Porto Moniz Day Trips from Madeira

Porto Moniz sits at Madeira's wild northwest tip, famous for its natural swimming pools, lava-rock basins the Atlantic fills and refreshes with each tide. Getting there is half the experience, a drive across the island's high plateau and down a coast of waterfalls and sea cliffs, which is why most people reach it on a tour rather than a rental car.

The Porto Moniz tours on this page are ones we picked by hand, the routes that make the most of the west. Most are full-day trips that pair the natural pools with the Fanal forest, where ancient laurel trees stand in the mist, and the Cabo Girao skywalk along the way. Some run as 4x4 jeep safaris up the dirt tracks of the Paul da Serra plateau; others are open-top island days at an easier pace. Bring swimwear, because the pools are the point, and most build in time for a dip and lunch by the water.

For the dramatic, less-visited side of Madeira, a Porto Moniz day delivers the coast, the forest and a swim in one go. Go on a clear day so the high plateau crossing pays off with the views.

5 Porto Moniz tours from EUR 35. Handpicked guides, natural pools, Fanal forest and west-coast routes with hotel pickup, free cancellation on most - easy to book online.