FAQs – Answers to your questions regarding our tours
Here is a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that can help you when you’re looking to book a tour with us. Please read them for a quick and clear answer.
For any other question that you don’t find in this FAQs list, please fill in the form in this page or contact us.
1. Reservation
- You can book our tour right from our website (www.madeiratrailtours.com) and reserve there. If you wish a tailor-made tour, you can send us an email and we will be happy to create a program for you.
- Only in the Daily Tours. These tours have a fixed schedule and are shared tours with other guests.
- Your walking or running pace might be different than the other participants during the tour, therefore we will ask you to be comprehensive and avoid moving away from the group.
- Generally we do the pickup for our tours starting at 8:30am but it depends on the number of guests in different accommodations.
- For the Private Tours, you can choose the time we pick you up, but we always recommend to be at least 9:00am to avoid the crouds.
- We have tours literally all year round.
- Please contact us, if you plan to book your entire holidays and are not sure about whether we offer anything during those days. We always try to find a solution for you, although we might require you to be a bit flexible sometimes.
- To make sure a tour is available, we recommend to book as early as possible and prepay. First booking gets served first.
- Yes, we refund you based on our Cancellation Policy.
- The amount of the refund depends on when you cancel the tour.
- Please call us for more information.
2. Payment
- For booking a tour we require it to be paid at the time of booking. This way you guarantee your place on the tour. If you choose to pay the tour on the day, you will have to pay in the pickup.
- You can pay by Bank Transfer, Paypal or credit card (supported by paypal tool).
- When you book a program with accommodation included, we ask you to pay 50% in advance to secure the booking in the hotels/appartments, and the other 50% are paid at least 15 days from the program start.
3. Tour Information
- Our Daily Tours are shared with other guests but never more than 6 persons. It’s a nice social experience while enjoying the tour.
- Our Private Tours are only for the people you book for. If you are alone, it will just be you and your guide. If you are a couple, just the two of you and your guide, and so on. We believe this is the best type of tour, so that it can be customized for you, go at your own pace, and so that you can have the full attention of your guide for the duration of the tour.
- The cost of any food or drinks you consume during the walking tour, such as at coffee or lunch breaks.
- Additional transport that you require.
- Any hiking or running gear.
- The expertise of a certified mountain guide.
- Pickup at your accommodation place (time set up previously).
- Transport to and from the tour location.
- Liability and Personal Accidents Insurances during the tour.
- Pictures of the group sent by email after the tour.
- We offer the tours on English, Portuguese and Spanish.
- If you want a different language speaker for your private tour, we can try to hire a guide but it might have an extra cost.
4. Preparation
- If you are up to 15mins late for the tour, then your guide/transport will of course wait for you and continue the tour as normal. Your guide will still give you the full tour.
- If you’re late more than 15 minutes, it will be consedered a no-show and you can only join other tour in other day if there’s availability.
- Please also make sure that your clock is turned to the right timezone.
- In all cases of lateness, please call us as soon as possible at +351 96 702 5170 to let us know.
- For the Running Tours, you should bring trail running shoes, a running vert/backpack with snacks and water, and a jacket/windstopper.
- For the Walking Tours you shouldbring comfortable shoes, a backpack with some food and water, jacket.
- When it’s sunny cover up or put some sunscreen on.
- In some tours we cross tunnels by the levada, so it’s also useful a headlamp, of your phone light.
5. Weather
- If it rains on the day of your tour, there is not much to worry about! We recommend you to wear appropriate shoes and clothes for that weather.
- If all the guests agree we can also try to do a different tour in a different side of the island with better weather.
- If there is a real thunderstorm with a severe weather alert, we may cancel the tour. In this case we will notify you as soon as possible. You are then eligible to a refund or to reschedule the tour, if possible.