West Tour + Swim

  The Madeira Island West Tour starts off from the entrance area of your hotel in Funchal or Caniço

The first stop will be at the fishing village of  Câmara de Lobos. This typical fishing village, about 5 km outside Funchal, is named after the Mediterranean Monk Seals. This picturesque village with its beautiful bay attracted the likes of Winston Churchill that spent his time painting the beautiful surroundings. Câmara de Lobos is also famous for its ‘Poncha’, a mixture of lemon or orange juice, honey and sugarcane spirit, available at many local taverns.

Next, we make our way to the highest sea cliff in Europe Cabo Girão. This absolutely amazing sea cliff, the highest in Europe and second highest in the world (589m), will present you with breathtaking panoramic views.

Our next stop on this west tour is, Ribeira Brava. This was one of the first parishes of the island and its name came from the wild (Brava) river (Ribeira) that flow in this area when the rain falls heavily.

We then make our way to Ponta do Sol and then climb towards the plateau of Paul da Serra (1400 m), where, if weather permitting, we stop to do an optional walk along the Levada do Paul.

Our next stop is the village of Porto Moniz, which is famous for its series of natural volcanic pools created by reefs in the coastal lava rocks. These clear shallow pools surrounded by volcanic rocks are great for swimming, and attract both locals and tourists alike. Depending on the weather and the time of the year we stop here for lunch.

The other alternative is our next stop Seixal. We go along this north coast with the narrow twisting road which is simply spectacular with the most fascinating scenery coming both from its hanging cliffs and from the energetic ocean crashing against the rocks below. There is a beautiful black sand beach where you could also swim.

After lunch, we make our way to São Vincent, which is one of the most predominant villages of the northern coast of Madeira island. The volcanic caves which are a popular touristic attraction can be found here.

Next we head south, up through the deep, green and narrow valleys of Encumeada and Serra de Agua, before making our way back to your hotel in Funchal.