Walking in Madeira – February 2023

Itinerary – Walking in Madeira

Day 1: Arrival
Arrive at Funchal Airport, with FR 6079 Ryanair flight from Dublin (not included), transfer to your 4* Hotel Alto Lido in Funchal.
Late arrival, trip briefing with your guide on the bus.
Dinner not included. Day 2: Walk from Santo Antonio da Serra Levada Nova
Today short transfer to Santo da Serra (30 min), very varied loop walk with sea views, narrow gorge and lush vegetation. You will discover the paths following its famous levadas (water channels).
Breakfast and dinner included. Picnic lunch not included. Day 3: Miradouro de São Lourenço – Pico do Furado
Transfer to Ponta de Sao Lourenco ( 40 min). Situated on the easternmost point of Madeira, the Vereda da Ponta de São is volcanic in origin, which makes it utterly unique in comparison to landscapes elsewhere on the island.
Breakfast and dinner included. Picnic lunch not included. Day 4: Vereda das 25 Fontes
Today we will explore the western end of the island. We’ll travel past Funchal and enter the Ribeira Brava Gorge (1 hours) . This end of the island differs greatly from the high volcanic peaks in the east. Here rolling moorland offers views over the sea in both directions on a clear day. Torches are useful on this day when walking through one of the levada tunnels.
Breakfast and dinner included. Picnic lunch not included.  Day 5: Track PR18 – Levada do Rei
Transfer to the north side of the island (45 min). In the northern part of the island, this route is linear but makes a return by the outward route. There are tunnels on this walk. The first part of the trail follows the levada through an afforested area, but offers spectacular views of the São Jorge and Santana farmlands.
Breakfast included. Picnic lunch and dinner not included. Day 6: Pico do Areeiro – Pico Ruivo – Achada do Teixeira
Transfer to the pico de Ariero (40 min).
The walk starts at Pico do Areeiro, which is located at 1818 meters above sea level, we walk all the way to Pico Ruivo (1862 meters), the highest peak of Madeira, and finish at Achada do Teixeira at 1817 meters high.
This is a challenging walk, there are some steep ascents and descents. It also involves crossing a few tunnels, therefore a torch is required.
At Pico do Areeiro we can enjoy the fantastic panoramic view of the central mountains of Madeira Island. Afterward, we walk towards Ninho da Manta (Buzzard’s Nest) where we have a wonderful view over Fajã da Nogueira, Nun’s Valley, and Paúl da Serra plateau. The Central Mountain Massif we observe is integrated into the Natura 2000 Network (a European network of great importance for nature conservation).
An alternative easier way is the trail to Pico Ruivo from Achada do Teixeira.
Breakfast and dinner included. Picnic lunch not included. Day 7: Cabo Girão – Levada do Norte
Short transfer to Estreito Camara de lobos. You will follow a linear track through the inland of the island, farming land where you will see local production giving the inhabitants a good degree of self-sufficiency, and typical local houses. The walk ends at Cabo Girao the highest cape in Europe at 580 m high also famous for its skywalk.
Breakfast and dinner included. Picnic lunch not included. Day 8: Farewell!
Transfer to Funchal Airport to meet your flight Ryanair FR 6076 to Dublin.
Breakfast included