East of Madeira: Full Day Adventure in 4x4 covering Pico Do Areiro, Ribeiro Frio, and Santana

Embark on a full-day adventure in Madeira’s East region with a 4x4 tour. Explore Pico Do Areiro, Ribeiro Frio, and Santana, and experience dramatic views, rural areas, traditional houses, local cuisine, and wine or rum tasting. Perfect for those who love big views, culture, food, and fun!

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Valley of the Nuns - The first stop of the tour is the not so famous but very beautiful Miradouro do Paradao. From this viewpoint you will see Funchal from above as well as the famous Nun´s Valley. It´s usually very quiet up here and very much “off the beaten path”
What's Included
  • Hotel pick-up and drop-off for your convenience
  • An optional brief 45-minute Levada walk
  • Insights into the island’s culture and history
  • Expert guide and driver providing a fun and informative experience
  • Exclusive small-group tour with a maximum of 6 passengers
  • A relaxed experience without strict time constraints
  • Travel in comfort with a closed top Land Rover Discovery suitable for any weather
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Pick up fees (outside of Funchal)
Additional Information

The East 4x4 tour has a little bit of everything and is suitable for everyone!
The First stop is Pico Do Areiro, the 3rd highest peak on the island, 1811m above sea level.
There are usually very dramatic views and we tend to spend a fair amount of time up there.
After that, we venture to the North side of the island, into the more rural areas such as…

Location
Valley of the Nuns
Caminho da Padaria
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(145 Ratings)
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Tourist67263251947
Oct 7, 2024
Such an amazing tour! - Absolutely fabulous tour. Our guide was Fabio who was very friendly and knowledgeable. He knew exactly when to visit different places on the island to avoid the crowds. We had the most amazing day exploring East Madeira. We are returning to the island in February and will definitely be booking another tour with Hit the Road. Thank you so much and see you next year! Ilona & Richard
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Simonp82
Oct 5, 2024
Fun day. Guide was excellent. Learned a lot! - A nice way to get a little off the beaten track in Madeira. We liked the small group (6 passenger, plus our driver/guide Nuno). Nuno did the tour at our pace, with no pressure and lots of interesting insights into the island. Would highly recommend. Ride in the Small side note: The LR Discovery is great for taking some off-road detours, but can be a little bouncy, and if there is a full group, you need to be a little flexible to clamber up into the rear jump seats. )
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Schmittg61
Oct 3, 2024
Again and again - Nuno was a great driver, we had a lot of fun and drove off the tourist roads. The tip for lunch was fantastic , the tour would definitely recommend .
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Flyfishkodiak
Sep 29, 2024
Great experience - Tiago is a passionate, knowledgeable guide about the history of his island, its flora, fauna, as well as current issues facing Madeira.
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724jaapk
Sep 7, 2024
Absolutely brilliant and wonderful. - The east tour is great. It did not feel touristy and a lot of useful information. Because of fog rain we couldn't do the mountain but our guide had great alternatives. This was the second day we had the same guide so the atmosphere and jokes were plenty. We got to experience views and sites we would have never found ourselves. I would do this tour again.
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Stephen
Aug 30, 2024
Fabio’s superb tours, an absolute must in Madeira! - Hit the Road Tours are simply brilliant. They are genuine and make it personal. We were so lucky to have had Fabio for two tours - the East Tour and the Estrada (food tour). He was outstanding. He was interesting, funny, knowledgeable and a great tour guide. We loved both tours and got to experience places, people and food we would never have done without his help and talents. Fabio’s enthusiasm is enthralling. He puts so much personal effort into the tours. It’s not possible to thank him enough.
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Marta8809
Aug 22, 2024
Day Trip with lunch - Such a great day out to explore beautiful east coast of Madeira guided by Hugo who was great and funny guide! Nice break for lunch with breathtaking view.Would do it again.
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O1046aepedroa
Aug 8, 2024
Beautiful Madeira adventure. - We had an amazing tour of the East side of Madeira. Tiago was an amazing guide who navigated steep back roads with ease. As a native of Madeira, he had great knowledge of it's history, culture, and ecology. I can't recommend Hit The Road Madiera enough. A great group of people with deep knowledge of Madeira who take great care of their customers!
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501nataliew
Aug 7, 2024
Highly recommend! - What a brilliant day. Our guide, Nuno, was hilarious and informative. Fantastic driving despite some of the angles/steep hills, twists and turns in the road! We were accompanied by two ladies from Denmark and a couple from Italy. Good mix of humour. Felt like the trip packed in loads of sights. Plenty of stops for photo opportunities. Lovely restaurant stop. Elisa recommended a rain/wind jacket. We didn’t need these, depends on how climatized you are I guess but parts did get cool as the island has various micro climates. Even though it was 27° and clear skies in Funchal, it wasn’t the same all the way round. Hiking shoes/good trainers (preferably not cream coloured ones 🙄 😂) are essential.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Issiejg
Aug 1, 2024
Great Day - Booking was straightforward and the email confirmation gave us details of pick up, driver and what we would need. ( We didn't need a light jacket on the day but proper shoes are required). Pickup, by Fabio, was as arranged and he introduced us to the other travellers ( lovely, young American couple). Fabio gave us a great day. There was some factual information but it was not an 'information overload' that you know is too much to take in. He gave us interesting stories and lots of cultural information - what places he went to as a child, what activities families in Madeira partake in and places they visit. He answered all our questions. He did it all whilst taking us around many places in the East of the island, stopping occasionally to just look around and at specific viewpoints and places of interest. Fabio did well to avoid a lot of crowds ( with his timings and local knowledge). Our visit to the traditional home in Santana was a complete privilege - thank you. Poncha in the terrific tasca in the mountains was delicious (and only 1 was needed). Fabulous stop for lunch and Fabio's recommendations were spot on! And a stop for a tot of rum was welcome. Absolutely terrific scenery and we were so pleased that we did the tour with Hit The Road Madeira. Thank you Fabio (and great job organising the weather for us! 😉)
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November 2024
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