You will meet your guide at the airport and be transferred to your accommodation. It’s best if your plane lands between 10 am and 5 pm—you will notify us in the post-booking process of your approximate landing time, and you will be individually picked up. A 30-minute ride gets you to Santana, a small town famous for its traditional thatched houses. Depending on your arrival time, feel free to explore the quaint city before dinner time.

Accommodation: Enotel Santo da Serra, Santo da Serra or similar
Meals: Dinner

After a nice continental breakfast, your guide will transfer you to the start of your walk where you will discover one of the most spectacular Levada hikes of Madeira. You will enter the famous Laurisilva – remains of the humid and subtropical laurel forest. After passing through several (safe) tunnels and cliffside passageways, you will get to the famous “Green Cauldron” — Caldeirao Verde. Your guide will prepare a delicious picnic for you. After a well-deserved break, continue along the way and back down to the remote village of Ilha, with its magnificent ocean views. Your guides will take you back to your accommodation.

Walking: 4.5 hrs, 14 km (8.7 miles)
Elevation: +110 m / -620 m (+360 ft / -2,034 ft)
Accommodation: Enotel Santo da Serra, Santo da Serra or similar
Meals: Breakfast, lunch box, and dinner

Important: You will go through 4 tunnels so don’t forget your headlamp. The second part of the walk can be slightly dizzying if you are afraid of heights. Cliff edge path with a safety wire. It is possible to turn back half-way.

*We set off from Pico Ariero (1,810 m) on one of Madeira’s most spectacular alpine trails, winding through tunnels and up staircases toward the island’s highest point. The route rewards us with sweeping panoramas of jagged peaks, deep valleys, and the Atlantic Ocean along the way. Our guide picks out the perfect spot to stop for a picnic before we continue to Achada do Teixeira, where a cab takes us back to the hotel.

Walking: 4 hrs, 10 km (6.2 miles)
Elevation: +500 m / -700 m (+1,640 ft / -2,297 ft)
Accommodation: Enotel Santo da Serra, Santo da Serra or similar
Meals: Continental breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner

Please note that today’s trail will be closed for a few days in September due to installation of a walkway (14–17 and 21–22). In that case, an alternative hike will be done instead.

Depart from the hotel and head down an ancient paved royal road, through dense vegetation, as if you were in the jungle, crossing a charming little river then climbing to reach the village of Arco de Sao Jorge and its magnificent viewpoint. Enjoy a well-deserved lunch break in a restaurant overlooking the sea, and try out a brochette, island’s specialty! Next, follow a paved path along the coast, with a splendid panorama of the ocean and waves crashing on small rocky islets. Continue on to a zig-zag descent back to the sea and a final climb to the meeting point. Transfer to Porto Moniz, a sea-resort famous for its natural pools which you can enter and relax in for about 3 EUR. Check in to your splendid hotel where you will stay for two nights.

Walking: 3 hrs, 7 km (4.4 miles)
Elevation: +550 m / -550 m (+1,800 ft / -1,800 ft)
Accommodation: Aqua Natura Madeira Hotel, Porto Moniz or similar
Meals: Breakfast, skewer lunch, and dinner

This morning, reach the Paul da Serra plateau (5,250 ft / 1,600 m). Your group will set off for a hike through the enchanted landscapes, crossing the plateau and reach the ancient crater of Fanal, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site that is home to rare specimens of century-old laurel trees. Continue along the Levada dos Cedros, one of the oldest in the region, built in the 17th century and dug directly into the ground. After exhilirating hikes, transfer to your hotel in Porto Moniz and spend some quality time with fellow hikers over dinner.

Walking: 4.15 hrs, 8 km (5 miles)
Elevation: +150 m / -300 m (+492 ft / -984 ft)
Accommodation: Aqua Natura Madeira Hotel, Porto Moniz or similar
Meals: Breakfast, lunch box ,and dinner

After a hearty breakfast, your guides will transfer you to Paul da Serra’s plateau — the start of a charming walk in the middle of an enchanted forest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Take in the stunning scenery of streams and waterfalls and discover the endemic flora that Madeira is so famous for. As usual you will enjoy a delightful picnic. Drive to Funchal, the capital of the island where you will stay for two nights.

Walking: 4.5 hrs, 14 km (8.7 miles)
Elevation: +250 m / -485 m (+820 ft / -1590 ft)
Accommodation: Enotel Magnolia or Hotel Caju, Funchal or similar
Meals: Breakfast, lunch box, and dinner

The Peninsula of Sao Lourenço is located to the east of the Island. The landscape is very different from the rest of the island because of the semi-arid climate and its basalt cliffs carved by wind and waves. This nature reserve allows you to observe the unique flora and fauna of Madeira. Then, head with a taxi to Pico Arieiro for a short walk along the island’s impressive ridges to the Rija viewpoint. Return on foot to Pico do Arieiro and transfer to Funchal. On your last night in Funchal, the whole group will meet for a final dinner in a restaurant.

Walking: 3 hrs, 8 km (5 miles)
Elevation: +445 m / -445 m (+1,460 ft / -1,460 ft)
Pico Arieiro extension: 1 hours, 2.4 km (1.5 miles), +100 m (330 ft), -100 m (-330 ft)
Accommodation: Enotel Magnolia or Hotel Caju, Funchal or similar
Meals: Breakfast, lunch box and dinner

About 3 hours before your flight, a taxi will transfer you back to Madeira airport. Depending on the time of your flight, you might have some time to visit the local market and grab a few souvenirs before going home!

Meals: Breakfast