EAST: Pico do Arieiro & Laurissilva Forest - Full Day tour
Description
The East Tour with its famous “A” framed houses; clouds hanging below Pico do Arieiro hugging the contours of the mountains.The delightful unspotted Laurissilva forest were you can enjoy a walk in middle of laurissilva forest( balcoes levada). Visit Guindaste viewpoint with the glass bottom presents a sweeping panoramic view of Madeira's northern coastline, stretching from Faial to the eastern tip at Ponta de São Lourenço, including the dramatic Penha d'Águia rock formation. Visit the only sugar cane mill on the north coast
Tour Options
Itinerary
The scenery surrounding the Terreiro da Luta Viewpoint is shaped by the colourful patchwork of Funchal. In the distance, the city’s iconic bay unfolds, framed by the vast Atlantic Ocean. A visit to the Terreiro da Luta Viewpoint is not only worthwhile for this striking view, but also for the historical landmark that stands there: the Nossa Senhora da Paz Sanctuary, the largest monument on the island, reaching a height of five metres. Designed by architect Emanuel Ribeiro, the monument was erected as a fulfilment of a promise made by the people of Madeira during the German submarine attacks on Funchal in 1917. Carved from marble, this statue in honour of Nossa Senhora do Monte forms a cherished part of the island’s cultural and emotional heritage.
We then uphill heading for Pico Arieiro, 1818m (5965 fts). It is the third highest peak in Madeira. As you climb, the green woodland gives way to bare rock. There are tremendous views over an endless succession of knife-edge ridges and sheer cliffs. Cotton-wool clouds hang in the valleys.
Leaving Pico Areiro continuing your journey up hill, through small terraces lining the road where you can find all types of fruits before you reaching Ribeiro Frio is a delightful spot set among the Laurissilva forest This Forest was classified in the World Heritage by UNESCO in 1999. Herew you will be able to the balcoes levada walk
Santana.- Presenting a picture of domestic and agricultural prosperity. The predominant colour is the greens of the terraced fields and the hay meadows, interspersed by apple, pear and cherry orchards, dotted among the haystack are triangular thatched buildings, used by local farmers as cow sheds. Traditionally people lived in these ingenious structures. You will discover how spacious the Santana ´A` farmed buildings are when you visit one.
Perched on one of the slopes of Foz da Ribeira do Faial, in Santana municipality, the Guindaste viewpoint provides a spectacular perspective of Madeira's stunning north coast. This spot is perfect for admiring the majestic Atlantic Ocean that embraces the island. Renowned for the remarkable beauty of its surroundings, this viewpoint offers an idyllic scene where lush green mountains blend seamlessly with towering cliffs and the crystalline waters of the sea. Visitors can also glimpse the pebble beach of Foz da Ribeira do Faial and its unique geological feature—a columnar disjunction formed by ancient lava flows. The Guindaste viewpoint presents a sweeping panoramic view of Madeira's northern coastline, stretching from Faial to the eastern tip at Ponta de São Lourenço, including the dramatic Penha d'Águia rock formation. On exceptionally clear days, visitors can even spot the island of Porto Santo, located to the northeast.
Driving down to the North Coast, to a rural village of Porto da Cruz. Located at the foot of a Rock called Penha d´Aguia, and on the other side, steep terraced slopes. The only running sugar mill in the north coast is located in this village. Its brick chimney stands up high in the village. It has a beautiful sea promenade.
Machico´s bay was the first place where Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira landed when Madeira was discovered. It has an uncommonly shaped valley, which looks as if a balcony overlookes the sea and the mountains, in a municipality with great abundance in water. The sugar cane crops and its mills activities made it become very important for Madeira’s economy until the 17th century. The eastern side of Machico bay is dominated by Pico do Facho a 320 mts (1050 ft) a high peak. It was named after the beacon (facho) that used to be lit here to warn residents of approaching pirates
Ponta de São Lorenço. The eastern most point of the island. The area around Caniçal and Sao Lorenço has a similar climate to that of the island of Porto Santo. It is noticeable that the nature vegetation is different here .The north and south coast can be seen simultaneously. On a clear day Porto Santo can also be seen. Beautiful rock formation can be found in this region and one of the coast plants, the ice plant
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We will meet you directly at the hotel reception, WHERE POSSILBLE. If your accommodation is not a hotel—such as a villa or apartment , please wait outside by the main entrance. If your hotel is not on the list, please specify so pickup can be organized. Please note: Please check your email / whatsapp the day before for more precise pickup times, and locations. Pickup from All accommodation in Funchal, Camara de Lobos Village, Cabo Girao & Canico areas are included in the price. Drivers will wait no longer than 5 minutes after the scheduled pickup time. Please Note we do NOT PICKUP from Machico or Santa Cruz or Cruise port or any other location outside the above ones.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(49)
Great relaxed tour with beautiful viewpoints with a Balcoes walk and stunning views at Pico Areeiro. Sebastian, our guide was excellent. He was very knowledgeable and informative, drove safely, catered for our group needs (8 of us) and did the tour at a relaxed rather than rushed pace. Only improvement would be longer time at Pico Areeiro as that was the highlight. Highly recommend this tour.
Thank you for sharing your experience and for the high recommendation. We're glad you enjoyed the Balcões walk and felt safe and well-informed with Sebastian. Finding that perfect balance for tour pacing is always our goal, so we appreciate your note about wanting more time at Pico do Arieiro, it really is a magical spot. We hope to see you again on your next visit.
I took the Madeira Duo excursions (West and East) and was very satisfied. The program was rich and well-packed — I got to see many beautiful and diverse places, and really feel the island’s atmosphere. Special thanks to the guide Loy — punctual, attentive, and very engaging. He shared a lot of interesting information with a great sense of humor, which made the whole experience easy and enjoyable. Highly recommend 👍
Thank you for the fantastic review. We're thrilled you enjoyed the Madeira Duo and felt the true atmosphere of the island. It’s wonderful to hear that Loy made such a great impression with his humor, punctuality, and deep knowledge. We’re glad the packed program was a hit. We’ll be sure to share your high recommendation with Loy. Hope to see you again soon
Firstly our driver and guide Christian totally made our day. He was so friendly and knowledgable and made the whole day flow so smoothly. We booked via ‘ get your guide’ and the day before we got our pick up time from ‘Madeira island tours’ and a bit more info. We were picked up on time and after another couple of pick ups in Funchal we were on our way. The tour was very well organised with plenty coffee and viewpoint stops. The highlight for me was the Levada de Balcoes’ walk (PR11) which was not too strenuous and had lovely views all the way. Dropped off back at our hotel door after a fab day!!
Thank you for your fantastic feedback. We are thrilled that Christian made your day so special with his knowledge and friendliness. It is great to hear that our communication and the PR11 Balcoes walk were highlights of your experience. We take pride in our organization and door-to-door service, and we truly appreciate your support. We hope to see you again for another island adventure soon.
Hotel pickup at a civilised time just after breakfast. The guide was Albino who is very experienced and clearly loves Madeira and showing it to visitors. We visited some truly special sights and it will live long in my memory. Excellent value for money
Thank you so much for your kind words. We are thrilled that your East Island tour will live long in your memory. Albino is indeed a treasure—his love for Madeira is infectious, and we are so glad he could share that with you.
What a wonderful day. I particularly wanted the Levada walk experience which I loved. The little birds feeding from our hands was special. Susana was a great guide who met our every need and showed us such pretty parts of the island
We are delighted that you got the Levada walk experience you particularly wanted and that you loved it! The little birds feeding from your hands truly is a special, magical moment.We will happily pass on your high praise to Susana! Thank you for sharing your experience.
Tour was very entertaining. Have experienced a lot. Our guide/driver also drove us off the beaten track and gave us very interesting information. Highly recommended with best price/performance ratio. Small group was very nice.
Es freut uns sehr zu hören, dass die Tour sehr kurzweilig war und Sie sehr viel erlebt haben.Besonders schön ist, dass Ihr Reiseleiter/Fahrer Sie abseits der üblichen Wege gefahren und sehr interessant informiert hat. Das macht die Erfahrung oft noch besonderer Ihre Empfehlung ist uns sehr wichtig, und wir freuen uns, dass Sie das beste Preis-/Leistungsverhältnis sehen und die kleine Gruppe als sehr schön empfanden.Vielen Dank für Ihre tolle Bewertung
Amazing views, very well organized tour, we had an exceptionally nice gentleman Albino as a tour guide, we learned a lot about the island, the schedule was followed precisely on time, great experience, thank you!
We are delighted to hear that you experienced amazing views and a very well organized tour Thank you for sharing your great experience! We will happily pass on your thanks to Albino.
Excellent trip. Christian was a great tour guide, very informative, fabulous full day tour with lots of scenic view point stops, and a wealth of local knowledge on Madeira, its history and traditions. Would highly recommend as a small group tour.
We're thrilled that you had an excellent trip Thank you for your strong recommendation of this tour as a small group tour experience
We loved this tour especially the stop at Pico do Arieiro, stunning views over Madeira. The guide was informative even though English was his third language and not his best he was still informative and understandable. The only concern we had was his driving which was fast and erratic. This was mentioned to him by a few passengers and his driving did not really improved and he just laughed are concerns off. He was driving way over the speed limits and very close to vehicles in front.
Hi there, thanks for sharing your detailed feedback.We’re glad you enjoyed the stunning views from Pico do Arieiro and found the guide informative.
A great day out! Our guide was attentive, full of information, switching seamlessly from Portuguese, English and French for all visitors. The van picked us up/returned us to our hotel. It was comfortable, well maintained and surprisingly roomy. The Itinerary was well thought out: a mixture of several scenic places/miradors, a short levada walk, a rum factory visit, heritage buildings, a Sunday produce market. We had several well-timed stops, short times in the van between, and a varied selection of places to visit. Wear sturdy shoes and take a waterproof as the high peaks are cooler and misty/rainy. A really enjoyable day out in the East of this Island for the reasonably mobile, at a very good price.
Thanks for your wonderful review. We’re delighted that you enjoyed the well-planned itinerary and appreciated your guide’s attentiveness and multilingual skills. Great to know you found the tour comfortable and full of variety.
