Most Inspirational Moment
How to choose? The first two walks which featured incredible sea views were hard to beat, but the sunrise from the peak of Pico Areiero may have topped them. Quite magical.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Paulo was terrific. He did a great job briefing us at the outset, and before the next day's hike, making sure that we had realistic expectations. He set up a WhatsApp group to share information and photos, and provided us with restaurant recommendations for the nights when we weren't eating at the hotel. He shared interesting information throughout each hike, and made sure that everyone was doing well.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Bring hiking poles, and be prepared for the challenges of the trip. Exodus does a good job of describing what the hikes involve; pay attention so that you make sure you're choosing the right trip for you. So long as you're relatively fit, you'll love this. Also, I was surprised that some reviewers complained about having to buy lunches from local supermarkets for their hikes. Really, that was no problem at all. We stopped at a local supermarket each morning as we set out - sometimes there were prepared sandwiches that you could purchase, sometimes not - but it was easy to pick up some fruit, power bars, trail mix and cheese that was perfect for hiking (you could get sliced meats and buns, too, if you wanted). Final tip: on your free day in Funchal, be sure to take the cable car to the top and tour the beautiful Tropical Gardens, then take the "toboggan" (wicker sleigh) ride down - it's unique to Madeira and good fun.