This guide is for you if the mountains are why you came to Madeira. The east tour climbs to Pico do Arieiro first thing, then works down through the laurel forest to Santana and out to the bare tip of the island at Ponta de São Lourenço. Before you book, a few things are worth deciding: whether to start at sunrise, whether you want to walk part of the ridge path and how to reserve it, and how to dress for a summit that can be much colder than Funchal.
Weather and the order of the day
The tour goes to the summit first for a reason. The sky is clearest in the morning, and that is your chance of standing above the cloud, with the jagged spine of the island running away towards Pico Ruivo. The tourism board warns that mountain weather on Madeira changes quickly. If the top is wrapped in cloud when you arrive, the car is yours, so you can wait a little, or go on and come back past it later.
The weather on the summit and the weather on the coast are different things. You can leave Funchal in shirtsleeves and step out at 1,818 metres into wind and cold. Dress for the top, not for your hotel terrace.
Trail conditions change too. Paths on the island are listed as open, restricted or temporarily closed, and the tourism board asks walkers to check before they go. If you plan to walk anywhere, look at the status a day or two before.
Sunrise or a normal start
The normal start is a 07:00 pick-up from your hotel in Funchal or anywhere else on Madeira, which puts you at Pico do Arieiro at around 07:45. A sunrise start is also possible. Tell us when you book.
A sunrise start means a very early alarm and a cold wait on the summit, so bring more layers than you think you need: a warm jacket, a hat and gloves. The reward is the light on the ridges if the cloud stays below you.
Walking the ridge path
The PR1, the Vereda do Areeiro, is the path that starts at the viewpoint on Pico do Arieiro and follows the spine of the island. It closed in August 2024 for restoration and safety works and reopened in April 2026. The full route is about seven kilometres and takes about three and a half hours. It links three peaks, Pico do Arieiro at 1,818 metres, Pico das Torres at 1,851 metres and Pico Ruivo at 1,862 metres, through tunnels cut in the volcanic rock and along steep, exposed ridges.
It is a hard mountain path, and sections are sometimes closed. Since January 2026, walking it also needs a reservation on SIMplifica, the regional government's portal. There are two options:
- A short out-and-back from Pico do Arieiro to the Pedra Rija viewpoint, as far as kilometre 1.2. This does not take you to Pico Ruivo.
- The full one-way route through to Pico Ruivo.
Each option has its own reservation. Entry runs in 30-minute slots from sunrise to sunset, and you must start inside your slot. Bookings open 30 days ahead, and payment is due 48 hours before or the booking is cancelled. Keep the confirmation with you, since it can be checked on the path. The short walk fits into the tour. The full route does not end where it begins, and it takes more than half the day, so ask us and we will check it for your date.
How the rest of the day fits together
From the summit you drop to Ribeiro Frio at around 09:45. There is a trout farm in the laurel forest there, and the short levada walk to the Balcões viewpoint. The Balcões levada is a classified trail, so it needs a SIMplifica booking too. Tell us which walks you want and we will check them for your date.
Santana comes next, at 11:30, with its triangular thatched houses and lunch on the north coast. Lunch is not included, so you choose where and what to eat.
At 13:15 you reach Ponta de São Lourenço, the eastern tip of the island. It is a volcanic peninsula about nine kilometres long, protected as a Partial Nature Reserve. The climate there is semi-arid and the north wind blows across it, so there are no trees and the plants grow low. It is home to one of the largest seagull colonies in the region and to protected seabirds, and with luck you can see monk seals offshore.
The PR8 trail runs four kilometres out along the peninsula and four back. The tourism board puts it at about two and a half hours and rates it moderate, with the high point at only 126 metres. That is longer than the time on the tour. If you want to walk it, tell us when you book: the trail needs a SIMplifica reservation for walkers over 12, and an earlier stop has to be shortened to make room. You are back at your hotel at around 15:00, by way of Machico, where the first settlers landed.
Driving yourself or a private day
You can hire a car and drive to the summit yourself, since Pico do Arieiro is reached by road. The question is what you want to spend the day doing. The road up is steep, a sunrise start means driving mountain bends in the dark, and the driver misses the view on the way down.
With a private car, you watch the view while someone else drives, the stops move with the cloud, and the day can bend around a walk you have booked. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
What to bring
- A warm layer and a windproof jacket for the summit, and a hat and gloves for a sunrise start.
- Walking shoes with a good grip, even for the short walks.
- Sun cream and a hat for the afternoon at Ponta de São Lourenço, where there is no shade.
- Water and a snack, and a charged phone.
- Your SIMplifica confirmation for any trail you have reserved.
Who it suits, and who should think twice
The day suits anyone who wants to see Madeira's high ground without a long hike. The summit, the forest and the coast are all reached by car, and the walks are short unless you choose to make them longer.
Think twice about the full ridge path if you are not used to steep, exposed mountain walking. And if you have only one day on the island and the pools of Porto Moniz matter to you, the Madeira West tour may suit you better. Our guide to private tours in Madeira sets the two side by side.
Questions people ask
Can we do both Madeira tours?
Yes. Two days is the comfortable way. One long day is possible with fewer stops on each side.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you are refunded in full. See our cancellation page.
What if there are more than 16 of us?
Two vehicles travel together on one booking. Message us and we will price it.
Booking the day
Decide on sunrise or a normal start, reserve any walk on SIMplifica as soon as your dates are fixed, and pack for the cold at the top. The pick-up, the timings and what is included are on the Madeira East private tour page, where you choose the size of your group and book.
