Madeira Island Trike Tour: Nuns Valley & Waterfalls

You ride open-air through volcanic craters and mountain tunnels, not watching from a bus window.

A 3-hour private trike tour of Madeira Island with an accredited English-speaking guide, hotel pickup in Funchal, and customizable stops at Nuns Valley, Câmara de Lobos and coastal viewpoints. The tour climbs to 1,089 meters, passes through old tunnels and waterfalls, and includes helmets, jackets and free Madeira wine tasting. Your guide photographs the stops and sends the images after the tour.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Cabo Girão10m
2. Valley of the Nuns30m

Private 3-hour Madeira trike tour

• Guide picks you up at hotel or port
• Customize 3-hour private tour options
• Ride to Nuns Valley viewpoint
• Explore inside Nuns Valley crater
• Optional chestnut beer tasting
• Visit Cristo Statue viewpoint
• Stop at Câmara de Lobos fishing village
• Optional Poncha or Madeira wine tasting
• Drive past Glass Sky Walk and west coast
• Pass through old tunnels and mountain roads
• See waterfalls along the route
• Optional coffee stop at Madelena do Mar beach

The experience

Câmara de Lobos and the Nuns Valley are the anchors, but the route between them is what makes this different. You ride a three-seat trike, open on all sides, which means you feel the temperature shift as the guide climbs from sea level to 1,089 meters in about 45 minutes. The old mountain roads and tunnels are narrow enough that you notice the eucalyptus and pine. The micro-climates the operator mentions are real: the air changes as you gain altitude. Waterfalls appear along the coastal stretches, and the guide stops to photograph them and the viewpoints, sending the images to you free after the tour ends.

The Nuns Valley (Curral das Freiras) is a volcanic crater ringed by peaks, and you ride down into it rather than viewing it from above. If you drink beer, there's chestnut beer exclusive to the valley. If not, the free wine tasting happens time permitting on the way back. Câmara de Lobos, the fishing village where Winston Churchill painted, is a stop where you can order a Poncha (the local spirit-based drink) at your own cost, or stick with the included wine. The guide picks you up at your hotel or the port in Funchal and customizes the 3-hour route based on what you want to see that day: Nuns Valley, the Christ Statue viewpoint, the Glass Sky Walk, or the western coast past Ribeira Brava toward Ponta do Sol.

Children from age 4 can ride. Younger ones can sit in a pram or stroller. The travel time to and from each stop is built into the 3-hour duration, so the actual riding and stopping time is less. Helmets and jackets are provided. Any drink other than the included wine costs extra.

What’s included

• Helmets and jackets.
• free Madeira wine tasting.
• professional photographs taken throughout the tour and sent to you after it ends.
• hotel or port pickup in Funchal.
• English-speaking accredited guide.
• customizable route based on your preferences on the day.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 10:30

Book up to4h before

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.You can choose from 45 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by Adventure Trikes

Is this one for you?Three hours leaves room for another activity in Funchal the same day, but not enough for a second full excursion elsewhere on the island. Choose this if you want the open-air sensation and the flexibility to pick your stops on arrival, rather than a fixed itinerary.

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Top questions

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is the Nuns Valley and why do you ride into it instead of just viewing it?

Curral das Freiras (Nuns Valley) is a volcanic crater surrounded by steep peaks, and the trike descends into it on old mountain roads so you experience the crater from inside rather than from a distant viewpoint. The valley is also known for its chestnuts and a chestnut beer brewed locally.

Can I choose which stops to visit, or is the route fixed?

The 3-hour route is customizable. Your guide explains the options when he picks you up (Nuns Valley, the Christ Statue, Câmara de Lobos, the Glass Sky Walk, the western coast and waterfalls), and you decide on the day what you want to experience based on your interests and the time available.

What's included in the tour, and what costs extra?

Helmets, jackets, free Madeira wine tasting and professional photographs taken at each stop are included. Any other drinks (such as the local Poncha at Câmara de Lobos or chestnut beer in Nuns Valley) are at your own cost.

How does the trike ride feel different from a regular tour bus or car?

The trike is open on all sides with three seats, so you're exposed to the air, temperature changes and views from every angle as you climb the mountain roads and pass through tunnels. You experience the different micro-climates directly rather than through windows.

Is this tour suitable for young children?

Children age 4 and above can ride on the trike. Infants and very small children can travel in a pram or stroller, and the tour is suitable for all fitness levels.