Travel
Information
Season:
January to December.
Access:
This
trip is offered on a land only basis. A number of
low cost airlines also fly from various UK airports to Funchal
but these flights are best booked direct with the
airlines. The first hotel is in Machico, about 20 minutes
drive from the airport.
End
of Tour: After breakfast on Day 8. The last hotel is
in Funchal, about 45 minutes drive from the airport.
Level of Difficulty
We
grade the tour as 'Moderate'.
As far as fitness goes the walks should present no
difficulties for anyone in reasonable condition and
accustomed to walking in hilly areas. On two walking days
which are spent in the high mountains (Days 5 and 6) you
may encounter mist (low cloud) and it is necessary for
those days to be experienced with compass and map.
Short sections of some walks may be loose and
slippery underfoot and a head for heights is an advantage on
quite a few occasions. On
any day you can if you prefer leave out the walking and
travel with the baggage.
Day
Stages: 12-16
km per day, with ascents of up to 800 metres, descents of
up to 1200 metres. 4
to 7 hours walking per day.
Waymarks:
Waymarking
is a bit patchy but you will be equipped with our detailed
walking notes and a contoured map of the island showing
paths and tracks. We strongly advise taking a compass and
being familiar with its use for simple navigation.
General information
Baths:
All
the accommodation has ensuite bathrooms. Private facilities
will include a shower more often than a bath. Please note
that the hotels do not always provide soap so you should
bring some with you from home.
Breakfast:
in Madeira usually consists of coffee, toast/bread etc. and usually cheese, ham, yoghurt or cereals. It is important for
you to tell us if you have any dietary requirements when
you book your holiday so that we can inform everyone that
you are staying with.
Single
Supplements:
are payable on most of our tours. The
single room supplement guarantees the privacy of your own room,
however, rooms can at times be small and in some places
may not enjoy the same facilities as double/twin rooms.
If you are traveling alone a Solo Traveller Supplement
must also be paid as luggage transfer costs must be paid in full. The cost of
moving 1 bag or 2 bags remains the same.
Language:
Note that although most hotel staff can speak good
English you will not necessarily come across people
speaking English in shops and other places. Remember to bring a phrase
book, try to learn a little Portuguese!
Luggage:
When staying in hotels, sometimes your luggage will
have been taken to you room awaiting your arrival. However
don’t be surprised if your luggage is waiting for you to
take it up to your room please politely ask someone if you
need assistance.
Accommodation & Meals
Four
out of seven nights on a half-board basis (evening meal
and breakfast). For the remaining three evenings we
thought it is more fun to choose where to eat from the
selection of restaurants in the neighbourhood. Allow
approx. 45-55 Euros for a meal for two including wine or beer.
It
is always wise to carry a bottle of water and some fruit
and bread/biscuits to eat on the walks. Packed
lunches can be purchased from the hotels at a cost of 6 –
8 Euros. There are grocery shops near to all the
hotels except one.
q
Nights 1 and 2: Machico.
We
stay at one of two small ‘residencial’ (pension). All
rooms have private facilities, cable TV and phone.
Night 1 half board.
Night 2 bed and breakfast; the pension has its own
restaurant and there is a choice of places to eat nearby.
q
Night 3: Camacha.
A
typical Madeiran Estalagem, at the center of the pretty
village of Camacha. 4
stars. 24
spacious double rooms with verandah mostly overlooking the
ocean, heating, satellite TV, telephone.
The hotel has its own restaurant specializing in
Portuguese and local dishes, but also offering
international dishes.
A wickerwork workshop is attached to the hotel. Half
board.
q
Night 4:
Santo de Serra. The
accommodation is in a 4* hotel, located 50m from the
village centre. All
68 rooms have en-suite facilities, cable TV and phone. The
hotel has its own bar and restaurant.
There is a heated indoor pool, a jacuzzi and a
small fitness room. The hotel also has an attractive
large garden and if you were to spend an extra night here
you would be only 15 minutes walk from the golf course.
Half board.
q
Night 5: Santana. This village,
perched on a shelf high above the north coast, is known
for its traditional architecture. Here we stay in the center of the village at a 4* pension.
Rooms have hair dryer, cable TV, digital phone, air
conditioning, double-glazing and balcony, with views over
the fields and countryside.
General facilities include an indoor pool, sauna,
jacuzzi, and gymnasium.
Bed and breakfast. There is a choice of eating
places in Santana and the hotel has a popular restaurant.
q
Night 6: Encumeada.
Perched
on a mountain pass in the center of the island, 1007m/3300
feet above sea level, this excellent pension (3*) is a
welcoming destination after a long day in the hills.
The air is scented with cypress and pine and wild
flowers grow in profusion in the surroundings. All
rooms have en-suite facilities, balcony with mountain or
valley views, satellite and cable TV, and phone. The
public lounge has a fireplace. The restaurant and bar are in traditional rustic style. There is an
outside drinks terrace. Half board.
q
Night 7: Funchal. We use one of two 4 star hotels which are located approx 15
min walking from the centre of Funchal. The hotels have
fully equipped rooms, with Cable TV. The hotels also have
a swimming pool, a small Fitness Room, and Snooker Table. Bed
and breakfast is included. For your evening meal there is
an enormous range of places to eat out at in Funchal.
In our route notes we recommend a good fish
restaurant.
What's Included
7 nights bed & breakfast, 4 evening meals;
written descriptions of each day’s walking itinerary,
1:40,000 scale walkers’ map; baggage transfers each day
that you move on to new accommodation during the tour;
other transfers during the tour as specified above in
section ‘Outline Itinerary' (except
the 3 Euro bus fare).
Transfers from Funchal airport to first
accommodation and from last accommodation back to airport.
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Outline
Itinerary
q
Day 1:
Arrive Madeira. Arrive Funchal
airport, Madeira. Short
taxi transfer (included) to Machico on the east coast (20 minutes). Overnight
Machico.
q
Day 2: Walk Machico to Ribeira de Machico
(12km/7
miles /4 hours). After breakfast walk from
Machico up to the viewpoint of Pico de Facho (322m). Then, joining the Levada (irrigation channel) de
Canical at the point where it emerges from a 750m long
tunnel, you follow it to its source near Ribeira de
Machico. This levada was built in relatively recent times
and is easy to follow. From Ribeira de Machico transfer (included in tour
price) by road back to Machico.
q
Day 2 (alternative;
only for walkers with a head for heights and in reasonable
weather without high winds): Walk
Machico to Porto da Cruz (15km/9 miles/5 hours). After
breakfast walk from Machico via Pico de Facho (322m) and
then along the Levada (irrigation channel) do Canical for
2km. Climb to Boca de Risco pass (300m) and from there a
coastal walk along the wildest stretch of coastline in
Madeira, round the Espigao Amarela (exposed path with
large drop below; a head for heights needed here) and down
to Larano (200m). From Larano walk down road to Porto da Cruz and
transfer by road (included in tour price) back to Machico.
q
Day 3:
Walk Monte to Camacha
(12.5km/8
miles/4.5 hours). Transfer
by road to Monte (included in tour price). In Monte is the
Nossa Senhora do Monte church with a beautiful garden.
Monte, which lies 550 m above the sea in the hills
above Funchal, is also known for its wickerwork sleds on
which one can slide back down towards the city. There is
time to visit the Tropical Gardens and ride the sleds
before starting the walk. Our walk starts by following the
Levada dos Tornos and then moves up the hillside to follow
the Levada da Serra, which contours at a higher level
(about 750m) around the head of the ‘Valley of
Paradise’. Overnight Camacha (700m), where your baggage
will have been delivered earlier in the day.
q
Day
4: Walk Camacha to Santo da Serra. (14km/9
miles/5 h).
More levada walking along the Levada dos
Tornos at an altitude of about 500m overlooking the
long narrow Sao Lourenco peninsula. Luxuriant vegetation
along the levada itself. Then a short ascent to Santo de
Serra, a village situated on a broad ridge at 650m/2100
feet above sea level. Overnight Santo da Serra.
q
Day
5: Walk Santo da Serra to Ribeiro Frio
(13km/8
miles/4.5h). Today
you follow the Levada do Furado up into the wild, forested
hills of the Madeira Natural Park, with magnificent views
at a number of points. Today’s Levada is a whole lot
more dramatic and challenging than anything on the
previous walks; with narrower paths and uneven going
underfoot. At Ribeiro Frio (Cold Stream, 850m above the
sea) you are met and transferred to Santana, a village
set, 400m/1300 feet above the north coast. (Transfer
included in tour price). Overnight Santana.
Please
note
that until June 2010 essential repair works to this route
necessitate that another attractive walk will be
substituted: this is from Queimada to Ilha via a 1000ft waterfall in the spectacular Caldeirao
Verde.12km/7.5 miles 4.5 hours. From Ilha take a bus to
your overnight
in Santana.
q
Day 6:
Walk Achada do Teixeira to Encumeada (14km/9 miles/6
hours) Time to
head up into the high mountains for a spectacular walk
along the highest ridge in the centre of the island.
The route doesn need reasonable weather conditions.
The route starts
with a road transfer (included
in tour price) up to Achado do Teixeira (1592m), near the famous Homem em Pe rock, from where it is
about an hours walk up to the summit of Pico Ruivo
(1862m), the highest summit in Madeira.
From there you can continue along a high ridge,
which forms the backbone of the island, with fabulous
views either side (weather permitting). This is a strenuous but very rewarding walk and the hardest day of this
tour. There
are more ‘downs’ than ‘ups’ and you eventually
descend to Encumeada (1007m). If the weather outlook is poor you should ride with
your baggage from Santana to Encumeada for
an alternative walk. Overnight
Encumeada.
q
Day 7: Walk Encumeada to Corticeiras (16km/10 miles/5.5 hours). Another foray
amongst the high steep mountains of Madeira. After
breakfast your baggage will be transferred direct to Funchal, while
(assuming reasonable conditions)
you start by crossing the enchanting emerald green
Ribeira do Poco valley with its traditional palheiros
(thatched cowsheds). After climbing to a superb viewpoint at Fenda do Ferreiro (1100m) and crossing
a steep slope below Pico Grande you reach the Boca do
Cerro pass (1250m) with
views down into the Curral valley. The remainder of the route down to Corticeiras
(750m) is
straightforward, following not a levada but a very scenic
track, and lower down a minor road,
which once formed part of the main north-south
route across the centre of the island. This part of the
island is aptly known as the Jardim da Serra (Mountain
Garden), with orchards and a lovely quinta,
built in the 1800s for the then British consul.
From Corticeiras there is a good bus service down
to Funchal. Overnight
Funchal.
Please
note:
That due to damage caused by rain to this our preferred
walk in Feb 2010, an attractive alternative is offered
starting from near Encumeada. This is a 11km walk from Lombo
do Mouro to the coastal town of Ribeira Brava,
descending along side a Levada for some of the way. There
are beautiful views of the coast and hillside
villages.11.30 km / 7 miles 4 hours. At Ribeira, you take
the public bus to Funchal and your accommodation.
q
Day 8: Depart Madeira. The
transfer to the airport (included in the tour price) takes
about 45 minutes.
Escorted
tours
2010
- EJIM Saturday 6th November - Saturday 13th
November 2011
- EJIM Saturday 26th February - Saturday 5th March
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