We noticed you are browsing from
New Trips Just Landed – Start Your Next Adventure Today. Explore Here
Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It’s the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you’re interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.
Simply use the selector below to search our trip reviews and start reading real feedback from real Exodus travellers who have ‘been there and done that’!
Lots of our clients also like to post handy tips and advice about their travels. It’s great to know what to expect on an Exodus adventure before you go, so make the most of their experience and you’ll make the most of yours!
Once you return from your Exodus adventure holiday, you will be emailed a link to add your review. Any feedback collected is posted onto our website, totally unedited.
Alternatively you can navigate to the relevant trip page and add your review via the Reviews tab.
Select a trip specific review:
Madeira is one of the most beautiful islands I have ever seen. The hiking/walking was sometimes challenging, but the days were not extremely long. Flowers everywhere and scenery that is spectacular from above. The sunrise hike was chilly, but rewarding!
Sunrise hike and the stillness of watching the sun coming up from above the clouds
Bruno was very knowledgeable as he is a local and has been leading tours for decades. He has a good sense of humor and got along well with the group.
Fantastic trip with a great guide (Bruno) walking the isle of Madeira.
Sunrise at the mountain peak
Outstanding
Pack some ready made lunches
Glad I have seen Madeira and you will on this trip. The variety of walks is very good, although due to bad weather we could not do the scheduled walk on the final day, the one I was really looking forward to. Such is life and our excellent walk leader, Paulo, took us on another flat Levada walk instead. The rating is right in my opinion for the level of walks, having been on other Exodus walking holidays. I would say that outside of summer arriving on the the early Group Flight is not really worth it as there is not much to do in Machico in the afternoon except for the beach. The first hotel, Dom Pedro, is very tired and needs a refurb in all honesty. Breakfast coffee at the Dom Pedro and Pestana Casino is from a machine and awful, I was not the only one to make that observation. Paulo helped me to sort out a room lock issue at Aqua Natura Bay (the best of the three hotels), some had massages/treatments here and found them to be good. Breakfasts are ok at the hotels, basically as described in the trip notes. We had some pleasant meals out in Machico and Funchal. You can get what you need for a snack lunch in the supermarkets they take you to ahead of each walk. Having paid the single supplement, I did get decent double rooms which is not always the case.
Being up high, above some of the the clouds on one of the walks.
Paulo was excellent as a walk leader. Knows his walks very well as being doing it for years and adjusts the pace to suit the group.
Please do read the Trip Notes as sometimes I think some do not and then get a surprise when they see what the walks are like. Expect the Dom Pedro to be in need of a refurb, it is just very tired but comfortable enough. No tea/coffee on the rooms at the Dom Pedro or Pestana Casinos (this one did have a kettle) maybe take a little of your own, buy some milk and if necessary ask for a kettle. Do walk down Santa Maria Street in Funchal, marvellous painted doors. Three of us had a lovely meal at the Restaurante do Forte in Funchal on the last night.
Madeira is a beautiful island and the hikes were just the right length to get in some good exercise but still be able to enjoy going out and about on foot afterwards.
I loved the hikes along cliff sides with views that went on for days.
Bruno was a great ambassador for his island. He was very knowledgable about its wonderful natural beauty and always enthusiastically shared his knowledge and his opinions.
Be prepared for hiking in wet weather. It probably won't rain on you for very long, but all it takes is few minutes, and you'll be wet even when the sky is then a beautiful bright blue for the rest of the afternoon.
This holiday lived up to expectations! It was wonderful to see the whole island with varied walks and hotels and a really friendly group who gelled well from the outset. Bruno was an excellent guide who looked after us well and imparted much local knowledge as we passed through different terrain. The views on the coastal paths were spectacular, and the levada walks, especially the waterfalls one, were unique. We had to adapt due to a storm on the first day making the peninsula unsuitable, but Bruno quickly planned an alternative, and the rest of the week was dry and warm, with some days of sunshine, and some mist on occasion which added to the atmosphere.
Arriving on the top of the cliffs on the second walk and seeing the view, and a wonderfully peaceful swim in the rooftop infinity pool in Porto Moniz watching the sunrise.
Bruno was fun and helpful, and very informative about the walks. He was always ready to lend a hand in the tricky bits! Great at recommending restaurants - we had some fabulous meals, and also at directing us to the best supermarkets to buy lunches.
Trekking poles are really needed as there are a lot of down hill walks, and you need to have nerves of steel when the path is a bit slippery and there is a sheer drop very close! It’s really worth it though, and you get a tremendous sense of achievement when you have navigated those sections. On the levada there are barriers in some of the most scary bits. As Bruno lives locally he only stayed with the group for two nights, so the group needs to self-organise to ensure solo travellers who want to socialise and eat with others can do so. Bruno suggested setting up a What’s App group for this, which we did to also share photos, and he sent recommendations so we were able to book tables, which worked well.
We had a very enjoyable week in Madeira with our group of 14 and guide Nelio.
We thought the trip worked really well to be able to stay in 4 different locations across the week to really see all parts of Madeira and allow short transfers for each walk. We enjoyed all the walks and liked the variety – coast line, forest, levadas etc.
The biggest disappointment of the week however was not being able to do the main walk of the week on the final day (Pico Arieiro to Pico Ruivo) – due to a fire in the middle of the walk a few weeks previously, as well as bad weather.
But the alternative walk Nelio took us on (a levada from Fajã da Ovelha finishing with a steep descent on PR19 Caminho Real do Paul do Mar) was a real highlight and finished in the little town of Paul do Mar for beers in the sun and a refreshing swim in the sea.
The walk on day 4 at Queimadas Natural Park (walking along the Levada do Caldeirão Verde) was really interesting and beautiful, but we felt far too busy and quite dangerous. You walk along the narrow ledges of the levada with steep dropoffs, with two-way traffic so you have to keep leaning out over the rope barriers to let others pass. There have been incidents there, and it could do with either making it one-way, or certain times where people go in or come out, so it stops the 2-way traffic which the narrow ledges cannot accomodate and makes progress very slow.
One point that we also felt could improve the trip was the ability to buy/make packed lunches. The first day in Machino we all had to go to the supermarket to buy food for the following day. We all found this difficult as there was little options for easy picnic food. The rest of the week most of us just made a sandwich at breakfast to bring with us.
We thought it would make the trip a lot simpler if the hotels allowed guests to make a small packed lunch at breakfast, or alternatively provide a packed lunch service for a small fee. Apparently Exodus had mentioned to some others in our group that it would be possible to buy prepared packed lunches from hotels.
It was not always practical to go to a supermarket, and they often didnt have appropraite items.
We found all the hotels to be of good quality and enjoyed all our stays.
We loved the pool at Hotel Dom Pedro which we enjoyed on both afternoons. The spa at Hotel O Colmo and Hotel Aqua Natura Bay were great, and it was lovely to be able to use the large pool and facilites at the Pestana Casino for the final few days.
Our favourite hotel of the week however was the Hotel Aqua Natura Bay which was super clean, modern, great facilities, large bedrooms, excellent staff and great location just across the road from the natural pools. The included dinners here were fantastic and beautifully presented.
The transport for the week worked well and although the trip notes mentioned public transport, we had a private mini bus for the whole trip. Although be aware on the trip from Porto Moniz to Funchal, all luggage was stacked up in one big pile at the back of the minibus which made it cramped for the people at the back, and any bags at the bottom of the pile got squashed.
Nelio was a very competent guide and was careful to ensure the walks were within the groups capability and always went at a pace to suit everyone. He was very careful on safety and clearly highlighted any areas to be careful.
The weather did change a lot during our week so bring layers, waterproofs and suncream!
A great introduction to walking in Madeira with a friendly and knowledgeable guide. All the distances were manageable and the routes were well assessed
This trip shows you the varied aspects of Madeira’s beauty.
Sunrise above the clouds
Bruno was excellent
Madeira's weather is very changeable -pack layers.
I was expecting this trip to be full of activity and it did not disappoint. The five days which were dedicated to walking around the different areas of the island all had something unique to offer, from the barren coastline in the east to the misty and mystical forests in the north. The climax of the trip was the final day achieving the summit of Pico Ruivo, from where all the previous walks could be seen after the sunrise.
Watching the sunrise from Pico do Arieiro
Nello was cheerful and entertaining. His English was at times slightly faltering, but on the whole he cared for us on the walks, was very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna, and cheered us with his wit and jokes along the way. I thought it was a shame he was not with us at the end of the trip.
Be prepared for the weather not to be always how you want or expect it.
Excellent organisation start to finish. Very good itinerary Excellent guide A good price.
The beauty of Madeira, the challenging last day, and the fact that we all did it.
Very careful to ensure that we all were well supported and safe.
Varied day by day. Reflected difficulty grading, challenging but possible. We enjoyed it