What To Expect

What‘s Included

Reviews

• I have been to the island...

  Fatima F,,Dec 28, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  1.00

  I have been to the island of Madeira before and have done a number of excursions but I have never experienced anything like this. I would like to caution anyone wishing to do this excursion to check all the facts and the itinerary and make sure that the restaurant recommendations made by this tour guide meet your expectations and most importantly if they are open and their kitchen operating otherwise you will go hungry and thirsty just as we did. Also beware of the driver as he was speeding a lot of the time and took the corners on the windy roads very sharply, tossing us from side to side in the vehicle and he braked sharply often as he was most times to close to the vehicle in from if him. We had an oversell terrible experience and would most certainly not rate this excursion at all. The tour is advertised as “Pico do Arieiro” sunrise, 25 Fontes levada walk and Fanal with a 6am pickup from our hotel/accommodation. On the morning of the excursion I received a WhatsApp message at 5:50am saying that we would be picked up at 7am. This was very annoying as surely the change in pickup time could have been communicated to me the day before. As a tour guide taking us on a “levada walk”, it was rather disturbing to see him arrive in “white suede sneakers”, and then my son had to assist the guide (which there is morning wrong with providing some assistance to a fellow hiker, but not when it is to avoid getting white sneakers dirty). Who as a tour guide who is meant to know the conditions of the levada walks during this period wears white suede sneakers on the hike? Also, it was advertised that we would be provided with headlamps, (which was thankfully not needed as we didn’t go through any dark tunnels etc) as well as hiking poles, which would have been a help when navigating some of the deeper muddy puddles and we were balancing on the edge of the levada, but these were not provided at all, they were not even offered to us before we started the hike, so this constitutes false advertising. Secondly, while lunch is not included in the tour price, it was stated at the start of the excursion that we would have a breakfast stop after we watched the sunrise at Pico do Areiro, which we could not see due to the weather, which we fully understand as weather is unpredictable and it is out of the tour operators control, but when we arrived at Pico do Areiro and we stopped and as we got out, I, as the person who booked the tour made the decision that myself and my family would most certainly not be walking to the top of the peak in the cold rainy condition, the tour guide Filipe seemed a bit shocked that I made that decision, but if we did walk in those conditions we would most definitely all be sitting with colds or flu today as it was raining quite hard and very cold and windy. He then said, shivering in the cold as he was not dressed for the weather conditions, that since we did not do the walk up to the top of Pico do Areiro, we would stop at Cabo Girao, which was agreed upon. It was initially said that we would stop for breakfast at “Lugar de Baixo”, after the sunrise walk, but this did not happen, and I am not sure why not as nothing was said to us about that. The stop at Cabo Girão was a lovely stop and we are very happy we did that and even happier that we had a bite to eat there, for if we had not eaten there, we would have gone the whole day without eating as the place that was suggested for lunch was closed when we arrived there. This was very disappointing as the original plan and part of the tour guides itinerary to us was to stop in Porto Moniz, but on the recommendation of the tour guide Filipe, we went to a restaurant in Faja dos Padres. We finished our levada walk around 13:40, and he said then that he would call the restaurant to tell them he was going to take us there. From Rabaçal and the levada walk we still stopped at Fanal, which was part of the tour, where we decided not to spend too much time so we could make lunch. It was now close to 2:30 and we were all very hungry as we had last eaten anything at around 8:30 in the morning at Cabo Girão, and had done a close to 3 hour hike. We arrived at Faja dos Padres at about 3:15 and and we went down in the cable car, the only way to get down to the village and restaurante, (which was a nice scenic experience) and arrived at the bottom of the little village at around 3:30 and started making our way to the restaurant, which was still a little walk away from where we stopped and got out of the cable car. We made our way to the restaurant where upon our arrival my daughter asked for a menu only to be told by the waitress that the restaurant kitchen had closed 15 minutes before, at 3:30, but we could have a drink, which we did as we were thirsty as well as hungry. Surely the tour guide should have known their operating hours if he is an experienced guide, and made the recommendation for us to have lunch (at our own cost of course as it was not included in the tour price, which we were fully aware of). This clearly also indicated to us that he had not called ahead as he said he would to advise them we were going to be stopping there for lunch, so he took us there under false pretenses. If he is a genuine and experienced guide he should be more clued up on the restaurant times and operating hours, for if he was he would have known to either advise them of our arrival as he said he would or taken us to another restaurant that was open for service. After he walked us to the restaurant, he went back to the vehicle, and I messaged him to say he and the driver must not go far as we could not have lunch as the kitchen was closed, to which he replied that if we still wanted to stop for lunch he would recommend a restaurant for us. I declined this offer for at this stage we were all very hungry and extremely frustrated that we could not get a meal so I said to him to please just bring us back to our accommodation in Funchal, as at this stage we had also all had enough of and could not tolerate the drivers incessant and nauseating cough, which started the minute we got into the vehicle and continued throughout the entire trip, and we had had enough of that too. The coughing was so bad at times making it even impossible for us to hear what the tour guide was saying to us. The driver also smoked and every time we came back to the vehicle when we stopped, there was an overwhelmingly strong cigarette smoke smell in the vehicle and then the coughing would be even worse. Beware of this tour and check all facts before going on it.

• Extremely disappointing experience,

  Marco F,,Dec 27, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  1.00

  Although the excursion is highly rated it was anything but that. I write this a tale of caution to all who want to use this service. We wanted to take my brother in law on an excursion to experience some of the beauty the island has to offer as it was his first time visiting Madeira. The reviews and ratings of this excursion operated by Peak2peak adventures, who portray themselves as professional tour operators, only to find out it’s a glorified taxi service and not a good one either. The tour is advertised to start at 6am in order to reach Pico do Arieiro for the sunrise. Only to be informed the morning of the excursion that we will be fetched at 7 am and not 6. Which is understandable as the sun only rises around 8 am in winter but a bit more of a heads up would have been appreciated. Our guide Filipe and his driver only arrived at 7:30 am for the pick up. Anyway we made our way up to Pico do Arieiro for the sunrise only to be greeted by clouds and rain( that’s Mother Nature we understand and don’t hold Filipe aka peak2peak accountable for that). This is where it started going completely pear shaped. Filipe seemed shocked when we opted to skip hiking in the cold and rain and make our way to the next stop which was Cabo Girao viewpoint. The only enjoyable part of the excursion it’s got stunning views and for those that are brave enough to walk on the glass skywalk it’s an awesome experience. Only to return to the vehicle and be greeted by an overwhelming smell of cigarette smoke in the car as the driver was a heavy smoker with an ungodly and nauseating cough which was incessante and really took away from the beautiful scenery we were trying to take in. Our next stop was a levada walk at Rabaçal. We did PR 6.2 which is a slightly quieter trail compared to the popular 25 Fontes. Filipe who is meant to guide was not geared for a hike at all. Who hikes the lavadas in winter in suede sneakers?? The first 1 km all we heard was how bad of an idea it was to wear sneakers. You our guide you should’ve known better. Now I’m more than happy to offer a helping hand but when I have to take lead and help navigate the narrow wet pathways all cause you don’t want to ruin your shoes, that’s not cricket bud. The walk is about a 7km round trip and relatively flat. It took us about 3 hours to do and we ended the hike around 2 pm. So we were all getting rather hungry as we had last had an opportunity and a bite to eat around 8:30 am at Cabo Girao. The next stop on the trip was Fanal which we opted to make it a short stop as there was no where to get food there. Filipe suggested that instead of having a lunch in Port Moniz which was scheduled on the itinerary, he suggested we do a quick drive past Port Moniz and head to Faja dos Padres and have a nice lunch at the restaurant there as it is highly rated. Bear in mind it is almost 3pm. So under his advise we do that. We head down the cable car as that is the only way of accessing the small village. Only to find out the restaurant kitchen closes at 3:30pm and we arrived at the bottom of Faja dos Padres at 3:30pm. So you can imagine our disappointment and frustration as it has now been 6 hours since we had an opportunity to get food, snacks or drinks. This was the tipping point for us and we requested the excursion end and return to our accommodation. I’d like to add that on multiple occasions we caught Filipe out on lack of knowledge of the island and its history. This service is a scam and I would not recommend to any who want to explore Madeira.

• Sunrise tour at Pica do arieriro

  tikidesigns,,Sep 29, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  4.00

  Philip did a good job to take us up to the mountains but instead of 5.30 am it was 6.00 am so ask him before because I did not get the sent it on my phone be a wear of people that need to go up there it very dark and you have a had lamb but still wet some area on the walk way so be careful Overall it a good tour

• We had a wonderful day...

  Lisa P,,Sep 28, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  We had a wonderful day with our guide Filipe starting early to catch the sunrise at Pico do Areeiro which was a fantastic experience to see! After a lovely lunch we headed on to Fanal Forest and finished with our Levada walk. A full enjoyable day. I wanted to pack as much as I could into our 3 short days on the island and this tour really helped me check off a few things we wanted to do in one day. Filipe was an excellent driver and very knowledgeable about the island. We certainly enjoyed our day with him!

• 5 star

  johannbN9469BY,,Sep 7, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  The trip was amazing nice and relaxed we didn’t feel rushed make sure to bring a raincoat ! Our guide Felipe was great and taught us about the region

• Best tour in Madeira!!

  Pioneer66459589394,,Aug 29, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  We had an absolutely amazing experience with Filipe as our driver and guide! As two female travelers, we immediately felt safe, welcome, and well taken care of. Filipe was incredibly kind, professional, and knowledgeable, making our time in Madeira truly unforgettable. He picked us up at our hotel right on time for the sunrise hike at Pico do Areiro. Although the weather was not on our side when we reached the top, we still enjoyed the experience. One highlight was our visit to Fanal, unlike a "West Island tour" we booked for the following day where we only had barely 15 minutes to explore, Filipe gave us plenty of time to truly enjoy the beauty of the forest that we would never have been able to experience with any other tour. He also chose a fantastic levada walk after seeing the big tour groups visiting 25 Fonts. We were so impressed that we booked another tour with him a few days later to Pico do Arieiro for sunset, and it was absolutely breathtaking and weather was perfect, one of the best moments of our trip! We can’t recommend Filipe enough to all our family, friends, and anyone reading this. If we could give 100 stars, we would! Thank you, Filipe, for making our time in Madeira so special!!

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• A great day at three locations

  J3960ANkerryb,,Jul 17, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  We had a fantastic day visiting three amazing locations in one trip. Our guide picked us up from our hotel right on time and took us to Pico do Arieiro in time to get a great spot for the sunrise. He offered us two route options, which was helpful. The day was planned with flexibility. To avoid the crowds, we headed to Fanal next. The guide stayed in the car and let us take our time exploring. There was no pressure, and we really appreciated being able to enjoy the place at our own pace. For 25 Fontes, we were again given route choices. We picked a quieter path and followed our guide through the forest and levadas. We saw two waterfalls along the way. It was a warm day, so the hike was a little challenging but still very enjoyable. Our guide clearly cared about making sure we had an enjoyable and memorable experience. Thank you

• Amazing sunrise and Lavada walk

  Andrew F,,Jun 25, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  The sunrise and stairway walk were amazing, our guide was excellent and changed the itinerary to suit us. The Levada walk was a great experience and well worth the time

• We had a truly wonderful...

  Renata C,,Jun 21, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  We had a truly wonderful experience today with Viator on a private tour just for our family of three. Our driver and guide Filipe was absolutely fantastic! He was friendly, knowledgeable, and very professional throughout the entire day. Filipe made us feel comfortable from the start, shared so many interesting facts about each place we visited, and took the time to personalize the experience just for us. He stopped at the best spots for photos, was always patient, and created a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide or a more beautiful day. Thank you, Filipe for making this tour so special for our family! Highly recommended! — Renata and Constantin!

• This tour was a great way...

  Ashley A,,May 30, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  This tour was a great way to experience many different things on the island! Our guide was wonderful and even stopped off at a few extra spots for us to see some extra views!