moderate they were thoroughly enjoyable. The short walk on the Wednesday was the least interesting and the time spent in the seaside village at the end was rather a waste but we were on route to Funchal. Hotels improved as the week went on with only the last having tea and coffee making available in the room. Our guide was excellent he had a real passion for his island home and worked hard to keep us happy and safe. The final walk was the most tough comparatively but the views at the end were fantastic. Transport was good and the drivers safe which made you feel comfortable on Madeiras very steep and twisty road network. Id really recommend this trip for those looking to explore the island but seeking a reasonably easy to low moderate hiking experience.Funachal isnt much to see but the gardens are nice and whale watching was fun.

Trip very well organised and guide was excellent. A good way to see the varied aspects of the island without having to drive ourselves on the roads. Itinerary generally v good and varied. The fourth walk, on day 5 was not as described in the trip notes and we felt did not anywhere near live up to the other walks. Trip notes need to be updated as we got the impression this was not a recent change. Trip notes also need to be updated to make clear that the main walk on the last day cannot happen. The problem with the walk is not recent so prospective purchasers should have this information when they book. One other issue with the trip notes - they say on a couple of days that there are some steep drops and occasionally without railings - good to have this warning. However the notes also say that if anyone has an issue with this due to vertigo they can skip these sections. Apparently this actually is not possible so the trip notes should reflect this. It puts the guide in a very awkward position if anyone in the group is relying on this, as was the case in our group. Overall though it was a very enjoyable itinerary

The trip was good but made excellent by Phillipe the leader. His knowledge and passion about his homeland made it very interesting. Always highlighting things of interest. He was very supportive and aware of the groups needs.