Private tour in Funchal Valdemar A
5.0
(23) reviews
8 hours
1
8 hours
1
Valdemar A.
5.0
Guide rating
254
Reviews
Tours delivered
3 hrs
Avg. response time
Hi, my name is Valdemar, a 45 years old Madeira island native. I was born in the capital Funchal but my roots are in the west and east of the island, where my grandparents are from. For 16 years I have worked in a store. Getting in contact with people, knowing their stories, was the best part of it and enriched and gave me social skills. In my free time, this island was my breakout. 10 years ago my breakout became a full-time occupation and I swapped a store for an outdoor office and started delivering tours. First with sidecar motorcycles, then minibus and jeeps, as a freelancer guide and since then, my passion for this island got bigger. The satisfaction and smiling faces of my guests were the cherries on top. Right away I felt this was what I was meant to be doing with my life. I feel blessed and very lucky to be able to do what I love for a living. This year I have joined ToursByLocals private tours because they offer me the opportunity to deliver a tour more personal, tailor-made, and flexible where I can show you the places that made me feel this way! Taking a tour with me, I guarantee a memorable experience, where you will feel local. I will go the extra mile to overcome your expectations and you will go back looking forward to returning. Looking forward to meeting you. See you soon. Certified Tourism Guide/Driver, Licenced by the Autonomous Region of Madeira, in accordance with the ordinance nr. 61/2017. The car is registered according to the Portuguese tourism authority with license number RNAAT 375/2016 with the required by law liability insurance, accident insurance, and personal group insurance for activities outside the car. "Clean and Safe" stamp. Created by Turismo de Portugal authority to approve and distinguish tourist activities that are compliant with hygiene and cleaning requirements for the prevention and control of COVID-19 and other possible infections.
Have a question or want to customize this tour? Message Valdemar A.
The east part is in my opinion the richest in culture with a lot of diversity in terms of landscape, great food and drinks, amazing forest, and some of the funniest roads and tracks you have ever been on in Europe. You can count on a professional driver and a friendly guide, engaged with his job, affable, with a lot of interesting information and stories to share with you. Villages on the east were until 1930, isolated from each other. Transportation was made using footpaths and boats. Between villages, there is always a deep valley with a stream or a huge cliff which you will discover. On the east we have the highest mountains on the island, one of them, Pico do Areeiro (1818m) reachable by car, offering overwhelming views and the opportunity of taking unique photos. We will walk and drive through our magical Laurell forest, visit the ancient Santana houses, and immerse ourselves in the beautiful nature the island has to offer.
We had a wonderful time on this tour with Valdemar. There is so much to see! Many beautiful walks and view points. We especially enjoyed learning more about the history and culture of the island. I highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to see more of the island.
Valdemar is an excellent guide. We highly recommend him. We took 2 all day tours with him. The first covered the west side of the island. The second tour covered the east side of the island. Valdemar was informative, easy to talk with and fun. We really enjoyed being with him and would not hesitate to use him again.
Val was terrific! While we were hesitant to trek up the mountain to see the sunrise, Vaal adjusted the tour and took us to an alternate site where we saw a magnificent sunrise. He took us to some alternate routes which enhanced our visit. We had a terrific lunch at a site with a water view and wonderful meals. Bravo Val! We will return and only tour with Val!
We had a wonderful time and saw many sites. We kept away from the other crowded tours by using the back roads to go places they couldn't. The toboggan ride was exciting and can't be missed, and a local restaurant for lunch which was terrific. Beef and chicken cooked on a wooden skewer which was dripping juices, served with delicious side dishes, and a great Duouro bottle of wine. We ended the day by going to a Madeira wine tasting. Val was extremely helpful with one in our group who needed help.
On our second tour day with Val we covered the Eastern side of the island starting at Ponta de Sao Lourenco, a perfect viewing point to see both east and west coastlines with the mountains in the middle. We stopped at numerous breath taking locations, one of the most impressive being the Nuns Valley. Val's knowledge of the island's history and also the environment made it a very interesting day. We also took a short hike along a Levada before tasting some Madeira wine. Fantastic day! Thank you Val.
Valdemar was so friendly and knowledgeable about the area. He customized it based on the weather so that we could see the most in the best conditions. We all enjoyed the tour very much.
-First stop will be made in Pico do Areeiro, 3rd highest mountain on the Island(1818 meters). To get there we will use some of the old royal footpaths and old roads, only possible with a 4WD car. -After that, we will stop in Ribeiro Frio to visit one of the most beautiful Sightseeing points on the island, Balcões using an old Levada canal to reach it. -We will continue our journey thru Faial, Santana, and its ancient thatched houses, Porto da Cruz and the last still in use steam Rhum Factory, Portela with the dazzling view over the Eagle Rock, Caniçal the east peninsula, and Machico where the colonization of the island started. Depending on the weather, we can invert the tour for your benefit. Between these villages, the road we will take will lead us to secret hidden spots. Join me in this unforgettable experience! -The itinerary can be customized according to your preferences, please just let me know if you have any interest in particular.
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-LandRover Discovery TDI, all restored, with 4 seats available facing forward and one foldable seat in the rear
Funchal, Funchal, Portugal
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8 hours
1
8 hours
1
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