Madeira tailor made holiday, gardens & levadas

Planet

Activity and adventure tourism in Madeira is very much in its infancy and the tourist board and other island authorities are determined that it will be managed in a fully sustainable manner. Madeira is intent on shrugging off its image as a retreat for the aged and as such, preserving the flora and fauna for future generations is absolutely key to its strategy.

Our Gardens and Levadas of Madeira trip is intended to show visitors both the stunning natural landscape of this small island and the cultivated gardens that have been lovingly maintained since as far back as the 18th Century. Madeira was historically a stop for traders and travellers and so plants from all over the world can be viewed in its gardens. Our guides provide detailed information regarding the fauna and flora of Madeira and the importance the flower export industry has on the local economy.

The levadas that criss-cross the island offer wonderful views of the ocean and the countryside. The routes are bordered by flowers, crops and vegetation and a strict ‘leave no trace’ policy is followed. Many levada routes will see local farmers selling their fresh produce and visitors can enjoy a fresh fruit snack along the way.

People

Tourism to Madeira has long been the preserve of larger tour operators focussing on an elderly market who rarely travel much further than the capital Funchal. All that is changing as the island’s broader appeal is becoming more widely appreciated. The result is that more local companies are becoming involved in tourism here and on a wider geographical basis.

This holiday has been designed with the wider Madeiran community very much in mind. The accommodation in Funchal is owned by a local family and lies just to the east of Funchal’s historic Old Town. Built in 1834, the former manor house has been carefully restored and extended to provide accommodation very much in keeping with the local area. It has its own beautiful gardens and only 64 rooms so that it retains an intimate and traditional feel rather than simply being an over-commercialised, holiday base. Despite being based in the capital, the aim of this trip is to explore as much of the island’s gardens and levadas as possible.

The impact is that the commercial benefits are felt far more widely and that the tourist spend is far more likely to remain in the island economy rather than being transferred back to mainland Portugal or Europe. Our tour of the Funchal Old Town, for example, takes visitors to the local markets where they can buy fresh fruit and flowers and local delicacies. A real taste of the flavours of this stunning region.

Our trips to Madeira are run with this philosophy at the forefront of our thinking. We only work with locally-owned accommodation, locally-owned transport companies and locally-owned activity and service providers. This, we believe, is the only way that the local community can fully benefit from our guests visiting Madeira.