The quick version
- A private Tuk tuk tour of 2.5 hours from your pickup to Câmara de Lobos and the Cabo Girão cliff, with a live guide, from US$119.[1]
- Cabo Girão stands 580 metres high, about 15 kilometres west of Funchal, and the skywalk sits at the top of the cliff.[2][3]
- The viewpoint is open daily from 08:00 to 20:00, with an entrance fee of €2 and no charge for residents and children up to 12.[2]
- West coast days add Porto Moniz, Seixal and Fanal over 8 hours, from US$79, with pickup included.[4]
- Reserve now and pay later, and cancel free up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.[1]
| Private Cabo Girão Tour | West 4WD Day Tour | Waterfalls and Fanal Tour | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From | from US$119[1] | from US$79[4] | from US$40[5] |
| Duration | 2.5 hours[1] | 8 hours[4] | 8 hours[5] |
| Group | Private group[1] | Private or small groups available[4] | Private or small groups available[5] |
| Rating | 4.78 from 115 reviews[1] | 4.87 from 9,297 reviews[4] | 4.70 from 3,827 reviews[5] |
| Cancellation | Free cancellation[1] | Free cancellation[4] | Free cancellation[5] |
The uniqueness of the Câmara de Lobos Bay was immortalised by Winston Churchill, on the day when, in January 1950, sitting at the Espírito Santo Viewpoint, facing the sea, he set up his easel and painted a picture that he would never forget.
Should you book the private Cabo Girão tour?
Things to check
Cabo Girão: the cliff that anchors the west
Cabo Girão is the postcard cliff of Madeira's south coast: a rock wall that drops almost straight into the Atlantic, with terraced fields and smallholdings on the narrow shelves below. The number people repeat is 580 metres, and it lands properly only when you are leaning on the rail watching seabirds turn in the updraught.[2] The skywalk at the top was completed in October 2012 and has become the standard first stop for anyone heading west out of Funchal.[8] It is easy to reach as well, roughly 15 kilometres west of the capital along the coast road.[3]
The viewpoint is open daily from 08:00 to 20:00, and there is an entrance fee of €2, with residents and children up to 12 years old exempt.[2] Mornings are usually calmer and the light is gentler, while the middle of the day brings the strongest colour to the water and the largest groups. If you are driving yourself, the coast road from Funchal is straightforward, though parking at the top can be tight. On a private tour you are collected at your accommodation and dropped back afterwards.
If time is short, this is the cliff to choose: it is the closest of Madeira's big viewpoints to Funchal, and the south coast road passes the fishing villages of Câmara de Lobos and Ribeira Brava on the way. Photographers often prefer the late afternoon, when the sun sits off to the side and haze softens the drop. Whatever time you go, give yourself a few minutes at the rail before taking the picture; the scale takes a moment to settle in.
What the private Cabo Girão tour gives you
The Madeira: Private Guided Cabo Girão Tour is a private group tour that runs for 2.5 hours from pickup, with a live tour guide working in German, Spanish, English, Portuguese or French.[1] The listed stops take in your pickup point, a tuk tuk ride, Câmara de Lobos, the Cabo Girão cliff and the return leg.[1] Think of it as a private skywalk Madeira tour with a working fishing town attached. It is priced from US$119, and it holds a rating of 4.78 from 115 reviews.[1]
Pickup is included, and the exact arrangements are confirmed when you check availability, which matters on an island where hotels are spread along the coast.[1] The booking terms are relaxed: you reserve now and pay later, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.[1] It is a private group tour, and the pace stays easy at the viewpoint rail and around the harbour in Câmara de Lobos.
The Cabo Girão viewpoint looks over terraced fields and the Atlantic far below.
Who the private Cabo Girão tour suits
At 2.5 hours, this is a short tour rather than a full day out, which fits neatly into a first visit or a short stay.[1] You see the skywalk and walk a little of Câmara de Lobos without dismantling the rest of your plans. It also suits anyone who would rather not drive Madeira's steep, bendy roads, and anyone who values having a guide to themselves for questions about the island. Couples, small families and friends travelling together all fit the private format well.
If the west coast is the whole point of your day, choose differently. Porto Moniz, Seixal and the Fanal forest sit further along the island, and the tours that cover them run for 8 hours with a longer list of stops.[4] Those days are comfortable in a jeep or a minibus, but they are long, and a tour of 2.5 hours will not reach them.[1] Travellers with several days on the island can do both: the private cliff outing first, then a full west coast day later in the week.
If you are weighing the two, ask yourself what you want from the day: a short, focused outing with a guide to yourselves, or a longer loop that takes in the north coast as well. The private tour leaves your afternoon free, which pairs well with Funchal's old town or a late lunch back in Câmara de Lobos.
Câmara de Lobos, on the way back
Câmara de Lobos is the fishing town on the route, and its bay has been painted by better hands than most. Winston Churchill set up his easel at the Espírito Santo Viewpoint facing the sea in January 1950 and painted a picture of the bay that he would never forget.[9] The town itself is working rather than polished: bright boats pulled up on the slipway, small bars serving poncha, and steep lanes climbing away from the water.
The stop on the private tour is short, and there is time to stretch your legs along the seafront and take a photograph back towards the cliffs. If you want a longer look, an evening return under your own steam works well, when the fishing boats are in and the lights come on around the bay. Poncha, the local drink made with sugar cane spirit, honey and lemon, is the thing to order if you are not driving.
from US$119
The private Cabo Girão tour runs 2.5 hours, with a live guide and pickup included.[1]
The cable car, the fajã and the levada path
Under the viewpoint, the Fajã do Cabo Girão is a narrow, lush shelf of farmland known for the fertility of its soil, and it is reached by cable car.[10] The Teleférico do Rancho runs down to it, and a return trip costs 10 euros.[7] It is a short, steep ride that turns a cliff you have been looking down from into ground you can stand on, among vegetable plots and vines with the sea a few steps away.
Walkers can also approach the area on foot. One Levada do Norte walk runs from Estreito de Câmara de Lobos to Cabo Girão, following the irrigation channel through terraced ground and small hamlets.[11] The levadas are the island's old water channels, gentle for the most part but narrow in places where the drop beside the path is real. Sturdy shoes and a head for heights help.
Going further west: Porto Moniz, Seixal, Fanal
A full west coast day adds the north side of the island: the natural pools at Porto Moniz, the lava and black sand around Seixal, and the laurel forest at Fanal. Several operators run it. One listing starts from US$79 for 8 hours, with the skywalk, Porto Moniz, Seixal and Fanal on the route.[4] Another runs for 8 hours from US$40 and takes in Ribeira Brava, Ponta do Sol, the Véu da Noiva viewpoint, Fanal and Porto Moniz.[5] A third starts from US$80 with Fanal and Porto Moniz on its route.[12]
Fanal is the one people remember. Madeira's tourism board lists it as a mystical, century-old forest to discover, and it belongs to the laurel forest that has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999.[13] The pools at Porto Moniz are the other headline: a swimming area of 3,800 m2 that is 2 metres deep and holds around 7,600 m3 of seawater, with a lounging area alongside.[14] Together they make a long, varied day, so it is worth deciding between the private cliff outing and the full west coast run rather than trying to squeeze both into one morning.
Timing, weather and what to pack
Madeira has a subtropical Mediterranean climate with even temperatures through the year, and the average annual temperature is 20°C (67°F).[6] That makes the Cabo Girão viewpoint a year-round stop, open daily from 08:00 to 20:00.[2] The cliff has its own weather, though: cloud can cling to the top while Funchal is sunny, and the wind at the rail is usually stronger than it feels in town.
Bring light layers rather than a heavy coat, comfortable shoes for uneven ground, and something warm for the wind. A little cash is handy for the entrance fee of €2 at the viewpoint, and for coffee in Câmara de Lobos.[2] If you plan to take the cable car down to the fajã, a return trip costs 10 euros.[7] Sunscreen is worth packing even in winter, when the light off the water is bright.
One last planning note: the private Cabo Girão tour and the full west coast tours are different days out. The private option is the cliff and the harbour, covered in 2.5 hours.[1] The longer run adds waterfalls, laurel forest and volcanic pools, with a lot of road in between.[4] With a few days on the island there is room for both, and the private tour works well as an easy first morning.
From prices for west Madeira tours
From prices in US dollars for each tour listing.[1][4][5][12]
Compare west Madeira tour prices
From prices in US dollars for each listing.[1][4][5][12]
When to go and when to book
Plan your Cabo Girão day
Pick your day
Check the forecast for the south coast and aim for a clear morning; cloud can sit on the cliff even when Funchal is sunny.
Match the tour to your time
The private Cabo Girão tour takes 2.5 hours[1]; if you want the west coast as well, look at a tour that adds Porto Moniz, Seixal and Fanal.
Sort out pickup
Pickup is included on the private tour, and the details are confirmed when you check availability.[1]
Book with flexible terms
Reserve now and pay later, and cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.[1]
Pack for the cliff
Take layers, comfortable shoes and a light jacket; the wind at the rail is stronger than it feels down in town.
See Cabo Girão from the top with your own guide
from US$119
