Feb 15, 2025
Great trip to see Mimosa and local flora and fauna. - The Mimosa Valley walk was well planned. We walked to pickup spot and were soon on our way with our guide and driver in a minibus. There were 5 of us. The walk was better than I expected following a path through domestic vegetable plots with our guide explaining about the varieties of fruits and vegetables growing. We saw lots of Mimosa flowers on the trees. It’s about 5km with a cafe at the end and time for a pit stop before heading back.
Great value, with a knowledgeable and considerate guide, multilingual switching from German to English to Portuguese fluidly.
Worth every penny!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 29, 2024
Lovely and educative walk in Mimosa valley in September 2024 with excellent guide. - We pre-booked before our arrival and it was all very well organised by Lido who kept us well-informed about arrangements.. We we were picked up by minibus. There were three couples (including us) on the walk. We were driven to the starting point for the walk and then guided by our excellent guide (Patricia) who kept a benevolent eye on us while cheerfully telling us about the geography and geology and flora of the valley. It was a pretty level walk (though have good boots/shoes to cope with occasionally rough surface) and educative on the history and economy of Madeira. A very good first walk. Hope to go on many others.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
May 16, 2023
It was great - It was a very nice walk, and our guide was very informative (can't remember her name).
She was very patient with us as we are an older couple with aches and pains.
The views were breathtaking, and many pictures were taken.
A very good day indeed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 2, 2023
A great half day walk - Spent a lot of time looking into Levada tours… some are for adrenaline junkies who like the heights. As someone who is a bit wary of heights I wanted a walk that gave a feeling of elevation, good views etc. This walk was a perfect combination. The valleys are agricultural as opposed to mountainous and show how the levadas are used on the terraces by farmers. There are some open, steepish bits but nothing to worry about. The walk takes in views of villages and farmsteads, old terraced platforms with farmers tending crops. It gives a good picture of agricultural life. The route follows the valley around both sides, it passes by rock cuttings where the levada has been quarried into the hill side; native woodland and the farming terraces. Louisa, our guide from Lido tours was very knowledgeable about the fruits, crops and vegetation types along the route. The pace was leisurely, lasting about 3 hours in total and covering about 6k. There is a cafe at the end. Another plus for this tour is that it is in the south side so there is the prospect of better weather (we did this in late Jan). It is also half a day so if time is scarce it’s a good one to do. Can highly recommend. Finally, we found Lido tours to be very reliable and their communication re pick-up points etc was excellent.
Review provided by Viator
Sep 2, 2022
Marvellous Mimosa Valley - I loved the views and learning about the fruit and flowers growing along the way. Our guide, Julia, was very helpful and knowledgeable. It was an easy walk, all flat over about 5/6km. Not at all strenuous. You can wear simple trainers or flat comfortable walking shoes. I wore open Teva walking sandals and found them very comfortable for this type of walk. It was warm but not too warm and nice and dry. We got to stop at a cafe for a refreshment at the end of the walk before boarding the minibus back to our hotels.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nov 28, 2019
Hotel and gurun - wow ... this is a very good recommendation for travelers ... in this place, it's very comfortable to rest, clean, the view is good, I really like it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 8, 2017
I was picked up from the hotel by... - <p>I was picked up from the hotel by minibus just after 9 am. There were five of us doing the walk and we headed out of Funchal to Marocos. The journey took about 25 minutes and along the way our guide, Rosa, told us a little of the history of Madeira and the origin of the levadas. </p>
<p>We began our walk at a steady pace. Being Decenber, many of the plants lining the levada had finished flowering but Rosa made frequent stops to point out plants that were used for cooking, decoration and medicinal purposes. The walk is mostly flat but the ground is sometimes uneven so you have to concentrate to be sure not to slip. This levada is also high up and at times drops away at the side of the path. It you suffer from vertigo this walk is not for you. At the end of the walk we stopped for a hot drink before driving back to the hotel.</p>
Review provided by Viator
Apr 12, 2023
DO NOT GO - They didn’t show up to pick us up. We were told to be there at 9:05, we got there quite early at 8:30 and waited until 9:30. We then texted them at their office and they told us that the driver had tried to pick us up on time but we were not there. Just an outright lie. A lido van did pull up shortly after 9 am but it picked up 2 other couples for a tour, not a Levada walk. They tried to tell us that we went to the wrong pick up spot but I showed her the text they sent us and that is where we were. Plus it was the same spot they picked us up last week. We canceled our three remaining walks and a tour we had booked and paid for with lido for a refund. We will book with a reputable company in the future.
Review provided by Tripadvisor