Multi-adventure on Madeira Island

Day 1: Airport - Funchal
Day 2: Machico - Baia d'Abra - Prainha - Machico, 6 mi. (10 km)
Day 3: Poiso - Machico, 30 mi. (48 km)
Day 4: Santana - Pico das Pedras - Ilha - Santana, 8 mi. (13 km)
Day 5: Pico Ruivo - Pico de Ariero, 5 mi. (8 km)
Day 6: Fonte do Bispo - Paul do Mar, 28 mi. (45 km)
Day 7: Funchal
Day 8: Funchal - Airport

Day 1: Arrival in Funchal
Arrive at Madeira Airport, where you will be transferred to Funchal, the lively capital set along the sunny southern coast. Known for its historic harbor and lush hillsides, Funchal has been a key Atlantic port since the Age of Exploration and was once a stopover for explorers and merchant ships traveling between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Sample accommodations: Madeira Panoramico 

Day 2: Machico - Baia d'Abra - Prainha - Machico, 6 mi. (10 km) | Elevation: +250 / -250 meters (+820 / -820 ft)
Transfer to Ponta de São Lourenço. Unlike the island’s lush interior, this protected natural reserve features semi-arid vegetation shaped by strong Atlantic winds, giving it an almost North African character. Your hike follows a narrow volcanic ridge with uninterrupted ocean views on both sides. The cliffs here display vivid layers of red, ochre, and black volcanic rock, remnants of Madeira’s geological origins over 5 million years ago. Along the route, seabirds such as Cory’s shearwaters glide overhead, and you may spot endemic plant species that exist nowhere else on Earth. The trail leads toward secluded coves like Prainha, one of the island’s rare natural sandy beaches formed from volcanic ash. Return to Machico, historically significant as the landing site of Madeira’s first settlers in 1419. (B, D)

Activity: 4-hour walk 
Sample accommodations: Madeira Panoramico 

Day 3: Poiso - Machico, 30 mi. (48 km) | Elevation: +399/1371 meters (+1310/-4500 ft)
Transfer from Funchal to Poiso, located high in the central mountains at 4,593 ft. From here, you enter the ancient Laurisilva Forest, a rare subtropical forest dating back millions of years and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. This ecosystem is a living relic of forests that once covered much of Southern Europe. Cycling the levadas, an ingenious network of narrow irrigation channels built from the 16th century onward, you cross moss-covered pathways, tunnels, and waterfalls. These channels were engineered to transport water from the island’s wet north to its agricultural south and remain one of Madeira’s most remarkable human-made landscapes. As you descend toward Machico, the scenery gradually shifts from dense forest to cultivated terraces and coastal views. (B, D)

Activity- Cycling on trails and tracks
Sample accommodations: Madeira Panoramico 
 
Day 4: Santana - Pico das Pedras - Ilha - Santana, 8 mi. (13 km) | Elevation: +100 / -500 meters (+328 / -1640 ft)
Transfer to Santana, famous for its traditional triangular thatched houses, once used by local farmers. From the forest house of Queimadas Forest Park, you begin a descent along the Levada do Caldeirão Verde. This route is one of the island’s most iconic, carved directly into steep rock faces and passing through a series of tunnels and dramatic cliffside sections. Surrounded by dense laurel forest, you’ll encounter a landscape filled with biodiversity, including endemic birds like the Madeira firecrest. The trail ends at the Caldeirão Verde waterfall, where water cascades into a crystal-clear lagoon. (B, D)

Activity: 5-hour walk 
Sample accommodations: Madeira Panoramico 

Day 5: Pico Ruivo - Pico de Ariero, 5 mi. (8 km) | Elevation: +500 / -750 meters (+1640 / -2290 ft)
Today’s hike connects Pico Ruivo (6,109 ft), the highest point on the island, with Pico do Arieiro, the third highest. This dramatic ridge walk is considered one of the most spectacular in Europe. The trail weaves through sharp volcanic pinnacles, narrow stairways, and tunnels carved into the rock, revealing deep valleys and cloud-filled basins below. On clear days, you may see across the entire island and even glimpse Porto Santo on the horizon. The landscape here reflects Madeira’s volcanic origins, with jagged basalt formations and exposed ridgelines shaped by erosion over millennia. (B, D)

Activity: 5-hour walk
Sample accommodations: Madeira Panoramico 

Day 6: Fonte do Bispo - Paul do Mar, 28 mi. (45 km) | Elevation: +290/-1,320 meters (+951/-4,331 ft)
Ascend to the Paul da Serra, the island’s only extensive plateau. This high-altitude landscape features open heathland and panoramic views over Madeira’s dramatic south coast. Descending from the plateau, the terrain transitions through eucalyptus forests and agricultural terraces toward Ponta do Pargo Lighthouse. Perched on towering cliffs, this lighthouse marks the western edge of Madeira and offers panoramic Atlantic views. Here, you’ll taste traditional poncha, a local drink made from sugarcane rum, honey, and citrus, originally created by fishermen as a remedy for colds. Continue to Paul do Mar, a coastal village known for its surf culture and steep cliffs. The route follows levadas bordered by agapanthus flowers and coastal vegetation. (B, D)

Activity: Cycling tracks and singletrack (80%), regional roads (20%)
Sample accommodations: Madeira Panoramico 

Day 7: Funchal
Transfer from Jardim do Mar to Funchal (45 min.). You will then have free time to explore the city at your own pace. Visit the lively Mercado dos Lavradores, where local vendors sell exotic fruits, fresh fish, and regional specialties. Explore Monte Parish Church, the resting place of Emperor Charles I of Austria, and enjoy panoramic views from the hills above the city. The Madeira Botanical Garden showcases the island’s extraordinary plant diversity, including species from across the Atlantic world. A wine tasting introduces you to Madeira wine, a fortified wine prized since the 15th century and once favored by historical figures such as Thomas Jefferson. (B)

Optional activity: Canyoning or whale watching
Sample accommodations: Madeira Panoramico 

Day 8: Funchal Airport
Transfer to the airport (30 minutes) and return flight. (B)

Day 1: Airport - Machico
Day 2: Machico - Baia d'Abra - Prainha - Machico, 6 mi. (10 km)
Day 3: Poiso - Machico, 30 mi. (48 km)
Day 4: Santana - Pico das Pedras - Ilha - Santana, 8 mi. (13 km)
Day 5: Pico Ruivo - Pico de Ariero - Jardim do Mar, 5 mi. (8 km)
Day 6: Fonte do Bispo - Paul do Mar, 28 mi. (45 km)
Day 7: Jardim do Mar - Funchal
Day 8:  Funchal - airport

Day 1:  Airport - Machico
Arrive at Madeira airport and transfer to the seaside village of Machico on the southwest coast of the island.

Sample accommodation: 3* Hotel White Waters, located close to the beach.

Day 2: Machico - Baia d'Abra - Prainha - Machico, 6 mi. (10 km) | Elevation: +250 / -250 meters (+820 / -820 ft)
A morning transfer to São Lourenço Point. On this African-like strip of land, this hike explores the long thin peninsula at the eastern end of the island through a natural reserve covered in scrubby vegetation offering spectacular views over the Atlantic Ocean and the magnificently colorful cliffs. (B)

Sample accommodation: 3* Hotel White Waters
Activity: +- 4 hour walk

Day 3: Poiso - Machico, 30 mi. (48 km) | Elevation: +399/1371 meters (+1310/-4500 ft)
Transfer from Funchal to Poiso. From Poiso at 4,593 ft above sea level, forest trails and tracks lead you into the heart of the primeval laurel forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Along the levadas, the famous irrigation channels that gently carry water downhill from the mountains to the terraced fields, you descend toward Machico on the coast (B, D) 

Sample accommodation: 3* Hotel O Colmo
Activity: Cycling

Day 4: Santana - Pico das Pedras - Ilha - Santana, 8 mi. (13 km) | Elevation: +100 /-500 meters (+328/-1640 ft)
From the beautiful forest house of Queimadas, you will penetrate into the bowels of the earth along the Caldeirão Verde levada carved out of the rock and winding its way through the primary forest inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage list. At the end of the path, you will discover an impressive waterfall running into a crystal-clear lake. (B, D)

Sample accommodation: 3* Hotel O Colmo
Activity: 5-hour walk

Day 5: Pico Ruivo - Pico de Ariero - Jardim do Mar, 5 mi. (8 km) | Elevation: +500 / -750 meters (+1640/-2290 ft)
Hike across the mountain ridge trails to the highest peaks of the island. In breathtaking scenery with rocky peaks and deep gorges, you will enjoy – weather permitting at Pico Ruivo – panoramic views over the island and the island of Porto Santo in the distance. You will have a transfer (one hour) to the lovely village of Jardim do Mar on the sunny south coast. (B, D)

Sample accommodation: Hotel Tarmar Jardim Do Mar
Activity: 5 hour walk

Day 6: Fonte do Bispo - Paul do Mar, 28 mi. (45 km) | Elevation: +290/-1,320 meters (+951/-4,331 ft)
Ascent to the Paul da Serra plateau via a regional road offering beautiful views over the south coast and the ridgelines. 

Descent from the plateau through a landscape of heathland and blueberry shrubs, followed by a eucalyptus forest heading toward the Ponta do Pargo lighthouse, the westernmost point of the island. Beautiful views over the lombada (ridge) and the ocean. 

Tasting of the best local poncha in Ponta do Pargo, then continuation to the fishing village of Paul do Mar along a levada lined with agapanthus and eucalyptus, as well as a small road (B, D). 

Sample accommodation: 3* Hotel Tarmar
Activity: Cycling

Day 7: Jardim do Mar - Funchal
Transfer from Jardim do Mar to Funchal (45 min.) You will then have free time to visit Funchal. Highlights include the Farmer's Market, Monte Parish, and the botanical garden. Wine tasting is included. (B)

Sample accommodation: 3* Hotel Orquidea
Optional activities: Canyoning and whale watching. Note, transfer to/from whale watching is not included (usually within walking distance of hotel).

Day 8: Funchal
Last day of the tour. A 30-minute airport transfer is included. (B)