November 5, 2017

Travel Guide: Madeira Best Attractions: Levada Walks and Jeep Tour

madi Traveling #austrianblogger, #holidaysideas, #longsummer, atlanticocean, bestattractions, graz, hiking, jeeptour, levadas, madeira, travelguide 0 Comments

Dear Alice,

One of the best activities in Madeira was the gorgeous and the unique tour booked with one of the island professional tourist agencies “True Spirit”, and that is the “Levada Walks and Jeep Tour”. So I would highly recommend you such a tour while on Madeira, or while on another magnificent island such as Madeira.

While on Madeira, you will notice that there is a wide number of tourist agencies that organize a multitude of trips to the most famous and the most popular places of the island. I can tell you, you will probably be overwhelmed by this offer. But I can definitely recommend you the “True Spirit” agency, they are very professional and friendly, and they definitely add a specific flavor to the trips they organize. We chose the “Levada Walks and Jeep Tour”, and I can say it was a great decision! So here are my recommendations concerning the “Levada Walks and Jeep Tour”:

• While on Madeira, choose at least one trip on the island organized by a professional tourist agency, such as the “Levada Walks and Jeep Tour” organized by the “True Spirit” agency. I would definitely recommend you to choose at least one trip organized by a professional and authentic tourist agency while on Madeira. You will get to learn a lot about the island from the locals themselves, and this is an unique experience for sure. Just be selective when choosing the tourist agency. We bumped into a lot of unprofessional tourist agencies while in Madeira, till we found the right one. Concerning the type of trip, you can choose whatever suits your preferences and your wishes. From tours of the island till extreme sports and adrenaline shots, you can find anything with the “True Spirit” agency. We choose the levada walks and jeep tour because we wanted both some kind of hiking experience (but still controlled especially in Madeira) and some dose of adrenaline. Plus for me it was my first Jeep Tour.
• Prepare yourself for the levada walks: this includes professional sport shoes with profile, suitable for slippery and wet areas; sports clothes for warm and cold weather;  bandana or a cap for the head; raincoat, sun glasses, water, food (such as protein bars and/or bananas or any other similar fruits), binoculars, and lantern. I do not know if you are familiar with the concept of levada so far, so I will shortly clarify it: in Madeira the levadas are water canals which transport the water from the north to the south of the island. They were built years ago and they are partially maintained to the present days. The challenging thing about the levadas is that they are quite narrow and that they are built on the slopes of the mountains or of the hills, so they are situated at a high altitude (if you suffer of vertigo, you may be better with trying another trip). They are extremely populated by tourists, and some of these tourists are unfortunately sometimes sub-estimating them or are confounding them with hiking paths or even worse with strolling paths (which are definitely not), so a certain degree of awareness when deciding to take levada walks is needed. You have to be prepared both phisically and emotionally, to have a good physical condition, to concentrate yourself on the path and to have a native guide (for sure in my opinion), who can give you the best guidance for these types of walks. Other than this the levada walks are a wonderful and unique experience, I am very happy to have tried. The panorama is amazing, and the beauty of nature surprises you at every step you take.
• Enjoy the jeep tour and take as much pictures as you can (also do not forget to make videos, you will enjoy the beauty of the island from another perspective). Exploring the island in a jeep is definitely another type of experience you should definitely try. In Madeira I might say this is even more challenging, since the roads are very narrow and steep, so under professional guidance you will experience a certain dose of adrenaline combined with a high dose of fulfillment and relaxation.

I hope you will enjoy the snapshots from the levada walks and jeep tour in Madeira, just as much as I did. Till our next encounter take care.
Sincerely yours,
Madalina

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