Portugal Natural landmarks sightseeing Trips

Perfect tour of Madeira with quite different areas and walks every day. Cliffs, forests, mountains - and plenty of free time in Funchal. Well looked after and our guide had good knowledge on all aspects. All the little stops such as cafes were charming.

Good variety of restaurants & stops. Comfortable bus with legroom & plenty of comfort stops. Experienced bus driver keeping a clean bus & a smooth ride. Experienced & friendly tour guide sharing valuable information on locations and tour logistics. Upgraded hotels in city centers. Interesting itineraries & excursions with knowledgeable guides. Small group trips available.

Some of the walking - classified as 'moderate' - was harder than I had anticipated. The Porto Moniz hotel was a bit sad; the Funchal hotel was very good but its location, on the outskirts of Funchal - wasn't ideal. Not many buses into town, and the complimentary shuttle bus didn't operate at weekends. Our tour leader was laid-back without being lax. We all liked him, he is a real star.

This tour was packed with sights, sounds, and tastes of Portugal, as well as much history surrounding the castles, palaces, cathedrals, and towns. The main tour guide, Pascal, as well as the Local Specialists were most informative and helped to make this a most memorable adventure. As advised in the brochure, a lot of walking was required, and it was worth it! My favorite location was the Ponta de Piedade, the sea-shaped cliffs in the Algarve, even with the 190 steps.

Terrific local guides Your bus seats are awful They are the opposite of good ergonomics I experienced excruciating back pain by day 3. It lasted through both trips with you. It went away in the 4 days between trips and after the second trip finished I have no history of back pain and am physically fit and healthy and not overweight. The seats have no lumbar or lower back support. The curved edges force one to sit with rounded shoulders, which is the opposite of recommended posture. This places abnormal stress on the lower back. My husband and I had to insert rolled up clothes to provide adequate lower back support to get through the trip. Without this solution we were going to leave the second trip. We will never take another trip with inspired vacations again because of this

I cannot say enough good things about Explore and my trip to Maderia. This was a very special trip with my two daughters. Everything from the initial contact with Explore to the advice, hotels, excellent guide, and the food was great. Hope to line up future trips.