Amazing East Tour
Recommended by 92% of travelers
Portugal
- 7 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Leave all of the planning to someone else and enjoy yourself in Madeira with this tour through ancient forests. Begin with hotel pickup and journey through eucalyptus and mimosa forests. Ascend Pico do Arieiro mountain, then descend to Ribeiro Frio and stop at a trout hatchery. Take a leisurely stroll through the trees and visit the Santana UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Lunch is not included.
- Experience Madeira's history, from traditional thatched houses to vines
- Walk through mimosa forests to the mountains and surrounding areas
- Drive along the sugarcane village and stop for rum biscuit tasting
- Stop for lunch after touring the old original houses in Santana
What's Included
- Rum Biscuit Tasting . Short Walk of 45 minutes easy and flat (not compulsory)
- Lunch break (not included in the price)
- skywalk guindaste this attraction will be closed from the 2 February to the 2 April 2026
- Levada Walk - Balcões 45 minutes
- Food and drinks
- Lunch
- Entrance fee - Levada balcões€3.00 per person
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Please note we dont pick up from Hotels in Machico, Ponta do Sol and Calheta. Only for groups of 8 there is an aditional cost. Pick ups for Santa cruz will have an aditional cost of 6.00€ per person paid to the driver in cash as from the 13.01.2025.
Operating hours.8:30 am
Itinerary
1
Belvedere Du Terreiro Da Luta
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Pico do Arieiro
40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Balcoes de Ribeiro Frio
50 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Miradouro do guindaste
13 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Casas Tipicas de Santana
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Porto da Cruz
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
7
Ponta de Sao Lourenco
25 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Machico (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Infant seats available
- Stroller accessible
- Wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Infants must not sit on laps
- No public transportation nearby
- Not suitable for pets
- We do not pick up in Hotels in Machico, Ponta do Sol, Calheta. Only groups there is an aditional cost.
- Animals are allowed in this tour as long as its a small animal big animals only in private tours
- Pick up for Cruise/Ship Guests shared tours will be in fron of the CR7/Museum bus stop
- Cancellation with refund 24 hours before the tour takes place.
- Pick ups for Santa Cruz Hotels have an aditional cost of 6.00€ per person to pick up paid in cash on the day of the tour.
- As from the 11.01.2025 there is an aditional cost of 3.00€ to be paid in cash for the levada walk of Balcões implemented by the department of Secretary of Forests in Madeira
- Please bring comfortable shoes and a jacket it might get cold in the mountains
- Tours can suffer alterations due to bad weather, closed roads, heavy rain and snow.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 19 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Bruce_J
We highly recommend the East Tour and in particular Marco as the tour guide.
The tour was a fantastic experience and visually thrilling. Marco greatly heightened the experience with his knowledge of the Islands history, flora and fauna, politics, economics and gastronomy.
A great day out and a round of applause to Marco.
Reviews
4.6
based on 38 reviews
Jill_T, Apr 2026
Not as interesting as west coast tour for us. The stop by the runway was unnecessary. Too long stays at some places
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Dear Guests
I dont understand what you mean by runway?
We dont even have that in the program was it an extra stop? As far as i know the guide made the full program from the mountains to the forest to são Lourenço and you dint find it interesting?
CSABA_I, Jan 2026
Everything went well pick up on , all places wonderful enough time to take a picture.
Was fantastic day
Thank you
Ewa_A, Nov 2025
Was great, last minute arrangements worked well , Louise helped us a lot, very friendly and accommodating
Sue_P, Oct 2025
Timings and itinerary worked very well. Really enjoyed the Balcoes short levada walk. Excellent and informative guide and very good driver. Tour never felt rushed and sufficient time to see sights.
Gabriela_C, Aug 2025
The tour was the greatest! We were able to see so much of the east side of the island in a day and everything was beautiful. Our tour guide, Carlos, was so nice, funny, and helpful. It was an amazing time.
Bruce_J, Apr 2025
We highly recommend the East Tour and in particular Marco as the tour guide.
The tour was a fantastic experience and visually thrilling. Marco greatly heightened the experience with his knowledge of the Islands history, flora and fauna, politics, economics and gastronomy.
A great day out and a round of applause to Marco.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Thank you for the review. I am happy your tour went well it was our pleasure.
Richard_W, Jan 2025
Great tour by Gama very thorough but the Viator agents did not have the right information when we booked the tour which very much inconvenienced us. Hence not 5 stars.
Pat_C, Nov 2024
Great tour, beautiful scenery . Especially enjoyed Levada walk. Guide was personable, pointed out plants and cracked jokes. Enjoyed our day
Bond_B, Nov 2024
Really interesting tour of the east and north of the island. Partick was our guide and very informative about Madeira. We enjoyed all the stops but particularly the levada walk and the cliffs.
Robert_C, Oct 2024
Too tourist and crowded with other coach/bus tours. Not for us. We left after an hour and got a taxi back to Funchal.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Dear Guests
There are certain reviews that i find total nonsense. Just because we refused to refund you, you leave us a 1 star. Do you think we refund guests that dont like to be arround other people why did you book a shared tour to see the highlites of Madeira.
You are staying in Hotel 5 star with crowds of people and noise on a main road, in town there are many people tourists and locals do you make them dissappear while you are there? You were in shared tour excursion to see all highlites of the island what did you except NO TOURISTS. I have to correct you you did not take a taxi you found it very expensive, our Guide helped you find cheaper transportation to Funchal.
Louise_A, Sep 2024
The views were stunning. The tour guide was amazing and knowledgeable. Knew the areas really well. His knowledge of the trees and plants was exceptional.
Nicola_H, Sep 2024
Excellent value for money.
Slightly small minibus for lots of people and some of the time allocated for it the stops was short but all in all a great way to see a large amount of the island
Peter_S, Sep 2024
Great way to see both mountain region, forested valleys and seascapes. Just 7 in a minibus. Carlos was very easy going, no hurries or worries. The 45 min levada walk was a treat. Couldn't possibly have done the driving ourselves. Excellent value. Thank you Carlos.
Nadia_M, Jul 2024
pro’s
Well organised
Knowledgeable tour guide
Comfy van with air con
Safety first
Plenty of time to see sights (maybe spend a little longer at pico de aireo as it’s stunning!!!!)
Tour guide was friendly with other tour guides and locals.
Tour guide arranged lunch for us in Santana and called restaurant to order ahead.
Tour guide was kind to kids and elderly.
Tour was wonderful.
Madeira sights ( the company) called
Me within hours of booking to let me know the pick up time.
Tour guide also told us all about his company and the history! True passion for his country and his company ❤️
Diego_C, Jun 2024
This is a must if you are visiting the island, the tour guide Michael is friendly and welcoming person, he shared with us many insights during the tour around Madeira very knowledgeable!
The tour is well explained and there’s enough time on each place to take a look and enjoy the views and experiences.
Totally recommended!
Keep up with the great work guys well done!
Best Diego!
Charlotte_H, Jun 2024
The whole trip was fab. The tour guide Michael was friendly and very informative. There was so many great sights and many I hadn't seen before. I have done many trips but I think this was my favourite. Can't believe how reasonably priced it was.
Verity_W, May 2024
Fantastic tour! Michael was a brilliant driver and tour guide, highly recommend him. Only 6 (including us 2) in the group, beautiful places we stopped off, lots of space in the minibus and picked up right outside our hotel. Thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend!
Wayne_D, Apr 2024
Carlos was an amusing knowledgeable guide who made our day.. lots of lovely walks and photo opportunities.
Mike_F, Apr 2024
This was a really nice trip, we ended up getting to see a ton of beatuiful locations! This is definitely something that I can recommend you guys do!
alan, Feb 2024
We enjoyed the great scenery and the rum tasting. The guide was excellent and kept us informed all of the trip.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Thank you for you review, it was a pleasure meeting you.
Denise_L, Oct 2023
We were so happy with the tour!
Our amazing guide Marco was very knowledgeable and generous! Much more than a day excursion with exceptionnal sites, we learned about Madeira culture. We highly recommand this tour, and Marco!
Lynne_E, Mar 2023
We found the east tour to be a great experience. It was the perfect accompaniment to the west tour which we did earlier in the week. They were so different in character and gave us a look at the different scenery of the island. Tony was a very careful driver around some spectacular roads and the day was varied and interesting. The company went the extra mile for its customers. We would recommend
Lynn_N, Jun 2022
This tour was amazing, takes to all the locations thats worth going in madeira. The guide was amazing and funny, really worth going on this tour.
Response from Host, Jun 2022
Thank you for the review it was a pleasure haaving you on board.
Lauren_P, May 2021
I decided to sign up for this tour because I wanted to experience more of the island without having to drive. I have to say, taking this tour was the best decision I made while there. Tony, my tour guide, went above and beyond to make this tour the BEST experience for me and left me with memories of beautiful Madeira to last a lifetime! There was no place on the east side of the island left unexplored and there were no questions Tony couldn't answer, being he is a native to the island of 26 years. I keep saying "me", because everyone canceled the morning of the tour, leaving only me. Secret Madeira could have easily canceled the tour all together, but instead they decided to upgraded me to VIP, driving me around in a Mercedes all day!!! I cannot thank Secret Maderia enough! Do yourself a favor and book with this tour company, you will not regret it!
Response from Host, May 2021
Hello Guest Lauren
Thank you for trusting us with your service.
It was a pleasure taking you around the eastern side of Madeira. As you know due to Covid, guests cancel so we dont punish the other guests because others couldnt travel. I look forward to seeing you next time.
Kind Regards
Lucy and Tony
Valerie_f, Jan 2025
Belle découverte de l’Est de l’île , notre guide Daniel est compétent , polyvalent et disponible .Les informations étaient en français et en anglais .
Elena_B, Aug 2024
El guía nos ha llevado a sitios muy bonitos, como punto negativo destacaría que hemos pasado casi todo el trayecto en el coche, ya que la mayoría de los puntos a visitar eran miradores, lo cual hizo la excursión un tanto pesada.
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Estimada señora 1. Este tour es una excursión por lo que para llegar de un punto a otro tenía que ser en coche. programa dia completo.
¿Muchas horas en coche? Según el GPS del coche, esta era la hora de llegada a cada parada.
1. parada desde la salida del Hotel hasta 1 parada, 35 minutos.
2. Pico Arieiro 20 minutos para llegar
3. Ribeiro Frio con recorrido a pie de 25 minutos
4. Llegada a Santana en 25 minutos con parada para almorzar.
5. Porto da Cruz llegó en 15 minutos
6. La última parada, Ponta do Rosto, llegó en 25 minutos.
7. Regreso a Funchal 30 minutos.
Todavía no entiendo. Muchas horas en el coche es cuando más horas estás sentado 2+. La señora se quejó del viaje en avión, que suele durar más de 3 horas sentada sin moverse.
Según el info del GPS del autobús.
Entre cada parada las distancias eran muy cortas.
emmanuelle_D, Jul 2024
De très beaux paysages tout au long de la journée, les sites s'enchaînent, c'est varié, c'est une magnifique excursion
Jrgen_F, Dec 2023
Perfekte Abwicklung
Dauer über den geplanten Zeitrahmern hinaus
Viele Zwischenstopps und ausgezeichnete Erklärungen in 3 Sprachen
Begeistert
TONI - das beste "Paket" als Reiseleiter und Fahrer
Ulli_L, Nov 2023
Marco war unser Guide u wusste viel Interessantes über Madeira zu erzählen. Alle Fragen konnte er kompetent u ausführlich beantworten.
Diese Tour war auch von den Sehenswürdigkeiten u Aussichtspunkten total super. Tolle Plätze wurden angefahren u wir hatten genügend Zeit, alles zu erkunden.
Alles in allem: eine mehr als gelungene Tour u ich kann sie jedem empfehlen.
Vanesa_G, Mar 2023
Recomiendo 100% la excursión.
En 8 horas te llevan a ver los lugares más bonitos de la zona.
La guía nos hizo la excursión muy amena y en todo momento nos iba hablando sobre las historias de la zona.
From $41.95
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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