Walking in Madeira

A lovely way to explore Madeira - 'Europe's answer to Hawaii'. Phillipe was a great tour guide. Not to be taken as criticism, and all apparent on close inspection of the itinerary, however it's worth noting that that this is a 'drive to a place and go for a gentle walk (and repeat)' trip and not an extended hike from point A to B over several days. The walks are very gentle (the levadas are flat, by definition) and for the 'main event' on the last day, you are driven to the summit of Pico do Ariero. Three of our group were over 70 and were not especially challenged. If you are looking for something a little more hardcore, this may not be the trip for you.

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.

The 1st accomodation was a bit old with squeaking floor board and you could hear noises from the room adjacent. The walks were great but personally i consider them more challenging than moderate

This should really be titled "Hiking Madeira" as the walks were a challenging combination of relaxing levada walks and strenuous ups and downs. Taking into consideration the fitness level of the participants, our guide was able to suggest alternatives. Our leader, Joao was knowledgeable and passionate about his native island and the wonders that abound. Flowers were in full bloom, scenery incredible and the extra cultural happenings in the villages added to the experience.

Itinerary carefully and thoughtfully planned so as to walk in varied yet still beautiful settings, see a lot of the island, and have sufficient free time. Accommodations comfortable and conveniently located. Walks proved to be welcome exercise each day and the free day in Funchal was much appreciated as there was a lot to see/do. Vans were comfy and the drivers skilled.

This was a well-organised tour, staying in three different hotels, which minimised the amount of time spent in the minibus. Lunch and evening meals were not included but our guide made sure we had access to local supermarkets to buy lunches and the option of reasonably priced evening meals in local restaurants. He also gave good recommendations for the free day. The weather in June was mostly dry and in the low to mid 20’s, usually with a cooling breeze. Hat and sun cream were essential. Waterproofs and fleeces were occasionally needed higher up. Walks were through gorgeous and varied terrain, mostly along levadas (irrigation channels) and footpaths carved into the mountainsides. As the brochure warns, there were some steep and vertiginous sections but much of the walking was pleasantly relaxed. Our guide knew the area well and made sure everyone in the group was able to go at their own pace. As the week progressed the hikes became more challenging, culminating in a 700 metre ascent to the Pico do Arieiro. It was well worth the effort, with a spectacular ridge walk above the clouds. This was a wonderful way to experience the beautiful island of Madeira. I highly recommend it.

Excellent holiday. Well organised. Good accommodation and transport. Beautiful walks. Great bunch of people from all over the world and a big age range. Strenuous because of the fast pace. Not much time to admire the scenery or take photos.

The itinerary needed to be modified a couple days due to some closed trails. The modifications were fine but when the itinerary returns to normal those 2 days should be great. João, our guide was excellent and all of my fellow travelers made the trip very fun and memorable.

Fabulous time spent with my daughter and a great group of like minded people. Perfect scenery, good walking, lovely hotels, great choice of restaurants and always a well deserved drink at the end of the days walking and all with a local and very knowledgeable and friendly guide. Loved it!

Definitely a great holiday gets you out and about to be unexplored parts of Madeira

May 25 trip : The walks were challenging in terms of terrain. Views spectacular, so well worth the effort. The group was very interactive, fun, sociable. Our guide Felipe, was excellent - cheerful, informative, encouraging, mixed well with the group. He was a crucial part of making this a truly wonderful , memorable experience. Beautiful, lush, island. I would definitely recommend this trip.

Two of the three hotels were having work done while we were there so there was no relaxation time. The country is beautiful and the guide was extremely knowledgeable and friendly I did enjoy my visit overall

A great way to experience the beautiful island of Madeira. The three different locations gave us time to experience more than just the hiking, time to swim in the seawater pools in Porto Moniz and free time in Funchal were welcome. A sociable week in the company of fellow hikers. Filipe was an excellent trip leader.

This is a great way of seeing the island and experiencing a diverse range of walks. Porto Moniz was a particular highlight, but the whole island is beautiful. Our tour leader was very knowledgeable and friendly, and we had a good balance of time with the group and a bit of time to do our own thing.

All together a great holiday. Fantastic tour leader Filipe, very good local knowledge and patience!! Some tough walking but brilliant views. Good idea to do Funchal tour on Wed pm so we had a completely free day on Thursday.

Felipe was an excellent leader. He took us on amazing levada hikes that were a wonderful mix and allowed us to see so much of the island. In addition, he set up delicious dinners for us and even attended with us to make sure everything went smoothly. I would do this trip again. Felipe made the trip an incredible experience.

Great trip with excellent guide.

Fantastic experience in an awe-inspiring landscape

This was a fantastic hiking trip around beautiful Madeira. Our group of 15 hikers, plus our excellent guide Filipe, got along well. I think having a shared WhatsApp page for the group at the beginning of the trip was a great ice breaker as it provided a way to quickly build community by sharing pictures and comments as the trip progressed. We also lucked out with fairly good weather during our trip. We oohed and awed at the beautiful scenery like we were looking at fireworks! Filipe was very helpful in giving us options for sections of some hikes (like taking the van instead of hiking down steep switchbacks), pointing out the local flora/fauna/history of where we were traveling (e.g., the unique Laurisilva Forest), organizing delicious dinners for the group at local restaurants that he often attended, collecting a tip kitty for the drivers and hotel staff (he always made a point of giving the tip to the driver of the day in our presence), providing suggestions for activities during our free day in Funchal (everyone went to the tropical gardens at Monte), and booking taxis or transfers for us on the last day of the trip. He led us on a variety of hikes along levadas and hilly areas that left us feeling the burn at times (some of the downhill stretches were a killer on the front of my thighs!). He also quickly administered first aid when someone fell after hitting their head, and he did his best to maintain a safe environment while we were hiking. I really liked it when we walked through an 800 m tunnel by flashlight (torch)! Filipe also reminded participants to use sustainable hiking practices by packing out toilet paper used along the trail. Regarding this last point, I would like Explore to list in the final documentation that people should bring toilet paper and baggies for packing out waste toilet paper. I was prepared and brought my own. Some of the trails we hiked on had pockets of toilet paper strewn about, which is both unsightly and unsanitary. I would like to see Explore encourage more efforts by the Madeira Park Service to build pit toilets or place porta potties in areas of heavy use. The current practices by several tourists is not sustainable. We stayed at three different accommodations on this trip: Hotel O Colmo (Santana), Hotel Euro Moniz (Porto Moniz), and Hotel do Carmo (Funchal). I have provided separate Tripadvisor reviews of each of these hotels. All of them were conveniently located, had friendly and helpful front desk staff, and had delicious breakfast buffets. The beds were too hard for me at Hotel O Colmo and Hotel Euro Moniz, although I discovered folding a blanket lengthwise and placing it under the bottom sheet took the edge off. Hotel Euro Moniz was my favorite accommodation, followed by Hotel do Carmo as a close second. I feel so fortunate to have had this extraordinary hiking experience in Madeira with such a good group of people. My Explore trip in Slovenia last year also had a wonderful group of participants. I hope my upcoming Explore trip in Japan in two weeks will be just as good!

The itinerary was well planned. Our walks varied daily. We explored; Lavadas, protected laurel forests, cliff tops, mountains and valleys. No two walks were the same. Our leader provided information about the local flora and fauna. He was passionate about his country and in preserving it's unique and diverse landscape. He was sensitive towards those who found some of the steep ascents and descents challenging and he always gave options. The evening meals in Hotel O Colmo, Santana and at the first restaurant we ate at in Porto Moniz were average. All others were tasty and good value.

Everything was better than i expected great organisation and locations of walks, great company and the attention to detail from the company has been outstanding. Only disappointment was the 2nd hotel of 3 in 'Porto Moniz' which was was not as well prepared or comfortable as the other two. Shame

Madeira is the perfect place to go walking. The scenery is stunning. Mountains, forests, waterfalls - it has everything. Stick to the paths. The walking holiday was extremely well organised and we were lucky to have great people in our walking group. Our guide, Jaoa was brilliant. He explained where we were going at the beginning of each day, on a big map, and went over where we had been. He was knowledgeable about the birds and the plants and he was very personable and friendly. I had the best time and would definitely recommend anyone who likes walking, to go on this trip. The hotels were nice, and comfortable, and the breakfasts were good. They had verything you might want. The food in general in Madeira was good. I highly recommend the seafood. Also the white wine was nice and very cheap.

I really enjoyed my trip to Madeira. The walks were all very nice and took place at different parts of the island so we got a really good feel of different landscapes. Staying in three different places also provided variety. Our tour guide Filippe was excellent and ensured that everything ran very smoothly. The pace was good as the week felt full yet nothing ever felt rushed. I'd recommend this trip.

Phillip was very knowledgeable about the island and passionate about sharing his knowledge and experiences. He took great care of the group and made sure we were taken care of.

The hotels were all of a good standard, with breakfasts quite similar. The itinerary looked similar on paper but in reality contained a great range of experience ie. they were very well selected and gave us a good overall view of the island. The leader was superb. He was professional, informative, knowledgeable and dealt with us all in a kind and sympathetic way. He showed good understanding of both the activities and the trekkers. He was appreciated by one and all.

The leader was very knowledgeable and had an easy friendly manner. He also added plenty of sight seeing stops on our journeys to the walks. The bus driver was a careful and considerate road user and also very friendly and helpful. The hotels were at good locations with swimming pools. They were all clean and the staff were helpful and friendly. The walks were beautiful and they were made more interesting by the knowledge of the leader.

Filipe made this hiking trip a great experience.

Phillipe was very professional and informative at all times . He planned the walks well , and was very efficient at organising the evening meals , and also helpful with helping us plan activities for the free day . He was very aware of safety issues , essential for some of the more challenging walks and steep descents . I would recommend him as a tour group leader.

Madeira is such a stunning verdant island, especially for those who take joy in hiking, it is a must go to place. We have traveled with Explore all over the world and trust their ethics and their ability to provide a first class service. Once again you find that the glue that holds the best experience together lies within the hands of the tour guide, in our case João who excelled and went above and beyond to keep the whole group happy, his knowledge and cheerful demeanour made our trip complete.

Very varied and interesting tour. Excellent guide: informative, funny and caring, he also had the local knowledge necessary to avoid closed walks and select excellent alternatives. Would thoroughly recommend.

It depends on the group you are with. If there are slower walkers you may find it boring. The walks were fairly simple.

Overall experience was good. Unfortunately the weather was dreadful. So the leader had a challenging time finding suitable locations to walk. Funchal was lively and a good end point for the tour. I’d say go a bit later in the year when there’s less potential rain.

The weather in Madeira can be variable in the Spring but overall a nice week with a good tour leader. The accomodation varied a bit but at least it was at most three nights in each hotel. The walks were pleasant but they are slighly short and mosty flat, so anyone looking for a challenging week hiking is probably going to be a little disappointed.

Great tour - everything was well organised but offered enough flexibility for people wanting to do their own thing in the evenings after the guided tours. Most of the group spent the evenings together though, as our leader, Joao, chose great local restaurants and was such good company to be around!

This trip was one of the highlights of my life. The group, leader, itinerary, scenery, value and exceptional hiking will forever have a lastiing impact!

Madeira is the ideal place in Europe to enjoy sunshine during the winter months. What's more, you can walk for hours in the mountains without going much up and down, that's because levada's (irrigation canals) have been dug alongside the slopes. We enjoyed a great guide and bus driver which gave us an excellent understanding about the island, its soul and its people.