Canyoning is the most direct way to get inside Madeira’s landscape. You abseil down waterfalls, swim through pools carved into the rock, and slide sections you would never reach on foot. It is the sort of day people book nervously and then talk about for the rest of the trip.
We run three canyoning tours on the island, one at each level from complete beginner to advanced. This page compares them side by side so you can pick the right one before you book. If you want the background first — what canyoning actually involves, what to wear, whether it suits you — read our practical guide to canyoning in Madeira.
Madeira canyoning tours compared
All three tours run for four hours, include a certified guide, helmet and protective gear, and insurance. What changes between them is the number of abseils, the height of the tallest waterfall, and how much the canyon asks of you.
| Level 1 — Beginner | Level 2 — Intermediate | Level 3 — Advanced | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | Porto Novo, Camacha | Ribeira do Cidrão, Nun’s Valley | Ribeira Funda, near Porto Moniz |
| Price | €70 per person | €80 per person | €150 per person |
| Duration | 4 hours | 4 hours | 4 hours |
| Walk in | 15 min | 20 min | 10 min |
| Abseils | 4 | 8 | 10 |
| Tallest waterfall | 13 m | 15 m | 55 m |
| Canyon length | — | 800 m | 600 m |
| Altitude | 1055 m → 950 m | 750 m → 590 m | 215 m → 5 m |
| Vertical difficulty | Easy | 2 — Easy | 4 — Advanced |
| Water difficulty | Easy | 3 — Moderate | 3 — Intermediate |
| Book | Level 1 tour | Level 2 tour | Level 3 tour |
The number worth pausing on is the tallest waterfall. Level 1 tops out at 13 metres and Level 2 at 15, which is a meaningful step up but the same kind of day. Level 3 drops 55 metres — four times either of them. That single figure is most of the difference between the levels, and it is why the jump in price from Level 2 to Level 3 is so much bigger than the jump from Level 1 to Level 2.
Which level is right for you?
Be honest about two things: how you feel about heights, and how comfortable you are in moving water. They matter more than general fitness.
If you have never done this before, take Level 1. It is built for first-timers and it is the only one of the three the operator describes as family-friendly. If you have done a via ferrata, a canyon elsewhere, or you simply know you enjoy this kind of thing, Level 2 is the one most people should book — twice the abseils for €10 more. Take Level 3 only if you are genuinely comfortable on a rope, because a 55-metre descent is not the place to discover you are not.
Level 1 — Beginner canyoning at Porto Novo
The beginner route runs through Porto Novo in the Camacha area, inside the Ecological Park of Funchal. There are four abseils, the tallest 13 metres, and both the vertical and water difficulty are rated easy. You walk in for about fifteen minutes and finish with a fifteen-minute uphill walk back to the car.
No previous experience is needed, and the operator opens this route to anyone aged 7 and up — it is the only one of the three they describe as family-friendly. If you are bringing children or you are simply unsure whether canyoning is for you, this is the one to book.
See dates and book the Level 1 tour → (€70 per person)
Level 2 — Intermediate canyoning at Ribeira do Cidrão, Nun’s Valley
Level 2 takes you into Ribeira do Cidrão in Nun’s Valley, reached by a twenty-minute walk along a dirt trail and a traditional levada. The canyon runs 800 metres with eight abseils, the tallest 15 metres, plus natural pools you can jump or slide into.
The grading is the useful detail here: vertical difficulty 2 (easy), water difficulty 3 (moderate). The ropework is not much harder than Level 1 — it is the water that steps up. If you are a confident swimmer and you liked the sound of Level 1 but wanted more of it, this is the tour that fits.
See dates and book the Level 2 tour → (€80 per person)
Level 3 — Advanced canyoning at Ribeira Funda
Ribeira Funda sits on the north coast near Porto Moniz and it is the serious one. Ten abseils in 600 metres, the tallest a 55-metre drop, descending from 215 metres almost to sea level — the canyon opens out onto the Atlantic as you come down it.
Vertical difficulty is graded 4 (advanced) while the water stays at 3 and the exit is easy, which tells you where the challenge is: this is a rope day, not a swimming day. The approach walk is only ten minutes, so almost the whole four hours is spent in the canyon. Book it if you already know you are comfortable on a rope.
See dates and book the Level 3 tour → (€150 per person)
What about level 4 and level 5?
Madeira does have harder canyons than the three above, and people do search for them. We do not sell them. The routes we offer top out at Level 3, and Level 4 and 5 descents on the island are the territory of qualified canyoners going with specialist guides rather than something you book as a holiday activity.
If you are already at that level you will know what you are looking for and it is not this page. For everyone else, Level 3 at Ribeira Funda is a genuinely demanding day. Our practical guide explains how the grading system works in more detail.
What is included
All three tours include a certified guide, helmet and protective gear, and insurance. You get a wetsuit, helmet and harness, and you should expect to be wet from early on — that is the activity, not a mishap. The guides handle the technical side and talk you through each descent, so you are never working it out alone.
For what to bring and wear, and how to prepare, see the practical guide.
Canyoning or coasteering?
They get compared a lot and they make for genuinely different days out. Canyoning goes down a mountain river — abseils, waterfalls, freshwater pools, and a rope for most of the descent. Coasteering works along the coastline at sea level: scrambling over volcanic rock, jumping into the Atlantic, swimming between sections, with no ropework.
Pick canyoning if the abseiling is the appeal. Pick coasteering if you would rather be in the sea and would rather not be on a rope at all. You can browse everything side by side on our canyoning tours page.
FAQ
If you have never been canyoning, book Level 1 — it needs no experience and has the gentlest abseils. If you have done something similar before, Level 2 gives you twice the abseils for €10 more and is the best value of the three. Level 3 is for people already confident on a rope: its tallest waterfall is 55 metres.
Yes, on the beginner route. The operator opens Level 1 at Porto Novo to anyone aged 7 and up and describes it as family-friendly. The Level 2 and Level 3 routes are not offered on the same basis, so families should book Level 1.
You will be in the water on every route, so being comfortable in it matters. The difference shows in the grading: Level 1 is rated easy for water, while Level 2 is graded 3 (moderate) because of the pools you swim, jump and slide through. You wear a wetsuit and helmet throughout and the guide is with you at each section.
All three tours run four hours, including the walk in and out. That walk differs: fifteen minutes each way on Level 1, twenty minutes in on Level 2, and only ten minutes on Level 3 — so the advanced route spends the most of its four hours actually inside the canyon.
Neither is better — they suit different people. Canyoning descends a mountain river on ropes, past waterfalls and freshwater pools. Coasteering stays at sea level, scrambling and jumping along the volcanic coast with no ropework. Choose canyoning for the abseiling, coasteering for the sea.
