Small Group West Tour Waterfalls & Fanal Forest Tour

Some interesting stops. Loved the volcanic pools and we had enough time to spend there, which was great.

Covered a lot of territory. Not too rushed. Informative guide.

Cristiano was such a lovely person to meet and hear about Madeira. He made us all feel very welcome and is flexible around Madeira’s changeable weather. Thank you for the great tour.

This was a great tour, very varied and interesting. Our Driver/Guide was excellent. He gave us so much interesting information about Madeira, its history and its flora. The ancient trees in Fanal were amazing and Porto Moniz is a great place to visit and watch the big waves and see the natural swimming pools.

A lovely trip across the island with many beautiful stops. Our guide was very friendly and gave us a lot of interesting information about the island, the food and the culture. I only wish we had a little bit more time at the Fanal forest stop. But other than that all the stops had the perfect amount of time for the place. Highly recommend if you don't have a car and/or are not sure where to go!

Our guide was Ricardo who is an experienced guide, spreading his knowledge about the places in both English and French. We had a great on this Madeira West Tour thanks to the perfect weather. The highlight for me was swimming in Porto Moniz and the Fanal Forest comes in at a strong second with a movie like landscape. Don't miss this tour when you're in Madeira!

We really enjoyed this tour and met lovely people along the way. A well scheduled trip along the West and North. Will be back as would love to spend a small bit more time in Fanal. So much to see and this trip covered as much as feasibly possible.

It was very knowledgable and very careful driver. We visited wonderful places and we had enough time to experience each of them.

Luis was such a good tour guide, so knowledgeable! Fantastic variety of activities, things to see, amazing viewpoints - loved the whole day and made everything go so quickly!

Oh my God, what an amazing experience. Top marks has to go to our guide Rui hope I have it right. This man went above and beyond describing everything explaining everything so patient. Well worth every euro, highly recommend. Oh n don't forget to tip it's not compulsory but when you have a legend like Riu (roy) it's a must x

An incredible tour in every respect. Huge thanks to Ricardo who’s superb driving, great timing of the day and ideal amount of interesting information complemented the beautiful locations perfectly. Recognition too for Madeira Island Tours for their excellent organisation and messaging which was particularly helpful. Outstanding value and thoroughly recommended.

This trip gives quite a comprehensive overview of the topography and the way in which Madeira has developed over time. The driver/guide was very informative with a touch of wit and humour.

We knew our pick up time and arrived on time. Our guide was early and unimpressed at waiting 2 minutes for us. Not a great start to the day. The mini bus was jam packed and leg room was minimal. Air conditioning seemed to be off by default and we had to request it be switched on multiple times throughout the day. Our guide pointed out places along the way but told us little else. No interesting facts, history, quirky things that happened there, etc. “On our right is where our electricity comes from”. Nothing else. The stops were plentiful and for about 20-30 minutes each. On one occasion our guide kept us waiting and was nearly 15 minutes late. No apology or explanation at all. Just carried on. Usually on these tours, the guide will wait in the minibus and keep the air conditioning on for our comfort. Not this one. He parked in the 27° sun and we roasted in the back. No water offered and no attempt to be friendly, chatty or generally a fun and interesting host. Overall - The stops were good, the views and roads were spectacular, the waterfalls were hardly a big feature (we saw one and then another briefly as we drove past). Lunch was lovely and we had a great group of fellow travellers to chat with. Our guide was disappointing, the toilets along the way were awful (bring your own tissues) and the bus was cramped and hot. I would not choose this company again.

We did this excursion towards the end of our time on Madeira, having previously done the East side tour and Nun's Valley amongst other activities on the island. There was a lot of variety in this tour with several different sights and experiences compared to the East side, we did feel the East side tour was more spectacular in terms of views and scenery, but the West side tour offered more variety, with the chance to explore an ancient forest and go for a swim amongst visits to seaside towns. We paid the extra fee to go onto the Cabo Girao Skywalk, and felt we could have done with a little more time here as there was not time to visit the shop or facilities. We chose to go into the Porto Moniz Natural Swimming Pools after lunch, but did not have a huge amount of time there, so felt this was also a bit rushed, although perhaps others on the tour did not want to do this option, so a fair compromise had to be found. We also ran out of time to properly explore the forest. As per our earlier tour, our driver and guide was Ricardo, who both drove very well and also gave us great information about what we could see from the van and the history of the area. I have given this tour one star less than the East coast as we felt that tour was slightly better, but this is still something that we highly recommend and a great way to experience more of what the island has to offer.

Fantastic day with Ricardo who was so full of facts about Madeira This is a full day back to back stops Wear comfy clothes and bring swim Gear

Great time had all round enjoyment from start to finish

Great value all day tour of the island. Luca our driver/tour guide was excellent in every way possible. Most enjoyable and informative trip. Luca has a great knowledge of the island. Many thanks.

What a day Our tour guide Christian was brilliant We visited from the south, west and North of the island, a whole day of non stop sites We set of from Funchal. Visited a fishing village a picturesque beach, winded though little roads learning history of the island and its produce. Travelled so high up into the trees to see some of the oldest trees on the island and an amazing viewpoint. Got to swim in lava pools with the sea smashing against the rocks. Went the highest cliff edge to walk along the glass floor viewpoint. Tasted Madeira wine. Stood next to a waterfall A full, fun packed day with a wonderfully knowledgeable guide definitely worth the money (Lava pools and viewpoint 5 euros per person)

Very good tour with a nice clean air-conditioned mini bus

We had a really great day exploring around the west/north west of the island with our guide, Bruno. While it was a long day, the stops were spaced out so it didn't feel like we were spending too much time travelling. For a family of four, it was great value for money.

Whilst the West tour is good, we personally preferred the East tour. We enjoyed the various stops and the information given by our guide Rui. Swimming in Porto Moniz was fun but we were unlucky with the weather when we visited the Fanal forest as it was wet and drizzly. Some of the stops could do with being a bit shorter and others longer.

Overall a great day out. Lovely to see so many places in one day. Stops were often short (15-20 mins) but give enough time to wander around and take some photos. I particularly liked the lava pools so in hindsight I would have skipped the sit down lunch so that we could have had more time in the pools. There are other lunch options in the area but we wanted to try the fish that was recommended by Luis. The restaurant experience was what knocked a point off as the food was a bit bland and the staff were quite abrupt. They clearly wanted us in and out quickly and even served one of the guests his main before he’d even finished his starter - they just plonked his plate on the table with no apology. It just didn’t feel very welcoming. So I’d recommend the tour without hesitation but maybe skip the restaurant lunch and go somewhere else.

Rui was our guide for the day .He was punctual , pleasant and a very safe driver . He gave us information about the areas visited , making our trip more meaningful . The times available at each spot were adequate and we didn't have to do the driving on those windy mountain roads . Special thanks for coming back to return our camera that had been left on the bus accidentally. Many thanks

Great day out covering the west of the island in a small group as promised. Well planned and wonderfully described by our patient tour guide Christian. Time for a swim in the natural pools and lunch, with plenty of drink and souvenir stops plus the waterfall and Cabo Girão viewpoint.

Excellent day out a great way to see the island the driver was very friendly and helpful and very knowledgeable The only let down the minibus was old and could do with changing

Chico was an excellent guide and let us decide how long we stayed places. He was very knowledgable and I felt like we fit so much into 1 day. The sights were incredible.

A very good way to explore the west side of Madeira without renting a car. Ricardo was a great guide - very knowledgeable and interesting. We stopped for just the right amount of time at each place. The longest stop was for 2 hours at the lava swimming pools. Would highly recommend.

A great way to explore the island; the driver was extremely informative...saw a lot of the island and did the sky walk too...what an experience that was!

Tour was excellent value. Covered all highlights on the North and West of Madeira. Luka our guide/driver was outstanding and a banana expert. Definitely recommend it. Porta Monitz is like Blackpool.

We had a lovely tour of the north-west part of the island taking many different sites, Lava Pools for swimming, Fanal Forest with the mists and cows, waterfalls, seaside port and Christ monument with spectacular views. Special mention goes to our wonderful guide, Luka, who was informative and friendly throughout.

What an amazing tour and such good value. Experienced so many sights during the day. Our guide, Luca, was a fountain of knowledge and good fun.

Our guide was great. He stopped at many different places where we could enjoy the best views the West side had to offer!

Good selection of locations, tour guide Luca was very knowledgeable and friendly An enjoyable day Shame wasn’t pre notified of pick up time, was almost hour later than expected

Great tour of the west of the island with all the major sights covered. Particularly enjoyed Porto Moniz; swimming in the outdoor rock pools was a real highlight and it’s a shame we couldn’t stay longer! Friendly and knowledgeable bus driver who was funny and didn’t make it feel rushed.

This was a fantastic day with 6 stops. Rui was our guide & was very knowledgeable about the island. 2 stops were in villages, 1 stop at the skywalk, 1 stop at Fanal- forest, 1 stop at the lava pool & 1 at a waterfall. Would highly recommend if you wanted a tour of the west & north Madeira.

Brilliant, very good value day trip! Rui the guide was full of fun facts and the stops were all a good length. All the stops were great, especially the natural pools and the forest. For £26pp it was amazing value and even included a small Madeira wine tasting! Would recommend!

Great day out with lots of variety! The tour guide was great and so knowledgeable! Saw lots of the island and helped us see a lot in a short visit

Where to start!? Firstly the vehicle was a Mercedes mini van that had 9 people in it including the driver/guide which was too many. It was advertised as air conditioned but in reality this consisted of the driver winding down the front 2 windows!! As for the stops they were all pretty underwhelming apart from the skywalk. In particular the "Forest" was red sand, rocks and some sparse low level bushes.....we were stuck for 40 minutes when 5 minutes would have been too long. Hopefully you want need to use the toilets in the 8 hours as to say they were basic would be kind, often there was no toilet seats, locks or paper! The driver tried hard but English was not his first language so he was often quite hard to understand particularly as he had no microphone and the open windows of the car meant the acoustics were poor. All in it was very long day and actually put me off Madeira when I had previously enjoyed my vacations here.

AMAZING tour with our guide, Rui, and well worth the cost! It was our first time in Madeira and this tour was a great way to learn more about the beautiful island. Rui was very knowledgeable about Madeira’s history, ecology, and culture, and threw in a few jokes here and there. The only thing I’d change is I wish we had more time to explore some of the towns we visited and an extra hour in the Porto Moniz Natural Pools, but I understand it’s already a long day.

It was really fun and we enjoyed so much

If you are interested to know about the island, then this is the tour. The guide shared all his knowledge about the island and many interesting facts about the island.

This was a great trip. Christian was an excellent guide. There were only 8 of us in the van. The van was small but comfortable even for tall people. We made many stops as shown on the itinerary. We got picked up around 9 am and were back around 6 pm. It was a long day but definitely worth it b

Our tour guide Rui was awesome, very accommodating, knowledgeable, funny, recommended to everyone who desired to go on the tour. Thank you very much❣️

It was really fun, the tour is really well made, you see all the important spots, and our guide was telling us fun facts about madeira. He was great and fun! I would absolutely reccommend it, especially if you are not renting a car!

Our guide Luca was excellent, we had a great trip with some fantastic views of the island as we travelled from south to north west. The Fanal Forest was busy, although once we set off walking it was easy to take pictures with not too many people around. The Atlantic pools at Porto Moniz were lovely with the sea colours showing the lovely turquoise as the waves came in were beautiful. A great day out and would recommend.

An enjoyable tour round the west side of the island. The guide gave us plenty of Information and we had adequate time at each place of interest. I would recommend this tour.

We booked this trip the day before the trip Communication was good the pick up and drop off perfect. Excellent safe driver who negotiates the steep climbs and twisting roads with ease. He was very informative, some fantastic scenery and places to enjoy it was a great way to sample the west coast of Madeira, I would recommend. My only negative it was cramped in the Renault van, it was full . I’m tall my wife is not so we managed but you’re not sat in it all day thankfully.

Excellent value for money tour. Tour guide was very knowledgable and friendly.

Pretty locations for the most part- however extremely limited information. No history- no advice on where to eat, what the areas are know for, even what stops are coming up or how long until the next stop. The fanal forest stop was extremely disappointing- for some reason we stopped at a dried up pond instead of the beautiful field we drove past 90 seconds earlier. Guide was very hard to hear and understand- at each stop everyone was trying to discern what was said because no one could understand the microphone + accent. Has the makings of a great tour with some adjustments. Bring a towel and bathing suit if you’re going to the natural pools.