Get into
nature

I wholeheartedly recommend this hiking tour. When I booked, I was still a bit undecided about whether a guide would be worth it, and lo and behold, it was by far the best day I spent in Madeira. João is fully passionate about what he does and doesn’t just go through the motions of the route; he loves it. Not only were we completely alone at various incredible spots, but he also provided help after the tour! He gave me great local tips that made the rest of my trip even better. That’s why I signed up for the next tour right away!
Thank you so much ❤️

Start to finish this has been my favorite day in Madeira. João was so helpful with recommendations even before our hiking adventure. He is incredibly friendly and was so patient during our hike. I felt safe and comfortable the entire time~as a solo female traveler, super important. I hike pretty regularly but he definitely pushed me in the best way possible. We saw the most beautiful waterfall, met new friends (for me) and hiked an incredible mountain with stunning views all around. João is genuinely passionate about what he does and sharing the beauty of this island with people. He moves from kindness, wisdom, and lots of crazy adventure. I can’t wait to book again the next time I visit☺️🙏✨ Thank you João.

Today I went on a hike with some specific wishes: to avoid the crowds, experience nature unique to Madeira, and enjoy a little climbing and a few challenges.

And that’s exactly what I got! We started with a “test hike” so José could assess my abilities and choose a suitable, safe route for our next adventure. Madeira’s nature is beautiful, wild and steep, so you need to be prepared. I passed the test and got to experience “the secret beach”!

For me, hiking isn’t just about taking the best photos. It’s also about challenging yourself, handling heights, climbing and keeping your balance.

João José is the kind of guide who encourages you to explore your limits. I felt safe with his calm guidance and reassurance. He is experienced, relaxed and lovely to spend time with.

If this sounds like your kind of adventure, I would definitely recommend booking with José. You’ll get those amazing photos too… without any other tourists in the frame! 😁

The day with Joao was absolutely fantastic. It started with a short hike up to the heights to see the sunrise. Magical. After a small cup of coffee, we moved on to the day’s main highlight, a spectacular hike down to a sea pool surrounded by volcanic cliffs. What an experience. A somewhat exposed hike – but Joao gave us good guidance along the way, so we always felt safe. The day then ended with a trip to a well-hidden freshwater spring, where we were able to cool off in beautiful surroundings. What a day! No other tourists, just us, a family of four, and Joao. And the best part is that the tours are adapted to the weather, the group’s mood on the day and their level of fitness. We highly recommend going on an adventure with Joao!

This experience has become a core memory for my husband and I. Joao is an incredible guide, a kind person, and has a fierce passion for nature and Madeira.
If you want an adventure off the beaten path AND are willing to challenge yourself mentally (heights for me) and physically (rain or shine), this is the experience for you! It was unique, exhilarating, and breathtaking (literally and figuratively)! I cannot recommend this experience enough.
We are looking forward to booking with Joao again, when we return to Madeira. Thank you Joao – you made our trip!!

Today was such an amazing day, there’re no words, but I’ll try to put it into some!

João has been nothing but an amazing (and indeed crazy but only in the best ways possible!!) guide. From the start he made the whole group feel so at ease and thankfully it’s been an amazing bunch of people that I got to meet today, so it felt much more like a hike with friends than another group tour you booked online.
The places João showed us were so unique and truly off the beaten path! Exactly what I was looking and hoping for. He really made sure we’re all enjoying ourselves while also pushing us outside of our cozy comfort zones (again, only in the best ways possible!).

If you do want to enjoy a day of wholehearted and authentic fun and hiking, where you won’t be simply following a bunch of tourists, this is the experience for you!

Thanks again for everything, it’s been an amazing and unforgettable time. And I’m sure my legs will remember this hike for a while as well 😂

We had an amazing experience hiking with Joao! We are not avid hikers and he was very patient and kind. He took us “off trail” for sunrise and it felt like we had the mountain to ourselves, rather than the crowded tourist spot, but with the same views! Then we hiked along the coastline with stunning views of the water. He also showed us his village and a beautiful waterfall and lagoon that he swims in regularly. It was such a unique way to see Maderia with a true local. An unexpected bonus was he gave us great restaurant recommendations and they were perfect! He truly knows the island. It was a pleasure to spend the day with him. This is a MUST DO, you won’t regret it!!

We had an incredible time with Joao Jose!!! If you’re on the fence about booking, but you love adventures, do it!!!! He was the exact type of guide I was hoping to find. He showed us the most beautiful, hidden-away spots that we never would have found on our own (or with the internet). He adapted our adventure so that our entire group could enjoy the experience. My father was able to join us after having his knee-replaced 1 year ago. Joao Jose is kind, knowledgable, passionate about the island, and he made us feel safe!! It was truly so nice to not have to navigate the Madeira driving on our own for that day, to be away from all the tourist areas, and to just follow along for the fun. If I make it back to Madeira, I will definitely book another adventure with Joao Jose 🙂

Great day with a hike we would not have done like this alone and an amazing refreshing finish! Thank you so much Joao!

It took watching the sunrise at Pico do Arieiro amongst hundreds of others for me to decide I needed something a bit more niche and book João’s tour. I didn’t regret it. João personalizes his tour based on the physical capabilities of the group and will take you to paths and locations you’d never find yourself. That said, if you are not fit and not willing to push your physical and mental (in my case, vertigo) boundaries, this is NOT the tour for you. This is intense hiking that make PR1 seem like a leisurely stroll. No 2 people will have the same experience, but this is guaranteed to be your most memorable day on Madeira. Charismatic and energetic, João will challenge you to step out of your comfort zone while keeping everything safe. Although not cheap, the tour is priced more than fairly considering João himself maintains these trails and is constantly discovering and charting new ones. Book the tour and you’ll understand why so many travel back to Madeira to hike with João again.

We booked this hike based on the numerous positive reviews, and honestly, we weren’t disappointed at all. We are used to going on hikes during our trips, so we are quite discerning and have a relatively critical view of this type of experience.

The experience was simply fantastic. João is someone we quickly took a liking to. The trails he showed us are spectacular, incomparable to the 5 PRs we had walked before meeting him.

You need to be prepared to push your own limits, although João knows how to adapt the route to each person’s abilities. This isn’t just a casual stroll off the beaten tourist track, but a real hiking adventure.

We left with a real sense of exclusivity. It was the most beautiful experience and the best memory of our trip to Madeira.

Thank you, João, for being who you are! We’ll definitely be back to experience new adventures with you! Cheers!

The *** Heaven on Earth*** hike was beyond anything I could have imagined! It was twice as amazing as I expected and truly took my trip to another level 💫

As a solo female traveler, he made me feel incredibly safe and comfortable throughout the whole experience, constantly checking on me and making sure I was doing okay
He showed me a side of Madeira I would have never discovered on my own and shared so many amazing stories about the island that I probably wouldn’t have heard if I had gone with anyone else.
We were listening to music and singing together the whole way which made the experience even more fun and memorable. He even stopped to get me coffee and pastel de nata which was such a sweet and thoughtful touch 💕

But beyond all of that I genuinely feel like I gained a friend in Madeira and I’ll definitely be coming back and booking another adventure with him
Honestly one of the bessssst experiences of my entire trip and I couldn’t recommend it enough ♥️

What a fantastic day we spent with Joao. An inimitable, charismatic guide who took us to extraordinarily beautiful places and perfectly matched the pace and conditions of the hikes with the competencies of the group. A great skill which he seemed to pull off effortlessly and is tribute to his innate expertise.

Every moment felt like a highlight of our trip and we sincerely felt privileged to discover Joao’s Madeira. Thank you for looking after us all so well and for the various local refreshments, which were such a treat!

100% recommend booking Joao as your guide, you won’t be disappointed!

Joao made our day truly special by tailoring everything to exactly what we loved. He shared fantastic local stories with us as we explored lush waterfalls, stunning cliff views, and amazing seaside waves, giving us a genuine look at how the locals live.
Beyond being knowledgeable and engaging, he was exceptionally attentive to our safety throughout the entire trip. Starting the morning off with coffee was such a thoughtful touch; many thanks.

This experience was unbelievable. Joao is from Madeira and he’s very knowledgeable about the areas he takes you through. We swam in lagoons, did 2 cool hikes and he’s great to talk to, super down to earth. Truly an experience for those that want to get away from crowds and actually see Madeira. He also gave me great recommendations after and tried to find me a wife 😆, 100/10 experience