The 15 Best Ponta de Sao Lourenco Hikes

1.Full Day Jeep Safari East – Pico do Areeiro – Santana – Ponta de são Lourenço

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 819 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $74Our pick

Spend about seven hours exploring Madeira’s east in a small 4x4 group of up to eight. Ride rough rural roads, walk to Balcões viewpoint, stop in Santana for lunch, taste Madeira rum, and see Machico, Ponta do Rosto, and the Atlantic coast with guides such as Nico, Alex, Ernesto, or Rodrigo.

“A great tour with beautiful nature and interesting sights. The off-road sections in the open jeep were amazing. Our driver was very nice and helpful. Highly recommend.”

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2.PR8 -Ponta de São Lourenço Natural Reserve Transfer

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 392 reviews · 4 hours · from $35

Ride from Funchal, Caniço, Garajau, or Machico to the PR8 trailhead, then hike independently toward Madeira’s eastern tip. Your local driver gives maps, safety advice, and trail tips before leaving you to walk at your own pace. Allow four hours, including transfers, and bring sturdy shoes, water, sun protection, and rain gear.

“Lovely day out hiking the PR8 route. Vitor was great with his communication throughout on his rough estimate arrival time and explained everything I need to do the hike. It's a great stress-free alternatives to having to figure out bus routes yourself!”

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3.Ponta de São Lourenço/Caniçal Full-Day Hike

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 262 reviews · 8 hours · from $50

Walk Madeira’s dry, windswept eastern peninsula with a multilingual guide such as Rubi, Sergio, or Charlotte. Expect volcanic rock, cliffs, views toward the Desertas and Porto Santo, free time near Casa do Sardinha, and a possible swim. Bring sturdy shoes, water, lunch, and a swimsuit.

“Beatiful place and the best guide on Madeira. I recommend!”

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4.Arieiro Peak, Santana & Ponta São Lourenço in Open Roof 4X4 Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 235 reviews · 7 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $75

Spend about 7.5 hours touring Madeira’s east and north from an open-roof 4x4. You’ll visit Pico do Arieiro, Santana, Porto da Cruz, Ponta de São Lourenço, and a Referta Levada. Guides such as Francisco, Luis, and Diogo are praised for their driving, local knowledge, and friendly style.

“Fantastic experience! Our guide, Francisco, was incredibly knowledgeable about the area and kept us well informed about the itinerary throughout the day. He allowed plenty of time to explore each location and made sure everyone had a great time on the tour.”

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5.Arieiro, Santana, Ponta de São Lourenço Jeep Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 133 reviews · 7.5 - 8 hours · from $73

Ride from Pico do Arieiro through mountain tracks, Santana, Porto da Cruz, and Ponta de São Lourenço. Your local guide may be Diogo, Tony, Francisco, or another True Spirit driver. Expect a one-hour levada walk, bumpy jeep roads, big views, and a €3 Balcões entry fee.

“This tour was the highlight of our trip to Madeira! Definitely recommend, we went with Tony and he was fantastic!”

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6.Quinta do Lorde: Kayak Experience in Ponta de São Lourenço

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 106 reviews · 1 day · from $44

From Marina Quinta do Lorde, a Zodiac boat takes you to Cais do Sardinha for a guided kayak outing beneath the cliffs of Ponta de São Lourenço. Guides such as Lino and Martin help with technique and safety, while time remains for the Casa do Sardinha Café, mountain views, and a swim.

“The guide was very nice and helpful, and the kayak experience was very fun.”

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7.Full Day Ponta de São Lourenço – Natural Reserve

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 90 reviews · 6 hours · from $54

Walk 6 km across Madeira’s windy eastern peninsula with a multilingual mountain guide. See both coasts, look for protected seabirds, and rest at Casa do Sardinha. Pickup and drop-off are included, though you’ll need water, food, sturdy shoes, and €3 in cash for trail maintenance.

“We had a fantastic day with Ruben who was an excellent guide from start to finish with a wealth of knowledge all the way round”

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8.Kayak Experience @ Ponta de São Lourenço

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 79 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $45

Meet at Marina da Quinta do Lorde, take a boat to Cais do Sardinha, then paddle the clear waters of Ponta de São Lourenço. Guides such as Lino and Eugido may add local facts, photos, and a snorkeling stop. Kayaks hold two adults and one child under 12.

“It was a truly excellent experience! Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable, and we had a lovely time travelling along the coast, exploring the little caves, and seeing some of the local wildlife, all with a beautiful view of the oldest part of Madeira island! At the end we even had a bit of time to take a swim in the crystal clear waters of the beach where our kayak trip began (to cool off) :) All in all, one of my favorite activities on Madeira- highly recommended!”

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9.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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10.Madeira sunrise (Ponta de Sao Lourenco) Private tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 65 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $84

Join Cláudio of Hiking Island for a private early-morning walk to Cais do Sardinha at Ponta de São Lourenço. You’ll hike in the dark, wait for sunrise with hot tea or coffee, then visit viewpoints, Machico, and Porto da Cruz before returning to Funchal.

“De zonsopgang hebben we jammer genoeg niet kunnen zien omdat het te bewolkt was, maar het was een hele leuke uitstap, we hebben ervan genoten! Claudio is een geweldige gids!”

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11.Ponta de São Lourenço Lighthouse Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 49 reviews · 30 minutes - 1 hour · from $20Best value

Take a small-group boat ride along Madeira’s Ponta de São Lourenço, with a live guide in English, Portuguese, Spanish, or French. You’ll see the 1870 lighthouse, protected Ilhéu dos Desembarcadouros, sea caves, Marmulano trees, and Elephant Rock on selected routes.

“We really enjoyed this boat tour, the scenery was beautiful and our guide shared interesting facts about the area. It’s a short ride but very enjoyable.”

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12.Ponta de São Lourenço (PR 8) – Hiking Tour in Madeira

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 32 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $55

Join a guided hike along Madeira’s eastern tip, where volcanic cliffs, Atlantic views, and rare plants fill a roughly 7 km route. Guides such as Marta, Daria, Fabio, and Carlos lead at a steady pace. Hotel pickup, minivan transport, and insurance are included, but bring water, snacks, sun protection, and €3 cash.

“The hike was great, as well as the experience brought by guide Marta. I highly recommend the experienceAuto-translated”

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13.Hike Transfer to Ponta de São Lourenço (PR8)

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 26 reviews · from $33

Take a shared van from Funchal or Caniço to Madeira’s PR8 trail at Ponta de São Lourenço. Hike 6 km at your own pace through a dry volcanic peninsula, then swim, buy a drink, walk back, or pay extra for a coastal boat ride.

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14.Day Pack @ Ponta de São Lourenço

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 24 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $81

Spend about six hours exploring Ponta de São Lourenço by boat, kayak, and snorkel. The small group leaves Marina Quinta do Lorde at 10:00, includes equipment, a bolo do caco sandwich, a drink, and a water bottle. Guides such as João and Marthe may shape the day.

“Kayaking was okay, we had no guidance at all when it came to snorkelling. Staff looked like they couldn’t be less bothered to be there, and very unhelpful. The lighthouse trip is a joke, you are literally seated in a boat and look out to it from a far, that’s it. Only saving grace was João, a very kind young man who was the only part worth it of this trip. Not to mention I paid £55 in advance and the trip is 30€ if you buy it there LOL Incredibly disappointing!!”

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15.Ponta de São Lourenço Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 24 reviews · 45 minutes to 1 hour (approx.) · from $39

From Quinta do Lorde Marina, you’ll cruise along Madeira’s eastern tip with an English-speaking guide, pass sea caves, view coastline reachable only by boat, and stop for a swim at Cais do Sardinha when conditions allow. Groups are limited to eight.

“Very nice and informative tour,the boat was safe and confortante ,great crew! Unfortunately did not go on the northern side due to rough waves,West as far as the lighthouse,still worthy !”

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