Madeira Island Travel Forum

Hello, I am arriving Funchal by cruise ship on 5May, 2006. I am looking for a company that specializes in day hikes; pick up and drop off at the pier in Funchal and would have to get me back before the ship sails away at 5p.

I have done a lot of searching online and it appears all organized hiking tours are more than 1 day long. I did see the "on your own" hiking tours on VT; I'm really looking for something a bit more organized with a tour leader.

Thanks in advance for your help.

We just returned from a cruise where we stopped in Funchal. It was a great city and we walked all over the town. Don't know anything about back country hikes, but just walking the town within close distance to the port is more than a good work out. The city is on the side of a mountain, a lot steeper than I thought it would be and spread up and down the coast in both directions from where you will dock.

If you dock early enough you can walk to the city center in about 20 minutes and I saw several travel and tour agencies right along the waterfront near the blimp (you know what I am talking about when you get there).

I dont know about organised tours, but it's really not hard to do a levada walk at your own! You can go there by public transport and everything is very clear! On the pier you have a lot of tourist offices (watch out for timeshare scams) where you can ask for information about the levadas!

Enjoy your stay, because it's a very beautiful place!