The hills above Funchal and Câmara de Lobos

Beginner canyoning in Madeira: abseils, jumps and slides down waterfalls

5.0/5

About 2,000 reviews on GetYourGuide

Four hours down a forest canyon in Madeira's hills: abseils of up to 10 metres, slides, optional jumps and swims, with pickup, all the kit and free photos. Rated 5.0 from about 2,000 reviews, from 63.75 euros. Wear your swimsuit: there are no changing rooms.

Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, with a full refund
Duration: 4 hoursStart times show in the calendar
Live guideEnglish
Pickup includedFrom the pickup points listed when you book

The day starts at your hotel. The listing includes pickup and drop-off in Funchal, and a van takes the group up into the hills, where the guides hand out the kit: wetsuit, neoprene socks, canyoning shoes, harness and helmet. There is a safety briefing before anyone goes near the water, and then you enter the canyon, a mountain stream cutting down through volcanic rock and the island's laurel forest, the Laurisilva.

What follows is a mix the listing spells out: walking down the stream bed, swimming across pools, sliding down natural water chutes, optional jumps of up to 5 metres, and abseils on a rope down waterfalls of up to 10 metres. The operator says no experience is needed and that every jump or obstacle has an alternative route, so nobody has to leap if they would rather climb down. GetYourGuide sells it as a 4-hour small-group trip. Afterwards the guides send you photos and videos of the day at no charge, and the listing also counts insurance for personal accidents and civil liability, and lunch, among the inclusions.

It is run by Be Local Madeira, a Funchal company whose own site gives its registration in Portugal's national register of tourist activity operators, RNAAT, as 1093/2024. Level 1 is the operator's beginners' grade; its own Level 2 trips in the Nuns Valley and at Ribeiro Frio cost 80 euros if this one leaves you wanting more.

The listing sets the lower age at 10 and says the route is easy and accessible above that age. Arrive dressed for it: the meeting point has no changing rooms and no toilets, so the operator asks you to wear your swimming costume under your clothes, and to bring a towel. Leave large bags at the hotel.

Why this one

On GetYourGuide on 26 October 2026 this was the most reviewed beginner canyoning trip on Madeira we found, rated 5.0 from about 2,000 reviews, with guides scored 5.0 out of 5 and transport and value 4.9, from 63.75 euros, down from 75. Its nearest rivals are 'Madeira Canyoning Beginners', rated 4.8 from about 660 reviews, from 53.60 euros for 4.5 hours, the cheaper choice if price decides it, and 'Madeira Canyoning Level 1, Waterfalls, Jumps & Rappelling', rated 4.9 from about 120 reviews, from 58.50 euros, at 2.5 hours the shorter one. We would book this one: the same grade, a near-perfect score held over two thousand reviews, pickup from Funchal and free photos.

Be Local Madeira also sells its Level 1 canyoning on its own site, at 70 euros a person on 26 October 2026, so GetYourGuide's price that day was the lower of the two, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. If you want Madeira's waterfalls without a rope or a wetsuit, our pages on the Levada das 25 Fontes walk in Rabaçal and the Caldeirão Verde levada walk lead to falls on foot, and the sunrise on Pico do Arieiro is the other early, active morning on the island.

Good for

First-timers who want a real canyon with a guide's hand on the rope
Families with children aged 10 and over
Guests in Funchal, with pickup from the hotel

Not for

Children under 10, or anyone over 55, on the listing's own limits
Anyone uneasy in water: there are swims across pools
Guests in Santana, 50 minutes away, without a car or transfer

When to go

What the weather is like at 11:00, mid-morning in the canyon day, month by month, at the listing's map point in the hills above Câmara de Lobos, 276 metres up: the air temperature, how often the sky is clear, and how often it rains.

Month	Temperature	Clear sky	Rainy days
Jan	16°C / 14°C	18%	39%
Feb	16°C / 14°C	28%	35%
Mar	16°C / 14°C	15%	48%
Apr	18°C / 16°C	18%	36%
May	19°C / 17°C	26%	37%
Jun	21°C / 19°C	27%	35%
Jul	23°C / 21°C	58%	11%
Aug	24°C / 23°C	60%	13%
Sept	23°C / 21°C	22%	43%
Oct	22°C / 20°C	19%	43%
Nov	19°C / 17°C	24%	33%
Dec	17°C / 15°C	17%	44%

Modelled from historical weather (Open-Meteo, 2021 to 2025) at 276 metres above Câmara de Lobos; the canyon itself may lie higher and cooler. Temperature is the median at 11:00, with the coldest day in ten after it. Clear sky is the share of days with little cloud at 11:00; rain, the share of days with 1 mm or more.

July and August are the driest

In the five years of weather we looked at, rain fell on 11 days in 100 in July and 13 in August at the listing's map point, against 33 to 48 days in 100 in every other month, and the sky was clear at 11:00 on about three days in five in those two months. Outside them, expect a damp, green canyon; the wetsuit and neoprene socks are included.

From our Madeira hotels

Drive times are routed on OpenStreetMap roads from each hotel in our Madeira edit to the point GetYourGuide's map shows for this trip, on Estrada do Limoeiro above Câmara de Lobos; the canyon is reached from there by the operator's van. The listing includes hotel pickup and drop-off in Funchal, which covers the six Funchal hotels in our edit, 10 to 11 minutes from the map point. From Caniço de Baixo, Ponta do Sol, Santana or Casa Velha do Palheiro in the hills above Funchal, ask the operator before booking.

Reid's Palace, A Belmond HotelFunchal10 min by carHotel pickup
VidaMar Resort Hotel MadeiraLido10 min by carHotel pickup
The Cliff BayFunchal11 min by carHotel pickup
Savoy PalaceFunchal11 min by carHotel pickup
Barceló Funchal OldtownFunchal11 min by carHotel pickup
Hotel MadeiraFunchal11 min by carHotel pickup
Casa Velha do PalheiroSão Gonçalo17 min by carAsk, or make your own way
Sentido GalomarCaniço de Baixo19 min by carAsk, or make your own way
Estalagem da Ponta do SolPonta do Sol20 min by carAsk, or make your own way
Hotel Quinta do FurãoSantana50 min by carAsk, or make your own way

The facts

Duration: 4 hours, including pickup, kit and briefing
Level: Level 1, for beginners; no experience needed
In the canyon: Walking, swimming, natural slides, optional jumps of up to 5 metres and abseils of up to 10 metres, each with an alternative route
Group: Small group, with certified guides
Language: English
Included: Hotel pickup and drop-off in Funchal; wetsuit, neoprene socks, canyoning shoes, harness and helmet; photos and videos; personal accident and civil liability insurance; lunch, on the listing
Age: 10 and over; the listing also says not suitable for people over 55, with mobility impairments, heart problems or epilepsy
What to bring: Swimwear, worn under your clothes, and a towel; there are no changing rooms or toilets at the meeting point
Not allowed: Luggage or large bags, alcohol and drugs
Booking: At least 10 hours ahead on GetYourGuide
Cancellation: Free up to 24 hours before
Price: From 63.75 euros on GetYourGuide on 26 October 2026, against 70 euros on the operator's own site; the calendar shows today's price

What guests keep saying

Recurring themes in the tour’s reviews, in our words, never quoted.

Praised

Guides who keep first-timers calm and the group laughing, scored 5.0 out of 5 on GetYourGuide
Pickup and transport that run smoothly, scored 4.9 out of 5, as is value for money
The free photos and videos, which save carrying a phone into the water

Complaints

The catch

Come dressed for the water
The meeting point has no changing rooms and no toilets, the listing says, just nature. Large bags are not allowed.
What to do. Put your swimsuit on under your clothes at the hotel, and bring only a towel and dry clothes for afterwards.
Check the limits before you book for a family
The listing sets the lower age at 10 and says the trip is not suitable for people over 55, or with heart problems, epilepsy or mobility impairments. Its weight limits are given more than once, with different figures, from 110 to 135 kg at the top.
What to do. Book children only if they are 10 or older, and ask the operator about weight if anyone in the group is near 110 kg.
Pickup is for Funchal
The listing includes hotel pickup and drop-off in Funchal. Our hotels in Caniço de Baixo and Ponta do Sol are 19 and 20 minutes from the listing's map point by road, and Santana is 50.
What to do. Outside Funchal, message the operator through GetYourGuide before you book to agree a pickup, or plan a taxi to a Funchal hotel.
Outside July and August, expect rain some days
In the five years of weather we looked at, rain fell at the listing's map point on 33 to 48 days in 100 in every month except July and August. The canyon sits in shaded forest; the wetsuit and neoprene socks are included.
What to do. Book early in your stay, so a wet day leaves time to move the date; cancellation is free up to 24 hours before.

Questions people ask

Good questions about Beginner canyoning in Madeira: abseils, jumps and slides down waterfalls

Is canyoning in Madeira suitable for beginners?

Yes, at Level 1. This trip needs no experience, and the operator says every jump and obstacle has an alternative route. Guides fit you with all the kit and give a safety briefing before you enter the canyon.

How much does beginner canyoning in Madeira cost?

This trip cost from 63.75 euros on GetYourGuide on 26 October 2026, with Funchal pickup, the kit and photos included. The operator's own site sold its Level 1 at 70 euros the same day; rivals on GetYourGuide started at 53.60 and 58.50 euros.

What is the minimum age for canyoning in Madeira?

For this trip, 10. The listing also says it is not suitable for people over 55 or with heart problems, epilepsy or mobility impairments.

Do I need to be able to swim?

The listing includes swims across natural pools, so be comfortable in water. Ask the operator before booking if you are not a confident swimmer.

How high are the jumps and abseils?

The listing gives optional jumps of up to 5 metres and abseils down waterfalls of up to 10 metres. Every jump has a way round.

What should I wear for canyoning?

Your swimming costume, under your clothes, since there are no changing rooms or toilets at the meeting point, and bring a towel. The operator provides the wetsuit, neoprene socks, canyoning shoes, harness and helmet.

Is there hotel pickup?

Yes, from hotels in Funchal, on the listing. From Caniço, the west coast or the north, ask the operator before booking.

The waterfalls, roped up

See dates and prices

If you book through our links we may earn a commission from GetYourGuide. It never affects which experiences we include. Operators cannot pay to be here. · Last checked: October 2026