Exploring the Best of Madeira’s West in January

On our short January trip to Madeira we were keen to discover more of the island than just our base in Funchal. After all, Madeira is known for its spectacular landscapes and rugged coastline, with views to rival Hawaii. I thought Mr Fletche deserved a break from driving so we booked a “Best of Madeira’s West” tour through Get Your Guide.

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The Best Of The West with Lido Tours

Our driver and guide Bruno picks us up at a spot 10 minutes walk from our hotel in downtown Funchal. I don’t blame him not wanting to navigate the narrow maze of streets. With an 8:25am pick-up time, we don’t get chance to have a hotel breakfast so we grab a coffee and pastry on the way. There are another couple of pick-ups from the Lido area of Funchal, and then we’re properly on our way. Bruno is keen to be early visitors at our first stop.

Cabo Girão Skywalk

That first stop is Cabo Girao Skywalk, Europe’s highest cliff skywalk. It’s located just 20km outside of Funchal; up and up and up we go in our little minibus. Bruno’s plan to get us here early pays off. We’re the only vehicle in the car park, and – along with two of our tour group buddies – we’re first to take a deep breath and edge out onto the glass platform, 580m above sea level. Actually that’s a lie. I charge onto it like a baby elephant.

Terraced farmland and the Atlantic stretch out before us, although it’s a little hard to make out the sea from the sky thanks to the drizzle.

If you want to visit the Cabo Girão Skywalk independently its possible by car or by public transport. The road is well-paved and well-signposted, and there’s a large free parking area but I can imagine it fills up quickly at peak times. Bus No 7 runs from Funchal to Câmara de Lobos, with a stop close to the entrance.

You don’t need to spend a lot of time here, 15-20 minutes will suffice. I definitely recommend getting to Cabo Girão Skywalk as early as possible though; the turnstiles open at 8am. Admission is €5; tickets can be purchased at a machine and the code on the ticket is scanned as the turnstile.

There are a few facilities available near the entrance; a cafe, souvenir shop and toilet (50c), which was fiercely guarded by a cat.

Ribeira Brava and Paul de Serra

From Cabo Girão Skywalk we continue along the coast to Ribeira Brava. We have about 30 minutes to wander around this sleepy coastal town. There’s not much “Wild River” about Ribeira Brava, despite the exciting translation of its name. There’s not too much to see here; the star attraction is the pretty Church of São Bento. However there are free public toilets here if you don’t want to run the gauntlet of the toilet cat at Cabo Girão.

Bruno turns the minibus north, through Canhas to the Paul da Serra plateau. The tour blurb promises us spectacular views from this wild and untamed plateau sitting roughly 1500m above sea level. Instead, what we have is thick fog. Bruno can barely see five foot in front of the vehicle. Mr Fletche thinks he can make out a wild cow at the side of the road but as no one else spots it I think he may be hallucinating.

Usually there would be a stop up here on the plateau, but in fear of losing more guests – one of our tour companions took a tumble at Ribeira Brava and has returned to Funchal by taxi – Bruno takes the decision to describe what we would normally see and drive on north. We emerge from the blanket of fog into sunshine, and beautiful views of our next port of call – Porto Moniz.

Nature’s swimming pools at Porto Moniz

Porto Moniz is around 60km west of Funchal and is famous for its natural volcanic rock swimming pools. Optimistically the tour blurb had suggested bringing our swimming costumes, however it’s clear that today, nature has other ideas. With the Atlantic dramatically crashing over the side of the pools, no-one’s swimming here today. The waves are strangely hypnotic though, and we could easily spend our time here simply watching, with the occasional sea spray flying up into our faces. But it’s lunchtime, so instead we take a short walk and then settle down on the terrace at Conchinha for a seafood salad and a glass of wine.

It’s possible to get the bus from Funchal to Porto Moniz. Routes 139 and 80 both leave from the bus terminal on Avenida do Mar, and tickets are cheap but the journey will take between 3 to 3 and a half hours. Doesn’t sound ideal for a day trip. If you have access to a hire car, it’ll take about 50 minutes using Madeira’s network of road tunnels through the mountains. We saw plenty of parking in Porto Moniz itself.

There are actually two sets of natural pools in Porto Moniz. The first – Piscinas Naturais do Porto Moniz – has a solarium and swimming area, changing rooms and sun loungers. It’s monitored by lifeguards, and in the case of breezy weather – like on our visit – admission is restricted. The entrance fee is €3 for adults. A little further along the coast, near the Aquarium are the Piscinas do Aquário, a more natural swimming area preferred by locals. These ones are free to enter, but they lack facilities and are a little more “enter-at-your-own-risk”.

São Vicente

Before our final port of call there’s a quick photo stop at Seixal, where we’re greeted with the Véu da Noiva waterfall crashing down onto black sand beaches. We continue on to São Vicente, a small village on the north coast surrounded by lush mountains covered in laurel forests. We just have time for a quick poncha at Porto de Abrigo – a charming bar set in a centuries-old stone building – before boarding the minibus back to Funchal.

Returning to Funchal

It’s the day of the Funchal Marathon, which means multiple road closures through the city. It’s slow-going on the final leg of the drive back; Bruno drops us off at the Plaza shopping centre, which is handily close to Mercearia Dona Mécia for a post tour debrief. Which is where I find that I have left my favourite Punks and Chancers woolly hat on the bus.

We can add it to list of headwear we’ve misplaced on tour, including my pink baseball cap, lost in Death Valley, and Mr Fletche’s hat, left at a cafe-bar in Amsterdam. Not to mention Pa Lee’s cap, accidentally screwed up in fish and chip papers in a bin outside Crewe Alexandra FC. With another Lido Tours trip booked for the following day, we keep our fingers crossed that it may make a reappearance.

Our Tour Details:

This Best of the West Tour with Lido Tours was a full day trip, from 8:30am until 5pm, and cost €38pp. It’s a popular tour so I recommend booking well in advance in peak season.

One of the best things about taking a tour like this is that all the logistics are taken care of, plus you get the benefit of an experienced guide and driver. I thoroughly recommend the Best of Madeira’s West tour if you’re making a short visit to the region. And keep an eye out for a guide called Bruno wearing a cobalt blue beanie.

I try my hardest to keep the information in this travel guide up to date; however if you notice anything has changed please let me know! Happy travels, Emmalene