Fanal Assobiadores - Mountain Walk

We booked onto the fanal tour and had a great time - Rubina was a great guide, she set a pace that suited the group well and always made sure to point out good photo ops and explain the route and terrain. Really enjoyed it so booked again with Lido tours to do the PR6/6.1 waterfall hike and again had a great experience. Rueben was very friendly and knowledgeable and the route is really scenic and manageable even if not experienced hiking. Would highly recommend both and a big thanks to both guides (and the drivers Bruno and Nuno) for providing such a good service

Great day out,despite the mist. Sara was a top guide and I was super impressed with her knowledge and language skills. Would recommend.

A fabulous walk through varied landscape with a very knowledgeable guide, Sergio. Fanal Forest was a treat but the whole walk was lovely - spectacular views......some of the valleys and some of the cloud bank. Lunch in woodland perched on rocks and listening to birds - magical. Walking the route allows you to experience more of the landscape.

We actually did three trips/ walks with lido tours - Larano, Ribeiro Frio and this one today - Fanal. Our guide Sara was superb- very personable, knowledgeable and professional. She was a great at giving info re local area and you could ask anything - and such lovey company on the hikes. Loved the diversity of the three walks - fabulous vistas, scenery and a ponchas enjoyed at the end. 🥂 they were moderate rating and we are both over 60 yrs and managed very well. The company communicated well ( had a text day before re pick up time and they were never late. The drivers ( Nu Nu and Reuben we safe and confident. ) Can strongly recommend just walking into office as we did to book. ( am sure online equally as good but we walked past on way to our hotel )

It was perfect - the guide Sarah was very knowledgeable and passionate about Madeira and took time to present the tour fully in two languages but also sharing the names of the plants in FOUR languages! Impressive! Instructions to join the tour were clear, and the pickup was on time with a good driver who was also friendly. Good size group of 13 and moved at a nice pace with stops for photos and questions. I really enjoyed the tour and would use the same company again. The views on the hike are spectacular - once the mist clears! I would recommend!

The hike was stunning and the female guide was really lovely too. Great walk through the forest. Was as nice to have lunch within Fanal forest / park itself.

This trail was great, we wanted to see Fanal Forest and we had another tour cancelled due to some bad weather around the time. We found this one with some space still and was still running. The full trail is a bit less common compared to others like 25 Fontes, it's quite a muddy trail that's rocky going through forests and bushes some elevation and decline throughout but not on the most stable paths. Unfortunately we had some wet foggy weather which meant some of the lookout points you couldn't see anything but also meant we got the foggy ominous look at the Fanal Forest. Our guide was amazing, she kept a good pace to make sure we stayed on time for the tour and had good conversations with her throughout. Be mindful of the pace as it was fine for us and we were always at the front but due to the trail some other people fell behind quite often and had to wait for them further along.

I can't comment too much on the actual walk as I became unwell and could only complete about a third of it. I wanted to comment however on how excellent and supportive both the guide Sarah and our driver was and I would be very happy to book with Lido Tours again.

I did this walk with Sunrise Tours. It should be graded difficult not moderate. The walk is at a high altitude with a number of ascents/descents and steps. Some people in our group did not have adequate footwear, and one person had to drop out as he did not have the fitness level for the walk. I agree with other reviews that not enough time is given to explore the Forest at Fanal. That said, it is a great walk with amazing views.

This is our 3rd year in Madeira for Christmas and the 3rd year we've used Lido tours. In previous years we've used other companies as well, but Lido has proved to provide the best experience. Sara our guide speaks perfect English amongst many others. The walks are well managed and the most convenient way to see the best of Madeira. The Fanal walk is something quite different to some other walks on offer. We had no intention of using any other company other than Lido tours this year and were not disappointed.

The best tour guide we ever had. And we’ve been on many tours over the years. She was a credit to your company and herself. So knowledgeable, enthusiastic. Excellent. I’m terrible with names so i uploaded a photo with the tour guide in it.

This was a really great experience. It is well paced and, the views are spectacular. Sarah, the guide, is exceptional. Effortlessly hosting an eclectic group of tourists, speaking Spanish, German and English interchangeably! Sophisticated and really generous in the way she shared knowledge of the area, the Island and relevant folk lore. There are physical challenges with the hike, it is steep in places and the steps can be slippy but, with a reasonable level of fitness, it is manageable. There wasn’t mist the day we visited, instead we experienced a full day of clear skies and glorious sunshine which offered with it the most amazing backdrop of scenery. Very much worth visiting and, when next in Madeira we will be sure to use this tour company again.

Our tour guide was amazing however I wouldn’t recommend this walk to anyone who wants to view Fanal Forest. You do a walk through some nature (around 8km) with lovely views, however this is essentially what the trip is. Also, this walk is a lot of walking up and down steps that are unstable so I wouldn’t recommend for anyone who may struggle with this aspect. About halfway through you end up back on a road with another 4km walk ahead to Fanal Forest. When you arrive you have 1 hour to eat something and walk around Fanal Forest (there isnt a time or place to eat on the walk up to the forest). This is nowhere near enough time to spend there unfortunately. I believe the tour would be better if they took you to the road midway through, had the 4km walk to Fanal then were able to spend more time exploring the area. I would like to emphasise again, our tour guide was lovely and very knowledgeable. However, I would recommend a different tour company for viewing Fanal Forest.

The trip was great. I recommend it to everyone that wants to connect with the nature and surroundings of Madeira. It is a easy to medium difficulty for someone who usually does not exercise. Beautiful views to see. The tour wad well organized and the tour guide was nice and kind. I recommend this tour.

Wonderful hike in perfect weather giving us great views at the start and the misty experience in the Fanal forest. Sara was a wonderful guide giving us a lot of useful information. We also got 40 min at the end in the Fanal forest to explore on our own.

Everything was great. Guide was very professional. Even in ranný weather we enjoyed it very much. Highly recommended.

Tour with a small group and a knowledgable guide (Sara). Good pace. Hiking experience is recommended but you don't have to be a "pro" (it's about 10km). The landscapes were beautiful!

Guide was excellent and easy to talk too.The walk was great not easy but not hard either just check that the weather will clear before you go.the lack of veiw was disappointing but no fault of theirs. wouldve been 5 stars if sky's cleared abit.

A beautiful walk through Forrest, on the largest plateau in Madeira. Sara, our guide did a great job. The landscapes on the North Coast are amazing.

Good tour, especially in the last part, even when there is no fog, the trees of the Fanal forest are very expressive.

The guide was really nice and helpful and the trip was fun, not so easy but also not too challenging. The problem was the timing of the breaks. We did two breaks before and after the trip, 20 minutes each. We did a break in the middle of the hike, in the center of the forest. The stop between the trees was nice and cozy but I would gladly exchange it for at least the same amount of time to spend in the destination of the hike - the Fanal. There we had only like 5 minutes to take a picture with the beautiful view and the magnificent ancient trees. And it was only because we had to wait for the bus to pick us up. Good we managed to take at least a couple of pictures to have a proof and to remember we were there at all. With a better break timing it would be a wonderful trip.

It was a beautiful day and a beautiful walk (but lots of steps (mostly down) so you need to be good on your feet!) with varied terrain (heather filled plateau, forest) and amazing views, first of the mountains and then the coast - this is a great walk!! Sara, our guide, is simply the best on the island - she was very friendly and personable, set expectations about the walk at the beginning, was very safety conscious, was EXTREMELY knowledgeable about the plants and wildlife, stopped regulalry to tell a story or point something out and set the pace of the walk according to feedback from the group. The driver Marco was great too. Ignore any bad review about Sara, we have been to Madeira many times and been on many walks with Lido/ Sara and they have ALWAYS been very well organised and fabulous - any trips with them will be the highlight of your holiday!

<p>Lovely lady leader with the funny name her comment fantastic personality and PASSIONATE about her job and knowledgeable as well. Fantastic walk. Helps if you are used to a few steep climbs.</p>

Me and my girlfriend book the trip through the Viator. We met with our guide Sara and the driver at our hotel for pick-up. They were on time and the bus was a newer model and the driver drove careful and ecofriendly. We were dropped off at the plateau at approximately 1300 meters above sea level and we started our walk that would last approximately 13 kilometers. The weather was rather chilly and a lot of clouds covered the valleys. Well it is the nature and no one can decide that in advance ;) We talked a lot about the nature the walks and also about the life of a guide in Madeira. The trail is easy and I would not categorize the trail difficult or even moderate but of course we are not 70 years old either... a lot of stair walks but the trail is in fairly good condition.

Hiking made very pleasant thanks to Sarah, our guide, passionate and in love with her island. It felt when she talked about it. The route allows to glimpse all the diversity of this island and its particularities. Thanks to sarah.

Très beau, la guide donnait des explications très intéressantes. À l'arrivée, il n'y avait malheureusement pas de brouillard.

Never before have I seen such forests, it was unique! Thanks to Sara, the best ranger ever. Not only did she guide us perfectly as a group, but she was also able to impart her immense knowledge of flora and fauna in various languages. Our highlight in Madeira!

Gebucht haben wir die Fanal Wanderung… bekommen haben wir ein Paradebeispiel an „Geld ist wichtiger als die Sicherheit der Kunden“. Nachdem wir fast eine Stunde auf unsere Abholung warten mussten, wurde uns erst im Auto mitgeteilt, dass die gebuchte Tour aufgrund der Wetterbedingungen nicht möglich sein wird. Auch die alternative Route war bei einer Sichtweite von weniger als 5 Metern und strömendem Regen eine Zumutung (Wir hätten 80 € dafür bezahlt, im strömenden Regen im Nebel über rutschige Steine zu laufen.) Die Aussage des Guides „so ist halt Madeira“ war offensichtlich auch nicht hilfreich. Bei anderen Anbietern wurde uns 24 Stunden vorher genauere Informationen zur Tour, alternativen Routen und dem Wetter geschickt. Oder die Option gegeben, die Tour abzusagen, wenn sich die Route geändert hat oder es aufgrund des Wetters nicht 100 % gewährleistet werden konnte. Wir verstehen nicht, wieso der Anbieter dies nicht auch getan hat. Wir werden nie wieder bei Lido Tours buchen, die Organisation war von Anfang bis Ende eine Katastrophe und eine Sicherheitsgefährdung.

Die dargestellten Bilder in der Anzeige irritieren etwas, da der Teil der Wanderung, der durch den eigentlichen Lorbeerwald führt doch eher klein ist. Der PR13, den man geht, verläuft überwiegend durch hohes Ginster-Gebüsch aus dem man auch nur selten mal einen schönen Ausblick hatte. Ich hätte mir gewünscht, dass die Wanderung abwechslungsreicher gewesen wäre und mehr durch offenes Gelände der Hochebene verlaufen wäre. Möglicherweise ist es bei Wind und Nebel auch so ganz gut, weil geschützt, wir hatten aber strahlenden Sonnenschein und die Mystik der Landschaft kam nicht so zum Tragen. Die Rückfahrt durch den Norden der Insel war landschaftlich toll!

Très belle randonnée dans la forêt laurisilvienne de Madère. 11km de marche mais plutôt facile ! La guide était passionnante ! Nous étions un groupe de 16 personnes, plutôt calme!