5 Days of Adventure in Madeira, Portugal

You will want to check into your hotel in Funchal (the main city). Depending when your flight arrives, this is a great day to rest and hangout at one of the local beaches! If you stay in Funchal, you will most likely be able to walk to them. Check out the Cristiano Ronaldo statue and museum. If you didn't know, Cristiano Ronaldo is from Madeira! They are very proud of him there and his family runs some stores and the museum of him! Even if you are not into soccer, this is still a cool thing to see. If you are traveling on a budget, this would also be a good time to go grocery shopping. Otherwise, I'd recommend going out to eat at Terreiro, Pau de Lume or Casa da Penha. I'm sure you are tired from traveling, so this is the perfect night to go to bed a little earlier and prepare for your big day tomorrow!

Now this is a big day. It will be long but very rewarding! I like to recommend doing this hike on day two while you still have the energy and hopefully got lots of sleep the night before. Plus, as we know, things can get canceled due to weather etc. and this is MUST DO so this way you will have time to reschedule and not miss out incase of a cancellation.

You will want to get up really early for this hike as it is a 10–12 km hike and will take 8+ hours. If you decide to rent a car, you can do the hike by yourselves. Just go as early as you can. However, I personally recommend doing this as a guided tour so that you have transportation and you don't need to cut your hike short and go back. This way you can experience the full hike and all its AMAZING views, and your ride will meet you on the other side. If you drive yourself, you will need to likely stop half-way and return the same way to get back to your vehicle.

If you choose to do a tour, you can book one online. Just type in Pico de Ariero Hike Madeira. Make sure to pack lunch, some snacks and lots of water. I would wear layers as it is going to be much colder up there. You are literally going to be in the clouds! Plus it is cold in the morning but will warm up later, plus you will be sweating so you will want to be able to take off layers later.

This hike is considered moderately difficult, so it is for a more fit and adventurous person. I will say this is one of the hardest hikes I've done, but 100% THE most incredible and rewarding hike I've ever done, it is completely worth it. If I had to tell you one thing not to miss while you're on Madeira's island, it's this hike! I'm sure you're going to be tired by the end of the day, so I recommend grabbing a quick, but very delicious dinner at Hamburgueria do Mercado.

Go experience a morning of canyoning! This requires a guided tour, so make sure you book that in advance. They have three levels. I did level one as a complete beginner, but I would recommend level two even if you are a beginner. You will get to see some amazing waterfalls as you canyon down them. You will get to do some cliff jumps and rock slides, all while seeing a stunning rainforest. This is only a half-day tour, so you will have time the second half of the day to do some other things.

Your other half of the day is going to the Cristo Rei Statue and taking the stairway to heaven. This is where having a rental car can come in handy, but don't worry you can grab a taxi too. Make sure to have cash. Once you get down the stairs, you will have THE most amazing 360 view of the island. Connected to the top of the stairway/statue, you will see a little shop and cable car. Take the cable car down to the beach and relax. It is a beautiful beach and depending on the tide, take a walk along the cliff side. Have dinner down here at the cute little restaurant on the beach. Make sure to try their famous Poncha drink!

You NEED to experience this safari tour. You can book it online by searching "Madeira Jeep Tour." The jeep will take you through some beautiful mountains and scenery. You will get to swim in some natural volcanic pools, which is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You'll see some waterfalls, and ride through the rainforest in a top-off jeep (you might even get a little muddy!) You will get to see a seven wonders mystical forest with lots of cows! Fanal Forest is Madeira's enchanted forest and this UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its mysterious and unusual landscape with trees up to 500 years old!

You will get lunch and make sure to try their local and famous Espetada, a traditional Portuguese dish — beef skewers. Make sure you have cash for this trip. When you get back, head downtown and see if they have any festivals going on, Madeira is known for always putting on small local festivals for anything! When I was there, they had a rum festival going on with all different kinds of rum drinks, food and live music! When you are downtown, make sure to try their famous Pastel de Nata, it's a delicious little treat!

If your flight is in the afternoon, or even tomorrow morning, I recommend booking a Levada walk. Madeira is known for all of their levadas. They have over 200 of them! Levadas are narrow irrigation channels that were originally constructed to bring water from the mountains to the agricultural areas of the island. They lead you through some beautiful parts of their forests as well as some waterfalls! This will be a guided tour and they are a couple of hours long. The Rabacal & 25 fountains is one of the more beautiful ones, but it takes a bit longer so you will have to gauge your time accordingly.

This is a five-day Itinerary, and I would recommend a minimum of five days here to get the full experience.