The 5 National Parks Tours in Madeira That Earn Their Price

1.Garajau Nature Reserve Kayak and Snorkel Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 906 reviews · 3 hours · from $41Our pick

Meet your guide at Funchal’s Cristiano Ronaldo Statue, learn the basics, then paddle about 40 minutes toward Lazareto and Garajau Nature Reserve. You’ll stop at a pebble beach for swimming and snorkeling. Guides such as Marco, Hugo, Luis, and Flora are praised for clear safety advice and friendly help.

“The guide was very talkative and sociable. He knew a lot of fun facts about the different types of fish and overall it was a nice experience!!”

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2.Kayak and Snorkeling Tour in Underwater Nature Reserve Garajau

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 111 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $59

Paddle from Caniço into Garajau’s underwater reserve, then snorkel in a rocky Atlantic cove with guides such as Pedro, Hugo, Luis, or Antonio. Equipment and life jackets are included, but sea conditions can change the route and the tour may be unsuitable if you cannot swim.

“Great experience with Madeira nature on and under water. Good explanation of what you can see. Good guiding”

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3.Kayak & Snorkeling in Garajau Nature Reserve

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 68 reviews · from $34Best value

Meet by the Cristiano Ronaldo statue for a 2.5-hour small-group kayak and snorkeling trip. Your English- or Spanish-speaking guides provide kayaks, masks, life jackets, and safety help as you paddle toward Ponta do Lazareto, where clear water and colorful fish await.

“Great experience and our guide knew a lot about nature and Funchal. We had fun jumping from the cliff. All in all great trip.”

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4.Snorkelling Trip at Ponta de São Lourenço Protected Area

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 68 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $42

Set out from Quinta do Lorde Marina near Caniçal for a 2.5-hour snorkelling trip in the protected Ponta de São Lourenço area. A guide provides the equipment, safety briefing, and local nature notes before you swim among fish, crabs, and perhaps an octopus.

“The staff were great. We arrived at the diving centre, received our flippers (snorkel & mask were on the boat), we were then driven to the marina & it took about a 15mins boat ride to get to our location - saw hundreds of fishes of different varieties and even an octopus. I’d only snorkelled once before & I wasn’t great at it, but our guide gave me a couple of tips and I did much better. Highly recommended.”

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5.Garajau national park – certified divers

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 4 reviews · 2.5 hours · from $50Top rated

From Madeira Divepoint inside the Pestana Carlton, you’ll take a short boat ride east to Garajau Marine Park for a guided underwater outing. Expect a small group of up to six, full briefing, dusky groupers, and support in English, Portuguese, German, or Spanish.

“Niks dan lof voor deze mensen. Als beginnende duiker was mij aangeraden om eerst een duik vanaf de kant te doen voordat ik aan de Maracuja-duik begon. Helaas kreeg ik tijdens deze laatste duik last van paniek. Hier werd direct adequaat op gereageerd, waardoor ik de duik toch heb kunnen afmaken onder begeleiding. Na afloop werd er op de boot continu gecheckt of ik oké was, en ik werd aangemoedigd om een nieuwe duik in te plannen om mijn angst te overwinnen. Ook tijdens die tweede duik, een paar dagen later, werd ik goed in de gaten gehouden, zonder me ongemakkelijk te laten voelen. Mijn speciale dank gaat uit naar…”

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