West Of Madeira Island Tour

	Câmera de Lobos	Cabo Girão	Ribeira Brava
	Paul da Serra	Porto Moniz	Seixal
	São Vicente	Encumeada	Back to you hotel
	Book by email		West Tour Overview

Highlights of the West of Madeira Tour

We pick you up from your hotel reception and head westward to Câmara de Lobos, a traditional fishing village situated just 5 kilometres along the coast from Funchal.

At Câmara de Lobos we will drop you off and you will get 30 minutes to explore the village.

This village is famous for being a favourite of Sir Winston Churchill's. Perhaps Britain's greatest Prime Minister, Sir Winston liked to paint the quaint scene of the brightly painted wooden fishing boats bobbing on gentle waters of the harbour. You can find a plaque, on a terrace overlooking the bay from the east, commemorating Sir Winston Churchill's visits.

You can also visit the small chapel that is to be found in the narrow side streets that stretches back from the harbour front. Inside is a gilded alter and ornate wall paintings that denote the chapel's association with the fishing community.

Cabo Girão - Rising above the waves

Next, we drive just a short distance along to Cabo Girão, where we will stop for 20 minutes.

Here you can gaze out across the Atlantic Ocean from the vantage point of the highest sea cliff in Europe.

The sheer cliff at Cabo Girão rises to a height of 580 metres above sea level, so if you suffer from vertigo you will want to take your photos standing a little back from the edge.

Ribeira Brava - Nestling at the entrance of the central valley

Further on down the coast, we stop at Ribeira Brava for a 45 minute refreshment break.

This small village has several cafes where you can enjoy a cool drink and enjoy the sea view just along from the tower remains of the former fortress that once stood here.

You can also visit the impressive São Bento Church

The Paul da Serra plateau

Our next destination is the Paul da Serra plateau that spans out across the central Eastern part of Madeira at an altitude of some 1,500 metres.

Here you will enjoy some fabulous panoramic views of the mountains and green valleys that are part of Madeira's volcanic heritage.

The 30 minute stop at this large natural reserve park is just what you need to capture a few of those treasured views.

Lunch at Porto Moniz

Before you know it, we will be arriving in the ever-popular Porto Moniz for our 2 hour 30 minute lunch stop.

Porto Moniz, on the extreme tip of Madeira's north west coast, is the ideal place to stop for a lunch break. There is an assortment of restaurants and cafes and plenty to see besides.

After lunch, why not go for a stroll and view the natural, sea-water, volcanic pools. Or maybe visit the renovated São João Baptista Fort that houses the Madeira Aquarium.

And, if you feel up to an intellectual challenge, do not forget the nearby Living Science Centre, Centro de Ciência Viva.

The tour continues to Seixal

Continuing on your tour, we follow the route along the north coast.

As we make our way, you will see several waterfalls that the locals often refer to as the free car wash. Finally, we reach the most famous of them all. The bridal veil, near Seixal, which cascades down the sheer cliff face. It will be immediately obvious why it got its name.

We schedule a 20 minute stop here.

On to São Vicente

We now proceed along the north coast road to the village of São Vicente.

This village was once of immense importance as it stood at the northern end of the main south/north island route.

Today, São Vicente still retains some of its former glory and here you can visit the seventeenth century church.

Heading back to Funchal

Finally, we start to head back to Funchal but, of course, we take the scenic route.

Turning up to Encumeada, we climb over 1,000 metres to the fantastic viewpoint that is our last stop.

With good weather conditions, the Encumeada viewpoint allows you to see the both the south and north coast of Madeira Island from a single spot.

The panoramic view is incredible and from this point you can take the last souvenir photos as a closing memento of a wonderful day tour.

PLEASE NOTE:
All times and stops are dependent upon weather conditions and there being no over-riding events.