Funchal: Jeep Tour Pico do Arieiro & Santana with Laurissilva Forest

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Free cancellation

1/42

Duration8h

GroupUp to 8

LanguagesEN · PT +3

PickupAt your hotel

A full-day Jeep ride through Madeira's mountains, forests and volcanic cliffs

You ride in a small Jeep from Funchal up to Pico do Arieiro's mountain views, walk through Laurissilva Forest and its trout nursery, visit Santana's thatched-roof village with a waterfall, then descend to the arid volcanic cliffs of Ponta de São Lourenço on the island's east tip. The route adjusts for weather, includes a small walk and optional swimming stop, and returns you to Funchal by late afternoon or early evening.

Step-by-step itinerary

Full-day Jeep tour around Madeira

Depart from Funchal to Pico do Arieiro
Pass by Monte and Poiso
Stop and walk at Pico do Arieiro
Visit trout nursery in Laurissilva Forest
Drive off-road through the forest
Stop at Faial village for sea views
Visit Santana village and thatched houses
Lunch at typical Santana restaurant
See waterfall in Santana village
Visit viewpoint with sea cliffs
Explore Porto da Cruz seafront promenade
Visit old sugar cane distillery
Explore Ponta de São Lourenço cliffs
Visit Jesus Christ statue near Funchal
Return to Funchal

The Experience

You've just landed in Funchal and the afternoon is yours. The Jeep picks you up and heads straight up—past Monte, through Poiso, climbing toward Pico do Arieiro at 1818 meters. The road narrows as you gain altitude, and the island starts to shrink below you. At the peak, the view opens across the whole of Madeira, and you stop long enough to walk a little and let it sink in. Weather shapes the day here; if clouds roll in, the driver knows the alternative routes and will pivot to chase clearer skies.

From the peak you drop into Ribeiro Frio and the Laurissilva Forest—a UNESCO-protected natural park where the air changes and the light filters green through ancient trees. There's a trout nursery here, and if the weather holds, you can walk the Levada water channels that cut through the forest like veins. The Jeep then takes an off-road path through the trees toward Santana village, where the houses have thatched roofs (Colmo) that look like something from another century. You stop to visit them, and there's a typical restaurant if you want lunch, plus a waterfall nearby that's worth the short walk. The village sits on the north coast, and from Faial below it, you can see Penha de Águia mountain and volcanic rock formations that drop straight to the sea.

The eastern side of the island—Ponta de São Lourenço—is where the landscape shifts. It's drier, more arid, with cliffs in reds and oranges and browns that you won't see anywhere else on Madeira. The colors come from the volcanic rock, and on a clear day you can see Porto Santo island in the distance. You stop at viewpoints where the cliffs drop away hard, and the scale of it hits different than the green mountains you started with. There's also a statue of Jesus Christ with views back toward Funchal and the beach at Garajau. The tour wraps with a drive back down to Funchal, and by then you've crossed the whole island—from wet forest to dry coast, from 1818 meters to sea level, in one day.

The Jeep itself is the point. You're not on a bus with forty people; the group stays small, and the driver knows the roads and the weather patterns. If conditions change, the route bends with it. If you want to swim and the weather's good, you stop. If someone needs to sit out a walk, that's fine too. It's flexible in a way that fixed itineraries can't be, and that flexibility is what makes a full-island day actually work in Madeira's changeable climate.

What’s included

Jeep transport from Funchal with a small group.
guided stops at Pico do Arieiro, Laurissilva Forest with Levada walk, Ribeiro Frio trout nursery, Santana village with thatched-roof houses and waterfall, Faial viewpoint, and Ponta de São Lourenço.
small walks at each stop.
swimming stop if weather permits.
flexible routing adjusted for weather and road conditions.
return transport to Funchal.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditions

Operated by Just Go Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see the whole island—mountains, forest, villages and volcanic cliffs—in one day without driving yourself or managing separate transport and timing. The Jeep's flexibility and small-group size are what make a full-island route fit into a single afternoon.