Santana Private Tour: Thatched Houses & Laurissilva Forest

★★★★★★★★★★ 5.00 (5 reviews)

Free cancellation

1/13

Duration5h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · PT +1

PickupAt your hotel

Five hours through Santana's hidden roads and mountain views

A 5-hour private guided tour of Santana on Madeira's eastern side, traveling old mountain roads through villages where traditional life still shapes the landscape. You'll see the Laurissilva protected forest, terraced agriculture, coastal viewpoints and the distinctive A-frame thatched houses Santana is known for, with a local guide in English, Portuguese or French and pickup from your Funchal hotel included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Eastern Madeira and Santana

Visit Laurissilva forest and trout farm
Pass by agricultural village with terraces
Stop at viewpoint over East coast
Explore Santana traditional houses and shops
Optional typical lunch in Santana
Visit unique scenic viewpoint
Pass through rural parish Porto da Cruz

The Experience

Five hours takes you through the eastern villages and valleys of Santana, following the old roads locals still use instead of the main routes. The guide shows you how tradition shapes daily life here—the way people farm, build and move through the landscape—as you travel through time in a single afternoon. You'll see the Laurissilva forest, a protected area where green dominates, then shift to coastal views over the northeast and the central mountains beyond.

The route includes several stops: a village built on agriculture with terraced fields that define the hillside; a viewpoint over the east coast; and Santana itself, the mandatory stop where the famous A-frame thatched houses line the streets. Many have been converted to shops selling local crafts and products, so you can see both the architecture and what people make here. A complementary viewpoint rounds out the tour with one of the island's most distinctive landscapes. The guide chooses between a Land Rover Discovery or an open-top UMM depending on availability and your preference, so you can decide how much of the air and the view you want during the drive.

Pickup from your Funchal hotel is included, and the guide speaks English, Portuguese or French. The tour suits groups up to six, though four is the recommended size for comfort in the vehicle. Lunch is not included, though Santana's shops and cafes offer local options if you want to eat during the stop there.

What’s included

Hotel pickup from Funchal.
local guide in English, Portuguese or French.
vehicle (Land Rover Discovery or open-top UMM).
stops at Laurissilva forest, terraced villages, coastal viewpoints and Santana's thatched-house district.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by alwaysmadeira4x4

Is this one for you?Book this if you're staying in Funchal and want to see Santana's traditional villages and mountain landscape without driving yourself—the private vehicle and local guide mean you move at one pace and stop where the stories are, not where the tour schedule demands.