Go East Tour - Madeira Island Excursion

What a brilliant day trip - really good way to see the East of the island. The bus was comfortable and guide was knowledgeable. Would really recommend to others

This is the second tour we have enjoyed with Hugo. He is an excellent guide and we will ask for him again when we next visit Madeira. He speaks excellent English and has a great sense of humour. Please pass him our thanks

We found communication poor. We arrived on a cruise ship and had received A email stating that the port charges a fee of $10 to drive in and pick people up. I needed to send an email asking them for clarification. It was not per person. It was per three people.? Then the day before the trip, I was sent an email saying that pick up from the port would be at 9 AM and drop off at the end of the tour would be 5 PM. So the morning of the tour, we got down there a little bit early so that we could catch our ride. It was very busy tons of companies were coming and going picking people up taking to them to their various tours, but ours never came eventually we were pretty much out there by ourselves. There was one other couple that we started talking to. They were on the same tour as us and in talking to them apparently they had no communication and had actually had to phone from the ship the day before to ask when pick up was they were till 915 so after 9:15 I called them to see if and when we were being picked up. I was told the driver was there somewhere and we needed to look for him. We did eventually find him. It was kind of weird cause there wasn’t that many people left in the port so I don’t know why I couldn’t find us. Anyway, the tour guide ended up being really good aside from the fact that the conditioning stopped working about halfway through the day, and the van was unbelievably hot. Everyone was complaining eventually when the driver stopped for length of time he opened up all the doors and windows to let an arrow a little bit which helped somewhat. At the end of the day we were dropped off at 5:30. We had plans that day on the ship that we did not make because tour went longer, and we were not informed that it would go longer. This concern me a great deal because we were booked on a tour the next day with the same company only our cruise ship was leaving at 4:30 we could not miss that window. To top it off I received an email saying that our tour the next day we would be picked up at 9 AM and dropped off at 5 PM 5 PM would’ve caused us to miss our boat so I contacted the office and the fact that they were just not not really caring about how concerned I was they said that they would deliver me back by 4:30 and plenty of time to get on the ship. However, the paperwork I got did not say 430 it’s at 5 o’clock. I told them I did not feel comfortable as the first day did not prove to me that they were very good at keeping time we chose not to go on our second day tour because we were that concerned We talked to a lot of people on the ship after the tour and they had all taken other companies and had wonderful tours had come in and picked up on time dropped off on time and had no problems at all with their vehicle. My suggestion to you would be use any other company besides happy tours Enjoy the island it’s beautiful.

Great viewpoints and beautiful towns. Small group excursion with friendly and knowledgeable tour-guide and driver.

This was an excellent whole day tour. Our guide and driver, Tino, took us to a range of places to the East of the island of Madeira. He gave us a lot of very useful and interesting information about the places we visited and allowed adequate time to fully appreciate each stop. It was a whole day of 7 hours but did not feel at all like it. Overall very enjoyable and highly impressed by the organisation.

Amazing experience tony dealt with us and we booked east tour for my birthday and a hire car it was a lovely surprise when he came down the next day to wish me happy birthday it was such a nice gesture and it meant so much. The tour it said was brilliant a lovely aircon bus our driver (sorry cannot remember his name) was very informative during our travels and explained each stop off nothing was complicated and we had a very enjoyable day. The car was ok but don't hire a Fiat panda it cannot cope with the hills. I would highly recommend

A great trip, very informative but never rushed. Plenty of opportunities for great photos. A lovely bus with usb charger ports

Excellent day out Great value for money We were taken to many view points all were great Our driver Louis was exceptional very friendly and helpful

We had 3 tours: east, west and the num valley. The drivers/guides were great! Excellent drivers and full of knowledge

We had Luis as our driver & rep. Very knowledgeable, incredible sights. Beautiful places visited. Highly recommend.

We were last pick up with luis so couldn’t sit together. I sat at front ( suits me as can get car sick on winding roads) hubby sat right at back. Lots of sightseeing stops. Fab fun trip with Luis . Luis friendly always ready to answer questions. Very good driver and willing to stop for photos. Mini bus was spacious and good for taking pics. We really had great time thank you so much.

Fantastic way to see the East side of the Island. Fantastic tour guide, great communication, he had vast knowledge of the island it was a great day. Highly recommend - thank you!

Our tour guide Hugo D Boss was excellent… …..the tour was well spaced out during the day with enough time for sightseeing….

The tour was great, we visited so many interesting places. Thanks to the driver/guide Hugo, who was very knowledgeable, interesting and funny, we learn a lot about Madeira Island, and had an excellent experience. Thanks you!

The Go East Tour was the best of the 3 tours we did with Happy Tours. We also did Go West and a Levada walk as well. All 3 tours were excellent. We had a different driver for each tour and they were all superb at their jobs. Great English and great sense of humour. All the tours give a great way of seeing the island and the pace is great with numerous stops. Couldn’t fault any of our experiences and would thoroughly recommend Happy Tours to anyone thinking of taking tours in Madeira

We are totally delighted with Happy Tours. We were recommended them by my sister as she had found them so easy to deal with and friendly. We booked two mini bus tours with them one to the east and west of the island and two walks. It was very easy to book online and they were very quick at getting back to us with the confirmations and Tickets. Both of the minibus tours (the west and east Island tours ) were very informative and interesting with just about the right number of stops and the right lengths of time at each. We were taken to places we would not have seen if we had hired a car and done it by ourselves and told things that only local Madeiran people would know. Louis Senior and Louis Junior were both excellent guides and drivers on the two mini bus tours we did. They made the tours interesting and funny. We did a guided walk with Happy Tours today, the levada do Alecrim walk and found Bruno a really lovely guide showing the right amount of concern for the slower clients and allowing the quicker ones to go on ahead when there was no likelihood of them getting lost. The final thing to mention was that all three were excellent drivers and we felt completely safe being driven by them. They drove at an appropriate speed and were ultra careful on the steeper mountain slopes with hairpin bends. We have one more walk booked with them which we're looking forward to and I would not hesitate to recommend them highly.

We had a great tour of the East with Louis who was very knowledgeable about the island having been born here. It was very windy and cold at Pico do Arieiro so take a wind proof jacket if you have one. This is our first time to Madeira, so much to see and do so don’t stay in your hotel, get out and about. The island just keeps on giving!!

Our second tour with Hugo he shares a lot of knowledge regarding Madeira’s history and plants and fauna. We learnt a lot and enjoyed the views. The lunch stop timing was perfect. We had a nice meal and still time to see the village. I would happily recommend this tour company.

Enjoyed two trips with Madeira Happy Tours. Go East and Go West. Hugo was our driver for both trips and he was a fabulous guide. Very friendly and informative. Comfortable minibus with a small group. Loved all the locations, despite the weather. Happy to recommend and we would definitely book with Madeira Happy Tours if we return to Madeira Island. Thank you.

We had a fantastic day exploring Madeira. Everything was well organized, the places we visited were absolutely beautiful, and the whole trip felt relaxing and enjoyable. The views were breathtaking, and we got to see so many special spots around the island in just one day. It was a memorable experience and a great way to discover the beauty of Madeira. I definitely recommend this day trip to anyone visiting the island!

Our second tour, in much better weather - except in the very furthest eastern tip of the island where it was windy. Another good guide, all English tour and gave us an overview of the other side of the island which is completely different to the west - worth doing both to see the contrast

Very well organised and well timed tour seeing very varied highlights on the North and start of Madeira. Tour guide/driver was friendly, and knowledgeable and kept the trip relaxed and informative.

Very well organized day tour with Hugo, who was very experienced person and he detailed interesting facts in a very good style. Kept up time throughout the trip and was prompt in picking up from the Hotel as promised. Certainly would recommend this trip to people staying in Funchal.

Very professional very helpful and has alot of knowledge of the island very nice tour

We had a lovely tour with Luis. The tour covers a lot of places. Probably the lunch stop was too long, as there wasn’t too much else to do in Santana. We had perfect weather and the vehicle was good.

Great trip with the very engaging, professional and informative Luis as our guide! Comfortable mini bus and a well-paced tour. A lovely, good-humoured and interesting day. Would recommend.

Really good tour to see the East part of Maderia. The guide/ driver Luis was very knowledgeable and helpful. The seanary was amazing. Definitely worth going on if you don't want to drive.

Our driver and guide Luis is very knowledgeable and kept us entertained. He is very good as a driver as well. Really recommend this tour!

We had a wonderful time on our Happy Tour - our driver and guide was incredibly friendly and charismatic. He made us smile and really added to the experience, providing lots of information about Madeira and the sites we were witnessing along the way. The tour took in various places including the highest point (Pico do Arieiro), Santana, Machico and the Caniçal viewpoint. Unfortunately, on our tour, it was incredibly foggy so you couldn't see anything from Pico do Arierio. The only minor criticism was the amount of time allotted to each stop; we felt quite rushed around Machico, as we had the same amount of time there as we had at single view points. Our time at Santana was also swallowed up by slow service in a restaurant, but this was not the fault of the tour company. We enjoyed the experience so much (even our 6 year old) that we booked a second tour during our visit. It was a wonderful way of exploring the island and seeing lots of areas without having to navigate along the somewhat scary roads ourselves. Pick up was from the hotel entrance and he arrived on time, which also helped get us off to a confident start. Rather than a large coach, the tour takes place on a smaller airconditioned minibus. This was spacious enough whilst not feeling like too large a group to spend the day with.

A wonderful full day tour of the East side of Madeira. Our guide was Luis, a knowledgeable guy who was full of amusing stories and historical facts about the magical island of Madeira. The scenery is incredible and Luis’s passion for the island and its people made the day even more memorable. Many thanks.

We did two tours and were lucky to have Luis as our guide on both tours. He wa informative and entertaining and, we would recommend a tour with you guys to anyone. If we come to Madeira again I know who we would book a tour with. Thanks for helping us create some amazing memories.

Great from beginning to end. We went to places we had been before but also some new places. Luis our guide was so informative. We went to Pico Areiro, the coast and Sao Lourenco. A great day and comfortable minibus.

Safari Madeira introduced us to Pedro, our guide for the East Island Tour. And we weren’t left disappointed. He was lively and engaging but yet maintained a professional approach throughout the tour. Pedro was full of local knowledge and lore pointing out the many attractions this tour holds. He arranged a fantastic lunch for our group in the middle of the day. Highly recommend.

Excellent trip with “Happy Tours”. Our guide/driver was great, very knowledgeable, informative and amusing. One thing that I would say to anyone wanting to explore Madeira is, please, please go on an organised tour, or take a bus. The traffic at all the main viewpoints and places of interest is horrendous. The car parks are full by 7:30am, and then people just park illegally anywhere they can abandon their hire car. It is chaos (and not even summer yet).

Good commentary by driver, good route with interesting views and experiences. Clean and safe vehicle. Plenty of opportunities for photography at amazing scenery. Good driver/customer interaction. We liked our trip very much. Unfortunately the weather curtailed some of the required destinations, but the driver did his best to compensate with other stops.

My wife & I used Happy Tours Madeira for the west & east Tours of Madeira. The west tour was superb with excellent commentary from the driver in equal amounts of French & English. Unfortunately thesame cannot be said for Louis on the east tour. There were more French speaking visitors on the tour & it became evident very early on in the tour that they would receive preferential treatment regarding information in French. On several occasions he spoke in French for a couple of minutes but did not impart that information in English. He admitted that on a previous tour it was reversed with more English commentary than French because more English speakers on the tour. He apologised twice for speaking more French than English. I assume that we both paid 40 euros each & were entitled to the same service. Sadly not the case with us. I complained to the manager of Happy Tours Madeira, however despite this he sided with the driver. I don't think he asked him if he admitted that he had made an error of judgement regarding the biased French commentary. Be very careful if you're considering booking a tour with Happy Tours Madeira.

We have had two tours so far with Happy Tours and two more to go! On both tours (East and Sunday Market) we have been lucky to have had Luis (Junior) as our guide. Friendly, funny and knowledgeable with excellent customer service skills made the excursions a delight. Thanks Luis! Hope to see you again.

Excellent program, enjoy every moment , perfect guide ! thanks a lot for organization and guidance through East Coast Madeira .We explored wonderful places

I want to thank you for your services and support thought our holiday. Thank you also that you make it possible for Luis senior to be our guide for all trips. We have only words of gratitude and kindness for him. He was very professional with a lot of information and good recommendations and advice. Wish you all all the best

Thoroughly enjoyed our tour of the east. We did another Happy Tours tour a few years ago and we're a little underwhelmed (the guide just didn't seem at all engaged) so we're a little unsure whether to book this one or not... Anyway, we were looking for a day out and fancied seeing the traditional houses in Santana so took the plunge! Our guide Hugo was engaging and knowledgeable. The viewpoint at the Pico do Arieiro was just breathtaking and probably the highlight of the trip. The full day tour was well filled (didn't feel we were just hanging around for long periods) and the minibus smooth and comfortable. Would definitely recommend!

Louis, our guide/driver, was excellent! His knowledge of Madeira is second to none and he took us to places he thought we would love (we did), not just the tourist spots. Because the tours are in small vans/minibuses they can access areas the big coaches can’t and really personalise the itinerary to suit your requirements. Also, great value for money - a third of the price of the tours offered on our cruise ship.

We used Happy tours for the second time after going on the go west tour from a family recommendation and will definitely be passing the recommendation on! Insightful, helpful tour guides (ours today was Hugo) and great views of the whole island, will definitely be using again next time me and my fiance are back on the island.

Another fantastic tour with Madeira Happy Tours - great day out and really good value. Would not hesitate to recommend - our third trip with them this year

Our Go East Tour with Tino was amazing. He was so knowledgeable and brought us to all the best things to see on the east side of Madeira. The sights were incredible! From peaks, to oceans to beaches it was so beautiful. I felt he was a great driver and felt safe the entire time. Make sure you get the right guide as it makes all the difference!

Great tour of East section of island. Knowledgeable friendly guide, plenty of time at each stop to see the main sights. Would recommend for first time visitors to Madeira.

Just a quick note to say how much I enjoyed both tour's (East & Sunday market) whilst in Madeira. Luis(junior) was so informative, friendly and knowledgeable about the island. I felt so comfortable throughout both tours and would urge people to consider happy tours whilst in Madeira. Luis's (junior) tours really were a highlight of our holidays, please do pass on our thanks to him. We will return to the island in future years and head straight to Happy Tours office. Thankyou.

Booking was easy and the instructions we received for meeting up were very clear. The trip was great, comfortable minibus and a very friendly and knowledgeable guide. We fitted a lot in but it never seemed rushed. A highlight was Pico do Areeiro, the views above the clouds were spectacular. If we return to Madeira we will certainly use Madeira Happy Tours again to see more of the Island.

We booked this trip online from home. These are small groups max 8. We were last picked up at the office so seated separately at first I thought that this might ve a problem but it wasn't. Nico our driver was excellent both in his commentary and his driving. We enjoyed all the stops but especially "On top of the World"

We had a fabulous tour east. Our driver collected us as arranged and drove with great expertise along the often narrow roads. He was very informative,not only about the places where we stopped, but also about nature and lifestyles along the way. He allowed plenty of time at stopping points and was always ready to answer questions.