Two weeks exploring the wild nature of Madeira, Portugal, with options to make it your own!
Are you making your way to the beautiful island that is Madeira and want to experience as much of the island’s natural areas as possible? Have a look at this itinerary. The island is well-known for its lush forests, wild mountains and a wide ocean, so there is plenty to do.
Hiking is thé most popular activity on Madeira and there are many well-maintained trails. So the itinerary is focussed around that. All trails bring you to beautiful viewpoints and show you the amazing natural diversity of the island. Read my post about our favourite hikes on Madeira here!
This itinerary is flexible and you can use the proposed options to plan your days. Depending on which time of year you visit Madeira, the weather can be quite unpredictable. This means sometimes certain trails might be closed, so you’ll need to be able to adapt!
Day 1 – Arrival Madeira, pick up the car and stay in Ponta do Sol or Ribeira Brava
Hike options: Caminho do Norte, Chao dos Louros
Activity options: drive along the coast
Day 2-5 – Explore east Madeira
Hike options: vereda Ponta Sao Lourenco, levada Caldeirao Verde, vereda do Larano, levada do Rei
Activity options: take a half-day whale watching tour
Day 6-10 – Explore central Madeira
Hike options: vereda Pico Areeiro, vereda Curral das Freiras (easy) or vereda do Urzal (hard), levada dos Balcoes,
Activity options: visit the botanical gardens of Funchal, day-tour to Isla Desertas, scuba diving in Caniço
Day 11-13 – Explore west Madeira
Hike options: levada dos Cedros (easy) or vereda do Fanal (longer), levada das 25 fontes (crowded) or levada do Alecrim (quiet),
Activity options: visit the natural baths of Porto Moniz, the black beach of Seixal and Achadas da Cruz (one full-day)
Day 14 – Return car at the airport and fly back home
How to get around?
Madeira has lots of public buses that go all around the island, but if you are a hiker like me a car would be a must to get to the more remote locations without having to take a crowded and expensive tour.
Where to stay?
It’s quite a small island, so it’s possible to pick one town as a home base and explore the island from there. If you want one location, I suggest going for Funchal (if you enjoy bigger cities), or a town east of Funchal for example Ponta do Sol if you prefer a more quiet or rural area. If you want to experience some of the other towns, you can pick one or two additional locations for accommodations. The itinerary is based on the different areas of the island, so you can choose your other places based on that.
Beware, while the north of the island is beautiful too, for example Santana, the weather on that side of the island is wetter and even more unpredictable. The south of the island is best to get the driest days, but stay outside Funchal to avoid persistent clouds as well (mentioned to us by a local).
Need more time to relax?
Depending on your fitness level, interest in hiking and the weather, you might have some days where you don’t want to or cannot go outside. Pick and choose which hikes or activities you don’t want to miss and take a day’s rest in between. There are a few sandy beaches and plenty of beautiful view points (miradouros) to hang out and relax or read a book.
Do you have more time?
There is a whole extra island called Porto Santos, which you can reach by ferry. We didn’t get a chance to visit it, but this would be great for an extra day or two.
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Top 5 amazing hiking trails on magnificent Madeira - Loose Travels · April 1, 2024 at 10:56 am
[…] Looking for a great itinerary for your next trip to Madeira? Check out my 14-day Madeira itinerary here. […]