Paradise Valley Walk Booking

Yes, but we will take advantage on the official advice on levada walking and share it with you: “Walking the levadas (ancient irrigation channels) can be challenging. Choose only the ones that are suited to your own standard of fitness and experience. Be prepared for narrow, uneven paths and heights. Wear suitable clothing and walking boots. Leave details of where you are going with your hotel reception and take your mobile telephone with you. Better still, join a group of walkers and go with a guide. Take extra care if it has rained as the ground may be slippery and unstable. Check with your tour guide or local organiser that it is safe to visit before setting off”.

Bear in mind that conditions on each levada will vary, but the basic equipment for Madeira hikes is:

• Suitable and comfortable clothing (the weather is unpredictable depending on the season of the year but bring a raincoat as some walks go under waterfalls)
• Suitable and comfortable footwear (characteristics of the terrain can vary between: dry and regular surface or more humid climate and slippery floor).
• Flashlight as some walks go through tunnels
• Cap and sunscreen to protect you from the sun on the more exposed walks
• Walking stick to help you along the walk, especially if the walk is more inclined.
• Backpack
• Enough water and food (you can purchase when booking this hike (add-ons))
• Our Guides are equipped with First Aid basics but due to the new rules of the UE, bring your own wound disinfectant.

Lunch/ picnic is not included in the price, but you may choose to add that extra service (meat or fish sandwich, cheese sandwich, fruit, cake, chocolate, water and 1 drink) when booking and take advantage of the group discount. If you prefer to bring your own picnic, please consider the distance and length of the walk and bring enough water and food to provide you with the energy you need.

Yes. We are able to cater for specific dietary requests. Please get in touch with us before your tour to let us know your requirements.

For hotels in Funchal: For all tours we will collect you and drop you off at your hotel.

For hotels outside Funchal: Please note there maybe be an extra charge for such pick-ups and drop-offs.

If you have your own car, please select that option and we will set the time and the meeting point in Funchal.

Your confirmation email will have the exact meeting point details along with a map, and emergency phone number.

Our vehicle will have a very clear card (a banner) with our company logo on the windscreen and in case of being a group, the name of the group printed on it. Our driver or Mountain Guide will also have a list with the passenger’s name.

Along the Island, there are several routes with different difficulty and characteristics of the terrain that allows walking with the children (not recommended for children -8 Years old). Please get in touch to let us know what you would like, and we will do our best to arrange it.

Besides our tours for mainland travellers, we also offer great value options for people who travel by cruise ships. You can choose one of the existing tours or create your own customised itinerary. Get in touch to arrange your tour!

Our staff are the back-bone to each successful service. We look for people who are not only qualified and experienced, but who are also passionate and love what they do.

Yes, private tours are available for all tours listed on our site, but at a different rate. Please get in touch for any further information about any listed tours.

Any of our private tours/ hikes run every day and can be customised to suit your preferences, please get in touch to let us know what you would like to see and do, and we will do our best to arrange it.

No, we offer tours in Portuguese, English, French, Spanish and German. Other languages on request.

Please get in touch as soon as you become aware you may be unable to make your tour so we can try to accommodate you. If you are unable to make your reserved tour for reasons out of your control and we have spaces on the tour for the following day we will happily change your booking free of charge. Please see our Policy for further detail.

We will make every effort to try to re-schedule your tour if you are unable to make it for reasons out of your control. In the instance you wish to cancel your tour all together please see our Cancellation Policy for details on refunds.

One of the great things about Booking-madeira.com is that we have no minimum requirements for our tour to run so we will still go ahead if just one person has booked. The size depends on the number of bookings but you can always choose to upgrade to a private tour at a different rate.

Prices for all our shared services are quoted per person, except in the case of our private services.

If you are happy with the service you receive, it’s customary to tip your driver and Mountain guide. This is entirely at your discretion.

Madeira island holidays are the ideal getaway all year round. Madeira weather in coastal areas is temperate and mild with no great extremes-although the temperature can drop the higher you go on the island so, whatever time of year you visit, be sure to bring warm clothes when visiting the mountains. Obviously, rainfall is higher in the winter and you’ll probably need to pack a rain coat or umbrella. Madeira’s average temperatures range from 18C in winter to 25C in summer, with sea temperatures being nearly the same due to a warm Gulf Stream that surrounds the Island all year round, 18C to 22C, which makes walking possible in any season.

In the case of rain or inclement weather, and since the variety of hikes allows us to choose the best areas to walk, your Mountain Guide will modify the tour (if possible), or we will try to postpone the hike to another day. It never hurts to have a rain coat and an umbrella on hand.

Whatever level of walker you are, we definitely recommend to book a guided walk. Is is worth the money, you are picked up at the place you are staying, taken to the start of the walk and picked up at the end. You are also accompanied by a knowledgeable mountain guide that will take you to the most beautiful spots.

We are aware that many people do not like to be in groups but it is easy to get lost on some walks. Here’s a notice issued by the authorities recently following many accidents on walks. ‘Again tourists have been rescued having disappeared when walking alone or deviating from the recognised paths. In both instances the tourists were found alive and in reasonably good health by the Forest Police Corps and other emergency services. As a result of the increasing number of these occurrences, the Regional Directorate of Forestry and Nature Conservation has issued a warning to walkers against “randomly and recklessly” deciding to use footpaths in mountainous areas other than those recommended, and against walking unaccompanied. Both actions, the DRFCN reminds visitors, are “contrary to basic safety rules and conduct of hikers”.

Due to the occurrence of landslides or to maintenance works, some footpaths might be temporarily closed. Please check HERE and HERE before you go. Best thing to do is to turn back if you come across a closed path, bad weather conditions, a particularly wet area or a rock fall. If you do not have the ProCiv Madeira mobile application with you, you can use the following contacts:

National emergency number: 112

Civil Protection: 291 700 112

Police (GNR): 291 214 460

The ProCiv Madeira mobile app takes advantage of the potential of today’s smartphones, such as GPS location, and allows you to make a request for help in case of emergency.