How to escape the crowds in Madeira
Wake up and start hiking early
This is my golden rule to avoid crowds everywhere; wake up early. I knew most tours start around 9-10 am, so I made sure to arrive at the hike starting points around 8 am. That way I had enough parking space to choose from, no oncoming cars in roads where just one car can pass (there are a lot of these roads on your way to hike parking lots) and no crowds during my hikes. Even at 25 Fontes, which is one of the most popular waterfalls in Madeira, I had the place to my own. When I had enjoyed this place to the fullest and had taken all my pictures, the crowds started to arrive. So on my way back, I encountered a lot of 20-30 person groups (but the guides walking in front always told them to move aside for me, which was very convenient!). I couldn’t understand how people can actually enjoy hiking this way.
Booking.com
Rent a car, don’t book tours
If you book a tour, you’ll join 20-30 people to do the hikes and you’ll be surrounded by people talking loudly and not being able to enjoy the sounds of the water, the leaves and the birds. They just go and don’t make time to stand still and enjoy the environment. Renting a car gives you all freedom of time and space. You can start early before the crowds, you walk at your own pace and you can actually hear the sounds of your surroundings.
List all tours with timings
It may seem crazy but knowing when most tours visit certain places is actually perfect to plan your hikes. What I did was simply Google “walking tours Madeira” and I made a schedule listing all the days in the horizontal column and hikes in the vertical column, putting check marks behind the right hike and day for each tour company. That way I knew when each hike was visited the least, so I picked those days to do them.
Find a smaller more local restaurant
I don’t like big touristy restaurants and Funchal has a lot of them. So I walked up to the end of the old town near the Fort and I found a restaurant with a nice terrace, that hadn’t pictures on the menu and had a cosy vibe. I loved this place and its food. I’ve spend a very nice evening there and the last day I decided to have lunch there as well. Take your time to find a less crowded, more pleasant place to eat.
If you like the pictures from my how to escape the crowds in Madeira article I suggest to follow my Instagram account where you can find a lot more!
I made a schedule listing all the days in the horizontal column and hikes in the vertical column, putting check marks behind the right hike and day for each tour company. That way I knew when each hike was visited the least, so I picked those days to do them. – SOOOOOO SMART! 😀 <3
haha! Thanks! 🙂
Ah, how I wish I could drive (well, I do have an international license, I just forgot how to drive… haha) so I could rent a car while on holiday! The views are beautiful!
Great blog , great tip 👌
Thank you for sharing your adventures with us ! ☺
Thanks for your nice comment!
Could you share your crowd schedule with us?
I’m afraid I don’t have that anymore. It was just written on a piece of paper.
I do believe people should book tours just for the sake of enjoying it with a local. It does not always have to be crowded, there are small tours and the way you present it is very negative.
Hi Veronika,
Thanks for your comment.
If you read the article, you know I write about big bus tours with 20-30 people. Which are not ideal if you want to enjoy a place to the fullest in silence. In my opinion there is no fun in visiting places in big groups with people constantly chatting and being loud. It takes away the magic of the experience.
I want to enjoy places to the fullest with the sounds of the waterfalls and the birds, being able to stop on the way whenever I want to take in the views and make photos. With bus tours this is not possible.
I am not talking about one on one tours with a local guide. Because I know there are some great companies over there with personal guides. Next time I will definitely hire such a guide for a hike or two. But never with a group.
This article is for those who are likeminded and want to escape those noisy crowds.Those who wake up at 5 am to get the best experience.
Kind regards
Joëlle