The other half of the island
Madeira Island splits neatly in two for touring purposes, and the east is the half people underestimate. It is dry where the rest is green, low where the rest is vertical, and it ends in the bare red-and-ochre peninsula at Ponta de São Lourenço — the one part of the island that looks like it belongs to a different sea. Machico, the old landing place, sits on the way, and the road home crosses the laurel forest that gives the interior its name. That pairing — the eastern circuit plus a forest walk — is exactly how the guided products here are built.
A caveat worth stating: as a search phrase, “east Madeira tour” is quieter than the west or the jeep-tour equivalents, which is a fact about search behaviour rather than about the day. Plenty of the demand simply arrives under “day trips from Funchal” and jeep phrasing instead.
Who runs these days
Three established island-tour businesses run minibus and car tours here, alongside two jeep specialists. On price, a full-day jeep tour runs roughly €45 to €90 per person, with the best-documented company charging about €89.86 for an eight-hour day and displaying its RNAAT registration publicly; minibus and car tours sit in a comparable band. Private hire of a car and guide is quoted per group.
Weather, and why the guide picks the direction
The east is the driest part of the island, and the south coast generally is the sheltered, sunnier side while the north and the highlands take the weather, especially between October and March. A good guide reads the forecast in the morning and flips east and west accordingly — which is one of the better arguments for a guided day over a hire car and a plan you have already committed to. The island runs year-round.
Who you will actually be with
Fulfilment is by licensed local businesses. Portuguese tourist-activity companies must hold an RNAAT registration and display it, Madeira’s tourism board keeps a public directory, and the island has been actively enforcing it against unregistered guides; several of the companies we work with publish their numbers. We plan the day with you, confirm it directly with the guide and stay your single contact. Free cancellation up to about 24 hours ahead is the local norm.
Pair it with the west Madeira island tour or a Madeira jeep tour, or walk the peninsula properly with a guided Ponta de São Lourenço walk. Everything on the island sits on the Madeira destination page, and guided days elsewhere on the guided tours page.
Request availability with your dates, group size and where you are staying — we come back with real guides and real prices, and nothing is booked until you confirm.