East Tour - Hit The Road 4x4 Tour
The East 4×4 tour has a little bit of everything and is suitable for everyone! It’s adventurous, exciting at times, interesting, full of surprises and very scenic!
The first stop is Pico Do Areiro, the third-highest peak on the island, 1811 m above sea level. There are usually very dramatic mountain views and sometimes we’re above the clouds! We take some time to discover the area, explore some of the “hidden gems” and when we’re ready, we move on towards the north of Madeira.
Descending off-road into the small, rural villages of Ribeiro Frio and Faial, we discover the Laurissilva forest with breathtaking views of the picturesque villages, all at a relaxed pace with plenty of photo opportunities as well as some short walking. We learn about the levadas, our unique water canals, how they’re used, where they come from and why they were built.
Next is Santana, one of the most visited areas in Madeira. We purposefully move away from the large crowds and tourist traps and strive for an authentic experience every time. This is where you can find the traditional, authentic A-frame houses you might have seen online or in guide books. We see lots of agricultural terraces, we meet locals, and we have lunch at the restaurant with the best view on the island, Quinta do Furao Hotel (optional extra — not included in the price but highly recommended). We take pride in our food and all of our restaurant partners are of the highest quality with local flavours in a modern style with Quinta do Furao restaurant being an absolute benchmark of quality.
After lunch it’s time for us to return in a relaxed and patient manner. The “heavy lifting” is all done in the morning so we can spend the afternoon in an even more relaxed state of mind and take our time to explore the viewpoints and the small towns of Porto da Cruz and Machico. We stop for a poncha, our famous local drink and make the drive back to the hotel with some friendly banter and conversation, providing you with some insights and tips on how to spend your evening or the next few days in Madeira.
If you’re going to do one tour in Madeira, this is the one! A true experience!
Valley of the Nuns
The first stop of the tour is the not so famous but very beautiful Miradouro do Paradao. From this viewpoint you will see Funchal from above as well as the famous Nun´s Valley. It´s usually very quiet up here and very much "off the beaten path".Pico do Arieiro
Madeira´s third highest peak. We try to arrive here early, before the crowds so we can best enjoy the amazing views, above the clouds hopefully! We don´t like giving set times but usually spend somewhere around 30 to 45 minutes up here which is usually enough to get to see the best sights.Ribeiro Frio
Ribeiro Frio is well known for the rainbow trout farm. We drive by the large crowds and escape the tourist traps.Santana
We make our way off-road and off the beaten path to Santana, one of Madeira´s most famous villages. Here we will see the traditional A-frame houses and stop at an authentic house to see how people use to live in this shantytown of Madeira. Next is Lunch at the famous Quinta do Furao restaurant with the best lunch in Santana, with great value and an incredible view!Miradouro do guindaste
After lunch we stop at one of our favourite viewpoints on the North East of the island to see privileged views of the North East coast.Engenhos do Norte
A stop is in order at the the small village of Porto Da Cruz, well known for it´s history in sugar and rum. We make a stop at the famous rum factory and of course try some of the best rum in the world!Ponta de Sao Lourenco
Lastly we explore Ponta de Sao Lourenço, the most easterly peninsular on the island known for its magnificent volcanic rock formations and colours.Miradouro da Ponta do Rosto
The final stop on our east tour to see the peninsular in all it´s glory!
We are a small company from Madeira Island
Pay securely online or directly on the day
Up to 24h before the activity
All taxes and fees are included