Part of our complete guide: Activities and tours on Madeira
What the standard route covers
Nearly every west tour drives the same chain, and for good reason — in eight hours it strings together the four landscapes people come to Madeira for:
- Cabo Girão — a 580 m sea cliff with a glass-floored skywalk.
- São Vicente / Seixal — the north coast, waterfalls right by the road, black volcanic sand.
- Porto Moniz — the natural lava pools you swim in.
- Fanal — cloud forest on the plateau, ancient laurel trees.
- Paúl da Serra — a 1,400 m plateau, often above the clouds.
East tours run Pico do Arieiro → Ribeiro Frio → Santana (the thatched houses) → Faial/Guindaste → Ponta de São Lourenço instead.
What the jeep actually buys you
Honestly: all the main roads are paved. You do not need four-wheel drive for any of the places listed above. Where the jeep genuinely matters is the forestry tracks — above all the approach to Fanal from above and sections in the Laurissilva forest that hire cars are barred from or simply unsuited to.
The second real value is the driver. This route is eight hours of hairpins, two of them in fog. Drive it yourself and you will see distinctly less than your passengers.
Prices and formats
| Format | from | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Group tour (open jeep, 6–8 seats) | €67 | 7–8 h |
| West route with skywalk and Fanal | €69 | 8 h |
| Half day (Cabo Girão, wine tasting, Serra d’Água) | €74 | 4 h |
| Private jeep up to 6 people | from €220 per group | 4–8 h |
Some tours pair the jeep with a zip line and giant swing or a wine tasting — both worthwhile, because they distinguish the standard route from the twelve other jeeps at the same viewpoint.
What to watch for
- Open jeeps are cold at 1,400 metres and in fog. Bring a jacket.
- Swimwear for Porto Moniz and Seixal, even if the south is overcast.
- The route is twisty. If you get carsick, sit in front and take the tablet beforehand.
- Lunch is rarely included, though a stop always is.
- Fanal without fog is a meadow. That is not the tour’s fault.
Book it or drive it yourself?
Driving yourself covers 80 % of this route — in an ordinary small car, at your pace, for fuel plus parking. If you already have a hire car, two of you save roughly €100.
Book if you do not want a hire car, if you dislike driving mountain hairpins — or if you specifically want the tracks a hire car is not allowed on. Only then is it genuinely a 4WD tour rather than a coach trip with knobbly tyres.
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