Excellent mountain guide and gorgeous hike. - This was an excellent hike and Claudio was an outstanding guide. He was knowledgeable, engaging and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with him. He is an experienced hiker and knows the area very well. He was patient and accommodating. I highly recommend his private hike/walk service.

Well-organised and offered good scenery. - I recently hiked with Claudio and was impressed how by accommodating, knowledgeable he was, a pleasure to be with. The hike itself was well-organised and offered good scenery.

Would give Claudio 6 stars if I could! - My boyfriend and I originally planned a 10KM sunrise hike from Pico de Arieiro to Pico de Ruivo. Typically, this hike is only available on weekends, but I reached out to Hiking Island directly via Instagram (@hikingisland), and Claudio graciously arranged a private guided hike for us on a Tuesday morning. This was our first indication of how hospitable and accommodating this company is. Unfortunately, recent wildfires had devastated much of the island’s mountains, leaving many hiking trails closed, including the popular Pico to Pico Trail. Claudio contacted me before our arrival to offer us two options: 1) cancel the hike altogether, or 2) choose an alternative guided hike, with several options provided. This was another example of the excellent service we received. We opted for a sunrise hike at Pico de São Lourenço. Claudio arrived at our hotel promptly at 6:00 AM and drove us approximately 40 minutes to São Lourenço. After distributing headlamps, we began our hike in the dark. Claudio maintained a comfortable pace, and the walk was not overly challenging but absolutely beautiful. Throughout the hike, Claudio paused at various points to share insights about the island's geology, oceanography, and other interesting facts. He was humorous, knowledgeable, and we thoroughly enjoyed our morning conversations as we watched the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean. Our original plan included a visit to Santana to see the traditional Madeira homes. However, sensing that we tend to avoid tourist traps and knowing that we were leaving the next day without having experienced the island's renowned forests and mountains, Claudio suggested a change to our itinerary. Instead of exploring Santana and returning to our hotel by 10:00 AM, he extended our time together, taking us on a tour around the island. We visited a nearby fishing village for coffee, drove up the mountains for a private Levado walk, and passed through Monte on our way back to Funchal to see the famous Tuk Tuk rides down the mountain. Each stop added immense value to our experience. At 65 EUR per person, Claudio’s prices are extremely reasonable, especially considering transportation was included. However, the experience of having Claudio as our guide was truly priceless. He was friendly, funny, intelligent, and clearly passionate about his island. I highly recommend Hiking Island, and I look forward to returning to Madeira. The Pico to Pico hike remains at the top of my bucket list, and you can be sure we'll be calling Claudio for our next guided hike.

Unforgettable experience - Seeing sunrise at Pico Ruivo was an excellent experience. We were tired but the views were certainly worth it. Even my son who claims to be a city person was impressed. Our guide was very helpful, he offered a lot of information concerning the hike and Madeira in general.

A real highlight and would definitely look into doing further hikes with Claudio.l - An unforgettable experience with Claudio who is experienced, knowledgeable and gave me the extra motivation on the last ascent. The bakery stop after the hike for coffee and buns was a real treat.

Unforgettable experience - Seeing sunrise at Pico Ruivo was an excellent experience. We were tired but the views were certainly worth it. Even my son who claims to be a city person was impressed. Our guide was very helpful, he offered a lot of information concerning the hike and Madeira in general.

Magical experience for the whole family - definitely want to do it again! 🌄 - I never thought it would be such a magical experience. Our Guide Claudio was safe, funny, kind, flexible and professional. He made sure we had a nice experience and had wonderful patience with the children.

Sunset views were worth the hike - Hiking to the top of Pico Ruivo was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Although I hate cardio, the views at sunrise were worth it. Claùdio was responsive to my questions before the hike and an invaluable guide.

Quite hard to arrive at the top, but but it's worth it. - With Claudio it has been so easier to arrive at the top of the highest Madeira’s mountain, I will suggest to do it with him to all, in this way you can do a safe route, quite hard at 6AM in the morning but if you find the perfect weather will be amazing the view from the highest part!!!! During the route he will explain to you a lot of things about Madeira ! Super 10+++ !!!!

Claùdio picked us up from... - Claùdio picked us up from our hotel in Soa Vicente at 5am and drove us up to Pico Ruivo, sunrise was just after 7am and after a hike of about 35-40 mins we were at the peak in good time to see all the colours before sunrise (which were breathtaking!) I also loved looking down at the carpet of clouds. Clàudio is really friendly and speaks English extremely well. Thank you Claùdio M and O