Our resident local guides will show you the landscapes, geology, plants and wildlife of their island home. Whether you’d like to walk the more popular and accessible routes, or if you’d prefer to get off-piste, exploring the hidden Madeira – your time with our guides will always feel well spent.
Madeira has an enviable network of hiking trails – from old unsurfaced roads, to the famous Levadas and the spectacular mountain paths. A great way to explore the island’s most popular routes is on our Classic seven night guided walking holiday, where you’ll spend a week walking a varied selection of levada trails with a group of like-minded explorers.
For the more dedicated walker, we recommend private walks with a local guide – concentrating on off-the-beaten tracks that only a local can navigate. Your routes can be personalised, to match your preferred style of walking and the conditions of the day.
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Best time to go
The tropical Islands of Sao Tome and Principe can be enjoyed during any month of the year. The most optimum months to visit are perhaps during the short dry season, between December and February, because this is a good time to see the turtles coming to shore to nest. The long dry season, between June and September, is the most settled. During the dry seasons the weather is usually warm and predominantly dry, but you can get some short downpours, and high humidity does mean that the skies are often overcast.
If you enjoy the intensity of short tropical downpours followed by clear blue skies, and an abundance of tropical foliage, then visit during the wetter months: October and November, and March to May.
Turtle nesting season runs from mid-November through to early February, with hatching generally occurring during March. October through to March are the optimum months for bird watching enthusiasts and there are a range of bird watching walks and excursions on offer. Humpback whale watching season is between late July and October, most of which falls in the long dry season, with the exception of October which is the wettest month on Sao Tome and Principe.
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