Gallery Itinerary Prices Accommodation Activities Location

Overview

You’re only a short drive from the capital Funchal, but seven nights in Santana feels like a whole different island.

Madeira’s eastern seaboard is a tangle of jagged river valleys, wild cedar forests, and imposing sea cliffs. Where the islanders have managed to tame the land over the last 600 years, you’ll see villages surrounded by terraces of sugar cane and bananas, stretching from the valley floor up to the high ravines.

The island’s modern road network means it’s easy to explore by car – whether you’re heading into Funchal for a whale and dolphin watching, driving west into the Parque Natural do Ribeiro Frio, or cruising along the north coast road for lunch in Sao Vicente.

Your home for the week is the cliff-top Quinta do Furao – one of Madeira’s most-popular hotels thanks to its peaceful rural location and sweeping ocean views. The quinta is also a great base from which to walk Madeira’s best hiking trails – from the Levada do Rei and Caldeira Verde trails on the slopes of the Assumadouros hills, to the high mountain trail from Teixeira to Pico do Arieiro.

Gallery

Itinerary

Day 1

You’ll begin your holiday by flying direct from the UK to Madeira. You'll collect a hire car from the airport before driving to your accommodation in Santana.

Day 2

You could spend your first day exploring Santana – ride the Teleférico da Rocha do Navio cable car in the morning and visit the Parque Temático da Madeira in the afternoon.

Day 3

Drive up to one of the highest points on the island – the summit of Pico do Arieiro (at 1816m). Weather-permitting, you’ll have an amazing panoramic view across the whole island. You could spend the afternoon in the forest park at Ribeiro Frio; home to the miradouro at Balcões – a wonderful spot overlooking the Ribeira da Metade valley.

Day 4

You’ll spend today in Funchal, beginning the day with a ride on the Teleferico cable car up to the Monte Palace Tropical Gardens, return on a Carro de Cesto – the famous wicker toboggans which run down the steep streets back towards the centre of Funchal. In the afternoon, you’ll head to sea from the local marina on a whale and dolphin watching trip.

Day 5

You’ll walk one of the island's best trails today - the Caldeirao Verde Levada in the Queimadas Forest Park. Self-guided, with a group or privately with our resident guide – the choice is yours.

Day 6

Take a drive along Madeira’s beautiful north coast, to visit the Volcanism Centre in Sao Vicente and the famous seawater swimming pools in Porto Moniz.

Day 7

For your final full day, you might like to visit Madeira's historic first settlement Machico, the barren volcanic cliffs at Ponta de Sao Lourenco, and the Engenho do Norte in Porto da Cruz - home to one of the island’s few surviving rum distilleries

Day 8

You’ll return your hire car to the airport before flying home.

£1600 per person

We can create a tailor-made holiday to suit your budget.

INCLUDED: direct return flights from the UK, accommodation in a twin/double en-suite room on a B&B basis, car hire and a whale and dolphin watching trip.

Accommodation

Hotel Quinta do Furao

Activities

Whale Watching The seas around Madeira are the ideal destination for whale watching. The…
Self-guided Walking Madeira’s reputation as a walkers' paradise is well-earned, and the island is…

Location

Eastern Madeira Three of Madeira’s most important levadas pass through the protected Parque Natural…

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