Fanal, Seixal and Porto Moniz, from Funchal

West Madeira by 4x4: Fanal forest, Seixal and the Porto Moniz pools

5.0/5

About 650 reviews on GetYourGuide

Eight hours by 4x4 from Funchal: Cabo Girão, off-road through the laurel forest, Seixal, lunch and a swim at the Porto Moniz lava pools, then Fanal. 69 euros, rated 5.0 from about 650 reviews. Budget 5 euros for Cabo Girão and 3 for the pools.

Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, with a full refund
Duration: 8 hoursStart times show in the calendar
Live guideEnglish
Pickup includedFrom the pickup points listed when you book

Madeira's west is the island's wild end: a high plateau, a north coast of sheer green cliffs, and the old laurel forest. It is a long way round by road, which is why a day by 4x4 suits it. Nature Connection Tours, based in Funchal, collects you from your hotel in the city in a small-group 4x4, and its own fleet photos show open-topped jeeps and a Land Rover with a roof you can stand up through. GetYourGuide lists the day at 8 hours, with a guide talking in English as you go.

The day starts on the south coast. Câmara de Lobos, the fishing harbour west of Funchal, comes first, then Cabo Girão: at 580 metres, the official tourism board calls it the highest promontory in Europe, and a glass platform, the skywalk, hangs over the drop. From Ribeira Brava the route climbs through Serra de Água and leaves the tarmac: the operator's off-road section runs through the Laurisilva, with views up to the island's highest peaks. It comes down to the north coast at São Vicente and runs west past Seixal, whose black sand beach sits under green mountains, and the sea stacks at Ribeira da Janela.

Porto Moniz is the lunch stop, and the swim. Its natural pools are lava rock walled off from the Atlantic, with lifeguards, changing rooms and a bar; the council charges 3 euros a person over the age of 3. Lunch is yours to buy. In the afternoon the jeep climbs to Fanal, where the guide leads a short walk among old til trees. The tourism board says the laurel forest has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since December 1999 and that some trees at Fanal predate the island's discovery. In our weather data Fanal, at about 1,150 metres, is often in cloud, which is how most photographs of it look. The way home crosses the Paul da Serra plateau and drops to Ponta do Sol before the run back to Funchal.

Free cancellation runs to 24 hours before, and you must book at least 8 hours ahead. On 26 October 2026 GetYourGuide's reviewers scored the guiding 5.0 out of 5, the transport 4.9 and the value for money 4.9.

Why this one

GetYourGuide sells several 4x4 days in the west from Funchal, and on 26 October 2026 this one was the highest rated of them: 5.0 from about 650 reviews, at 69 euros. The Land Rover West Side Jeep Tour with Natural Pools, a GetYourGuide bestseller, held 4.9 from about 430 reviews at 65 euros, and the Full-Day 4x4 Tour to Fanal, Seixal and Natural Pools held 4.9 from about 380 at 64. Both are sound choices if this one is full on your date; this one adds Cabo Girão and the Fanal walk to a route that sells on its reviews. The big-seller coach version, Best of Western Madeira, costs 43 euros and held 4.7 from about 3,700 reviews: it reaches Cabo Girão, Porto Moniz and Paul da Serra by road, but not the forest tracks, and not in a small group. We could not find a working website for the operator, so GetYourGuide is where to book it.

For the other half of the island, our page The east, in comfort covers Pico do Arieiro, Santana and Ponta de São Lourenço in a day. If you would rather walk the west than drive it, The classic levada walks the Rabaçal valley in the same corner of the island, and The sunset sail sees Cabo Girão from the sea.

Good for

A first look at the west without driving its roads
Families: children travel with an adult, and baby and toddler seats are available on request
Anyone who wants the laurel forest, the north coast and a swim in one day

Not for

Anyone prone to motion sickness: the roads are winding and seats rotate
Pregnant travellers and anyone with back or heart problems, whom the listing rules out
Cruise passengers who must be on board by 17:00

When to go

What the afternoon is like at Fanal, at about 1,150 metres, month by month, with the sea temperature at Porto Moniz, from five years of historical weather and four of sea data modelled for those places.

Month	Air	Clear sky	Rainy days	Water
Jan	12°C / 8°C	15%	50%	20°C
Feb	11°C / 8°C	13%	52%	19°C
Mar	11°C / 8°C	10%	62%	19°C
Apr	12°C / 10°C	17%	55%	20°C
May	14°C / 11°C	17%	55%	21°C
Jun	15°C / 13°C	18%	56%	22°C
Jul	18°C / 16°C	42%	25%	23°C
Aug	19°C / 17°C	42%	26%	24°C
Sept	18°C / 15°C	15%	62%	24°C
Oct	16°C / 14°C	12%	56%	24°C
Nov	14°C / 11°C	13%	58%	23°C
Dec	12°C / 9°C	12%	66%	21°C

Temperature is the median at 14:00 at Fanal, with the coldest day in ten after it. Clear sky is the share of days with little cloud at 14:00; rain, the share of days with 1 mm or more. Sea is the median sea temperature at midday off Porto Moniz.

July and August are the clear months

In the years we looked at, Fanal was clear at 14:00 on 42% of days in July and August, and on 10 to 18% of days in the rest of the year; the sea off Porto Moniz was warmest from August to October, at 23.5 to 23.9°C. Out of summer, expect the forest in mist and bring a jacket: in January the median afternoon at Fanal was 11.5°C.

From our Madeira hotels

Drive times are routed to central Funchal, where GetYourGuide pins the tour. The listing includes free pickup from all hotels and holiday rentals in the Funchal city area, which covers our six hotels in the city, VidaMar on the Lido among them; the operator contacts you after booking to arrange it. Pickup outside Funchal is not included: from Caniço de Baixo, Ponta do Sol or Santana, ask the operator before you book, or make your own way into the city.

Barceló Funchal OldtownFunchal3 min by carFree pickup
Hotel MadeiraFunchal3 min by carFree pickup
Savoy PalaceFunchal4 min by carFree pickup
Reid's Palace, A Belmond HotelFunchal5 min by carFree pickup
The Cliff BayFunchal5 min by carFree pickup
VidaMar Resort Hotel MadeiraLido5 min by carFree pickup
Casa Velha do PalheiroSão Gonçalo11 min by carAsk about pickup
Sentido GalomarCaniço de Baixo13 min by carAsk about pickup
Estalagem da Ponta do SolPonta do Sol26 min by carAsk about pickup
Hotel Quinta do FurãoSantana44 min by carAsk about pickup

The facts

Duration: About 8 hours, with pickup
Language: English
Group: Small group, shared, in a 4x4; private tours on request
Included: Guide and driver, the 4x4, free pickup from hotels in the Funchal city area, the Fanal walk
Not included: Food and drink; Cabo Girão entry, 5 euros over the age of 12; Porto Moniz pools, 3 euros over the age of 3; pickup outside Funchal
Not suitable for: Pregnant women, wheelchair users, people with mobility impairments, back or heart problems, or motion sickness
Children: Must travel with an adult; baby and toddler seats on request
What to bring: Comfortable shoes, a jacket, sunscreen, swimwear and a towel for the pools, and money for lunch
Cancellation: Free up to 24 hours before; book at least 8 hours ahead
Price: From 69 euros on GetYourGuide on 26 October 2026; the calendar shows today's price
Run by: Nature Connection Tours, Funchal

What guests keep saying

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

Praised

Guiding scored 5.0 out of 5 by GetYourGuide reviewers, across about 650 reviews
The vehicles and the driving, scored 4.9
Value for money, scored 4.9 at 69 euros for a full day

Complaints

The catch

Bring 5 euros a head for Cabo Girão
The skywalk is on the route but its entry is not in the price. The regional fee is 5 euros for visitors over 12 since 1 January 2026, and the tourism board says it is paid through the SIMplifica portal.
What to do. Ask the operator when they contact you how they handle the ticket on the day, and keep a card handy.
Lunch and the pools are on you
Food and drink are not included, and Porto Moniz council charges 3 euros a person over the age of 3 for the natural pools. The Cachalote pools nearby are free, according to the council.
What to do. Wear swimwear under your clothes, pack a towel, and carry money for lunch and the pool.
You will swap seats
The operator asks passengers on shared tours to rotate seats every few stops, on roads that wind for much of the day, and says the tour is not recommended for travellers with motion sickness.
What to do. If bends bother you, take what you usually take for travel sickness, or ask the operator about a private tour, which they offer on request.
It is cooler up at Fanal
The forest stop is at about 1,150 metres. In the five years we looked at, the median afternoon there was 11.5°C in January and 15.1°C in June, and cloud covered it on most days outside July and August. The operator puts a jacket on its list.
What to do. Dress in layers and keep a jacket in the jeep, even on a hot day in Funchal.
Cruise passengers: allow a margin
The operator says it cannot guarantee a return by 17:00 on shared tours, because of delays and traffic.
What to do. If your ship sails that evening, ask the operator about a private tour with a timing that fits, as they suggest.
Free pickup is Funchal only
Pickup is free from hotels and holiday rentals in the Funchal city area. Pickup outside Funchal is listed as not included. From Sentido Galomar in Caniço de Baixo the drive into Funchal is about 13 minutes; from Ponta do Sol, 26.
What to do. Staying outside the city, message the operator through GetYourGuide before you book to ask whether they will collect you, and at what cost.

Questions people ask

Good questions about West Madeira by 4x4: Fanal forest, Seixal and the Porto Moniz pools

How long is the West Madeira jeep tour?

About 8 hours, with pickup in Funchal. The operator says it cannot guarantee a return by 17:00 on shared tours, because of traffic and delays.

Is the Porto Moniz pool entry included?

No. Porto Moniz council charged 3 euros a person over the age of 3 on 26 October 2026, and children aged 3 and under go free. The pools open from 09:00 to 17:00 in winter and to 19:00 in summer, with lifeguards and changing rooms.

How much is the Cabo Girão skywalk?

The regional fee rose to 5 euros on 1 January 2026, for visitors over 12; children aged 12 and under go free. The official tourism board says it is paid through the SIMplifica portal, and the tour does not include it.

Does the jeep tour pick up outside Funchal?

Free pickup covers hotels and holiday rentals in the Funchal city area. Pickup elsewhere, such as Caniço or Ponta do Sol, is not included, so ask the operator before you book.

Is the jeep tour suitable for children?

Yes, with an adult: the operator offers baby and toddler seats on request. Under-13s go free at Cabo Girão and under-4s at the Porto Moniz pools.

Jeep or coach for West Madeira?

The coach day, Best of Western Madeira, costs 43 euros and stays on the roads. The jeep costs 69 euros, takes a small group and adds the off-road tracks through the laurel forest and a walk at Fanal.

What should I wear on the West Madeira tour?

Comfortable shoes and layers, with a jacket: in the years we looked at, the median afternoon at Fanal was 11.5°C in January and 19.4°C in August. Bring swimwear and a towel if you want to swim at Porto Moniz.

The west, by jeep

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