Lovely walks ruined by terrible guide On our recent visit to the island we went on two guided levada walks, the one listed and the other the Caldeiro Verde, with this company. They were beautiful walks and well organised, but our enjoyment was spoiled by the same irascible guide on both occasions. Unlike the many happy and friendly Madeira walking guides we have had in the past, he seemed to come from Planet Angry and within minutes of getting in the minibus he was arguing with clients (not me) about whether he should turn on the air conditioning. On the trail, he led the walks at the pace he wanted to go at (fast) rather than at a pace that suited the ability of the group, some of whom were in their seventies, shouting back at group members to keep up. He teased and mocked older or less able members of the group, one for using a stick, another for saying they were tired, and another, an older gentleman, for having vertigo. He left behind older and slower members of the group, one of whom subsequently had an accident, cutting her knee and leaving her shaken and unsteady on a very narrow path above big drops. When asked to slow down, he refused, instead mocking the request. Rather than imparting knowledge about the history and flora of the amazing countryside, on both occasions he seemed to want to get the walk over as soon as possible. I know these views were widely shared by other members of the group, none of whom seemed to have enjoyed the walk. Over many years of guided walks on the island, I have never had an experience like this and this individual should not be guiding walks.

A stunningly beautiful walk A stunningly beautiful walk in amazing lush green laurisilva forest in the mountains, along the levada routes to Risco waterfall and the 25 fontes as well as the tunnel out towards Calhetta. Philippe our guide was brilliant! He told us so many interesting facts about the area and all the different plants and wildlife and it's clear how much he loves sharing it with people. We were exceptionally lucky with the weather as it was very clear all day. The walk is paced to suit everyone as we had a range of ages. It's a relatively easy walk if you are used to walking with some steps and sleepy sections but generally gentle gradients or flat. Can be slippy in places and near the falls and especially in the tunnel it is wet underfoot so boots are advisable, as is a torch and a rain jacket. It's easy to see why this is such a popular walk, one not to he missed and the tour company were excellent.

Great scenery As we were arriving by cruise ship we were picked up on time near the cruise terminal. We were taken to the north of the island and the guide thoughtfully stopped off en route so we could stock up on some snacks. The views on the walk were amazing but be aware there are some steep steps but nothing too bad. Magno our guide was excellent with a good sense of humour. It's a seven mile walk so wear sturdy footwear.

Strenuous and worth seeing Guided hike with several waterfalls along the levadas through the UNESCO fairy forest, about 12 km in 4 hours. The route through a long tunnel was impressive.

Great views Efficient pick up and drop off, friendly competent guide. Reliable transport and it was a lovely day as well!My calves hurt a lot afterwards despite only being a moderately hard walk.

Nice hike It was quite busy, but the hike itself was very nice, not too strenuous and our guide regularly fed us information.

Amazing ! Robert was fantastic, walk was amazing and so enjoyed. Thank you highly recommend was so beautiful and recommend you are ok with some very steep stairs

Peaceful 25 Fontes Peaceful guided walk through to the 25 Fontes ✨ we really enjoyed this walk, the pick up and transfers were also really good ☺️

25 Fontes It was a nice and well organized tour! The guide was very nice and told us a lot about the nature on the walk to the 25 fontes. Sadly we just had around 35 minutes to have a break and to jump in for a quick swim at the waterfall. But it was an easy and wonderful hike! A must- see in Madeira!

Stunning walk. Stunning and beautiful scenery. The guide was lovely and informative. Make sure you wear sensible footwear there are large puddles, take a jacket for the tunnel and a light. Take lunch there is a beautiful picnic spot. Highly recommend such a beautiful walk

Corry It was a beautiful walk and the guide was very good,nice to Charlotte thanks for the wonderful walk thanks for the little attention for the birthday of my daughter

Amazing walk....if a bit soggy. Having done this walk a few years ago I decided to do it again...unfortunately the day that I chose to do it turned out to be rather wet....however it did not retract from the beauty of the walk starting in the eucalyptus trees...the smell amazing...before walking through a long tunnel, approx 800m, where torches were provided but I would take your own. The guide was very knowledgeable and the driver excellent.The path to the 25 fontes requires some climbing of steps although not a problem for someone with average mobility/fitness.After lunch stop at the falls (not supplied..take your own) we retraced our path back to the minibus. The guide said we would have gone a different way which looked to involve another climb but was maybe too slippery with the rain. 10/10 despite getting a proper soaking..... but that can be Madeira weather....be prepared.It was all rounded off with a visit to a cafe to try some Poncha.....

A Most Lovely Walk The bus ride to the our destination was almost as beautiful as the scenic walk itself: lovely ocean views! The levada walk was quite easy, graced with many varieties of flowers and plants. The falls themselves were not the high point of this trip, being far too crowded to enjoy the peace that such a sight would bring if not packed with so many people. Yet, the walk back through the half mile tunnel ending in stunning views of the flower covered mountains was definitely the best. Our guide was excellent, so well informed and just delightful. Highly recommend.

Schön aber etwas überlaufen Da ich eine kurze Wanderung machen wollte, entschied ich mich, trotz Bedenken, dass dieser Ort überlaufen ist, mich einer Reisegruppe anzuschliessen. Ohne grosse Erwartungen ging es dann los. Insgesamt war es nicht wirklich eine Wanderung sondern viel mehr ein schöner 4-stündiger Spaziergang entlang der Levada durch eine wirklich schöne, sehenswerte Landschaft. Wie erwartet waren viele Gruppen unterwegs, aber man kam vormittags relativ gut aneinander vorbei. Beim Wasserfall war dann das grosse Treffen ;-). Dort sind wir auch nicht sehr lange geblieben. Auf dem Rückweg Richtung Tunnel wurde es wieder angenehmer, denn da waren nicht mehr ganz so viele unterwegs. Ich fand den Spaziergang schön und habe es nicht bereut. Wir hatten eine sehr unterhaltsame Reiseleiterin und ich bin interessanten Menschen begegnet.

Jonny is the pot of gold and the rainbow This is was my favourite tour of all on my holiday. Jonny was an absolute legend and gave us so much interesting information on local plants and wildlife. I felt safe and the driver knew what he was doing. The views on the trip were unbelievable and so much time to take it all in. I was told it would be busy full of tourists but I thought it was reasonable and had plenty of space. I’m very happy and would recommend this. I was happy to have Johnny he was a cool guy and felt very human. I loved how passionate he was about keeping in harmony with nature. Much respect and love thanks for making it a great day

Lovely forest bathing on Madeira on levada walk Lovely walk in calm verdant deciduous rainforest, although all the steps may be tough if you have a slightly dodgy knee (despite 'moderate' rating), after 3 hours of 4+ hour walk I was struggling a bit. Guide (Ali, although that was short for something else I can't recall or pronounce) spoke good English and French, gave interesting information about history of levadas, plants/animals etc. Walk slighly misty the whole time but temperature was perfect, I wore long light trousers, T shirt and jumper plus waterproof which was ideal, if I was going again I'd probably take a torch for the tunnel and an extra rain poncho just in case. Only reason not 5 stars, trail pretty busy and 25 Fountains heaving so difficult to get nice photos, and that was on a day with no cruise ships in port. Slight problem with pickup but quickly sorted so I didn't miss the tour, drive and cafe stops on way up/down very pleasant. Happy to recommend.

Really recommend Really great hike, perfect for first timers. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly, the views were stunning and the route was easy to follow.

Great hike with a nice, professional company Great tour but go prepared. We thought we had prepared pretty well, wearing our best hiking boots, took t-shirt for heat and jackets for rain. Little did we know that really wouldn't cut it on top of the mountain when the clouds come down!After an hour, we and the entire group hiking gear or not were literally soaked to the bone, wet and miserable! No place to shelter, or eat anything but soppy stuff even the inside of my bag was saturated through.We walked for roughly 4 hours, saw the most beautiful things, crossed through the mountain in a long tunnel, and stared in awe at waterfalls while accompanied by an experienced, friendly, and funny guide. An experience I would not have liked to have missed but next time rain capes, trousers, and waterproof lunchboxes will not be forgotten!

Aventura na natureza Gostei muito. O dono e motorista, o senhor João é muito simpático, e o guia, o Carlos é um espectáculo! A excursão engloba para além da Levada das 25 Fontes, à Cascata do Risco e à volta depois das 25 fontes vimos por um antigo túnel sem luz, durante quase um kilometre, que vem dar à zona da Calheta. É possível nadar nas 25 fontes. O Carlos vai parando em vários pontos para explicar detalhes da fauna e da flora, bem como curiosidades sobre as próprias levadas e tubos para levar água. Fala 4 línguas: inglês, espanhol, francês e português. Simpático, ágil e com tudo o que é preciso para tornar a visita completa! Fui sozinha e estive um pouco sempre a falar com ele e diverti-me imenso. Adorei cada momento e apesar dos quase 11km a paisagem é deslumbrante, vale muito a pena!

Beautiful walk but parts very busy Enjoyed walk and apart from 2-3 short uphil parts and long downhill start then very easy walk. Make sure you take a warm top as temperature cold at start and some other parts of walk when cloud descends. Tour well organised and guide did well looking after a group of about 20. Took off 1 star as last passengers to be picked up were not there and guide called then and said they were coming but they took around 30 minutes, with rest of us waiting on bus. I felt that he should have thought of rest of group who turned up on time and left them after waiting reasonable period.

Challenging A great walk, but, beware!We booked a full day trip through the TUI website and as usual the organisation was great. Unfortunately, in late March the weather wasn't good, with permanent cloud covering the center and north of the island. The further up we went the worse it got. At the top of the mountain we were in thick cloud, with a strong wind and horizontal rain. Due to the altitude it was also noticeably colder. Most people had dressed appropriately but some had not, without even a jacket and lightweight shoes. The guides do have some ponchos that they were able to distribute. The weather was so bad that we thought that they might cancel the walk, but hoping it might improve, we carried on. Initially, spirits were high, with wry smiles and a positive attitude. After about 20 minutes you discover quite how waterproof, or not, your gear really is. After an hour or so, most were soaked to the skin!The scenery, if you can see it, is spectacular with enormous steep slopes and vertiginous valleys, all heavily wooded. Due to the rain, the Levadas and waterfalls were in full flow and a sight to behold. But, it was wet, very wet, with water coming at you from all directions and big muddy puddles on the ground.After about an hour or so, some of the group had had enough and the guide, who was very good by the way, gave the option for them to take a big shortcut back to the bus, which they did.The rest of us ploughed on heroically to the 25 fountains waterfall where we had our 'picnic' (you take your own). You can recreate the experience by standing in your shower (cold)and eating soggy sandwiches and biscuits while shivering heavily. A mixed experience of awe for the waterfalls and misery for the weather.Surprisingly, the area was very busy, with multiple groups coming and going along the trails and paths. In places, the paths are only one person wide, so there was quite a lot of stopping and starting and squeezing past politely.Most of the route is downhill or flat, but there are a couple of steep climbs in the middle. It is definitely not a place for young children or those with mobility issues. You go through a long dark tunnel at the end so you need a torch or mobile phone at least. The walk lasts for about 4 hours and there are no facilities whatsoever, so if you need the toilet you go in the woods.So, to conclude, it is a great experience, but youneed to check the weather carefully, dress appropriately and be prepared for a challenge. If you do all that you will have a great time.

Will definitely return here! I would recommend Ilha Tours to anybody who goes to Madeira. I very recently booked two tours with them: one to visit Levada 25 Fontes with Carlos and a second to drive to the eastern part of the island with Jose Maria. Both tour leaders were very helpful, friendly and funny. They knew so many interesting facts about the history of the island; its geography, flora and fauna. I really appreciated having a door to door service. I wouldn't book with anyone else.

We recommend Nice hiking, interesting information about the levadas and the surrounding nature. Good value for money.

Great hike guide Our guide Carlos was very knowledgeable and helpful. The hike was enjoyable and not very challenging. I wish Ilhe Tours gave us more information about the tour at the point of booking - i.e. having some warm clothes, water/lunch pack, and a tourch is essential for this walk, which we were not warned about.

Amazing trip Amazing trip, with a knowledgeable guide, you have a possibility to explore and experience so much in one day. The agency was nice too to pick us up and drop to our destination. Highly recommend this trip.

Waterfall hike A nice hike to a waterfall, easy walking. I’d recommend a shuttle bus back to the car park to save an uphill roadside walk to.€3 one way or €5 for a return journey from car park to start of hiking.

Rabaçal /25 Fontes Uma caminhada excelente! Um percurso cheio de paisagens deslumbrantes. As serras pintadas com verdes e tonalidades fantásticas. Aconselho vivamente!