Bestselling Wine Tour, Tasting Experience & Skywalk 4×4 Adventure

A 4×4 wine day in Madeira beats the bus version. I especially like the small-group open-top jeeps and the focus on real local places, from cliff viewpoints to working wine estates. The main trade-off is that the winery tasting has an extra per-person fee, and a few people felt the wines were more basic than they hoped.

You also get something practical: free pickup in Funchal and Caniço, an English-speaking guide, and a route designed to keep you moving without feeling like a cattle call. Plan for wind and sun since you ride in open jeeps, and double-check you know what’s included before you go.

Key highlights you’ll care about

• Small-group jeeps (up to 8 per vehicle): a calmer ride and more room to hear your guide.
• Cabo Girão cliff stop with an extra admission fee: that famous viewpoint experience costs extra, but the views are the point.
• Quinta Barbusano tasting at a prepared table: you taste six locally made wines with toast cheese.
• English is the working language: the winery explanation is only in English, so language needs are important.
• Madeira village loop: you pass through places like Câmara de Lobos, Quinta Grande, and Ribeira Brava, not just wineries.

How this 3.5-hour Madeira combo works (and why it feels good)

This is a short half-day that mixes three things: a dramatic Madeira viewpoint moment, off-road 4×4 driving, and a proper wine-tasting stop at Quinta Barbusano. The whole experience runs about 3 hours 30 minutes, so it fits neatly if you want something more fun than a walking tour, but not a full day commitment.

What makes this tour click for me is how it blends “see it” with “taste it.” You’re not only driving past highlights, you’re getting a tasting at the end of the ride. That’s also why the small-group setup matters. Up to 8 people per jeep is a big difference on a busy island, especially with open-air seating.

The other key thing to understand upfront is cost structure. The advertised price is just the transportation and guiding piece, and the tasting at Quinta Barbusano plus the Cabo Girão admission are listed as add-ons. That’s not a deal-breaker, but it changes the real per-person total.

Quinta do Barbusano tasting at the prepared table

The heart of the “wine tour” part is at Quinta Barbusano. At the table, you taste six handpicked local wine varieties, paired with toast cheese. This is not a rushed sip-and-run. It’s designed so you can compare wines side by side and actually notice differences.

The Quinta do Barbusano visit includes the tasting fee, listed as €24.00 per person. That covers the wine tasting and the guided visit at the winery, so if wine is your main goal, you should budget for that add-on from the start. A few people also commented that the wines can lean toward basic table styles, so if you’re a serious Madeira collector looking for rare bottles, you may want to set expectations lower and focus on variety and taste-testing rather than “wow” bottles.

One more detail that matters: the winery explanation is in English only. That can be a plus if you’re comfortable in English, but it can feel limiting if you expected a multilingual guide at the estate.

On the good days, guides make a real difference. Names like Lewis, Eddie/Eddy, and Miguel show up tied to standout experiences, especially when the off-road portion gets you good views and the winery visit feels well paced.

The Cabo Girão cliff stop, including the skywalk entrance fee

Your ride includes a stop at Cabo Girão, with about 30 minutes on site. Cabo Girão is the big cliff moment, with panoramic ocean views and that well-known glass-and-skywalk style area. The important part for planning: Cabo Girão admission is not included, and it’s listed as €5.00 per person.

That admission fee is why you should treat this stop as “worth it, if you’re here for the views.” If you simply want a scenic photo angle from a distance, you might not need the full paid experience. But if you want the main viewpoint experience up close, the time window is just long enough to do it without feeling rushed.

Also, if you already visited Cabo Girão on your own, it’s worth bringing up to your guide. I’ve seen cases where time was adjusted and people got extra time in Câmara de Lobos instead.

The off-road 4×4 ride through Madeira’s steep roads

This tour is called a 4×4 adventure for a reason. You move through rugged terrain in open jeeps, and you’ll get views of tall cliffs, waterfalls, and vineyard slopes from road sections that most buses never touch.

The practical value here is comfort and control. Open-top jeeps keep the ride lively, and the small group size means you’re not packed in like sardines. You also get a guide who can point things out as you go. And yes, the ride can feel bumpy, because the roads are not meant for speed or smoothness.

The only caution I’d add is vehicle condition. Some people described the jeeps as older. If you’re sensitive to rough rides, consider that reality before booking. That said, the best feedback in the notes is consistently about the off-road driving, especially when your driver picks clean lines through the vineyard tracks.

The village loop that makes the tour feel like the real Madeira

Between the bigger stops, you pass through multiple towns and rural areas, and this is where you get the “Madeira feel” beyond the tasting room.

Câmara de Lobos

Câmara de Lobos is a charming fishing village on the southwest coast. You’ll see the colorful houses and the harbor area, and it’s known for local market energy and a long-standing settlement story. The name relates to monk seals that used to live there, which adds a fun bit of context when you’re looking out at the sea.

Quinta Grande

Quinta Grande is a rural area surrounded by vineyards and terraced fields. It’s connected to wine production and Madeira wine traditions, and it’s dotted with historic estates. Even from the road, it helps you understand why this island produces wine the way it does: steep terrain, terraced farming, and a culture that has grown around it.

Campanário

Campanário sits between the mountains and the sea, and it’s described as calm, with colorful flowers and old-style architecture. It’s also tied to traditional folk music and dances during local festivals. You won’t necessarily see a festival during a typical tour time, but the town’s reputation helps explain the island’s “mountain plus sea” rhythm.

Ribeira Brava

Ribeira Brava, meaning wild river, is on the southern coast. It’s known for a pebble beach, a promenade, and a historic church. This is the kind of place that feels local rather than tourist-only, and it’s a nice contrast after the wine estate time.

The real value of these village passes is pacing. It keeps the day from turning into a single long drive and a single tasting. You’re getting a sense of how Madeira is stitched together.

Serra de Água and the Encumeada viewpoint area

The day also includes Serra de Água, with about 1 hour. This is a lush valley setting surrounded by mountains, and it’s known for terraced vineyards and traditional watermills. The big name here is the Encumeada viewpoint, famous for sweeping panoramas over the island.

This stop works well for two reasons. First, it breaks up the driving with a calmer viewpoint segment. Second, the terraced vineyard setting gives you a visual map for why wine matters here. When you see the slopes and terraces, the island’s wine culture stops being an idea and starts being practical geography.

If you’re the type who likes photos but hates long waits, the time allocation here should feel fair. You get enough time to take in the view and move on without feeling stuck.

Price and logistics: what you should really budget

The tour is listed at $66.01 per person, for about 3.5 hours. What you get for that price:

• Free pickup in Funchal center and Caniço
• A friendly guide in English
• Open-top 4×4 jeeps with a small group, up to 8 people
• Insurance coverage mentioned as protection against risks

Now the add-ons you should plan for:

• Quinta do Barbusano wine tasting and guided visit: €24.00 per person
• Cabo Girão entrance fee: €5.00 per person
• Cruise dock pickup fee: €5.00 per person if you need that from the cruise area

So the value question is simple: if you’re happy paying for the tasting and the main cliff experience, you’re buying a fun mix of views plus wine. If you only care about the driving and want free viewpoints, the extras can make it feel pricey.

Also note the timing and tickets: you get a mobile ticket, which helps you avoid fumbling with paper during pickup.

Pickup details, group size, and what to watch for

Pickup is available only in the Funchal area and Caniço. If you’re staying elsewhere, you meet at Funchal Center near the Cristiano Ronaldo statue, and cruise passengers may pay the extra pickup fee.

The group size cap is maximum 24 travelers, but you’re also riding in jeeps with up to 8 people each. That split is part of why people like this style of tour. You’re not stuck with a huge group voice in your ear all day.

One more practical reality: because this is a short tour, the schedule is tight. If you have any must-see needs or you already visited a major stop like Cabo Girão, talk to your guide early. In at least one case, additional time was swapped for Câmara de Lobos when people had already done Cabo Girão.

Should you book Green Devil Safari’s wine and skywalk 4×4?

Book it if you want a half-day that hits all three of these:

• Madeira views that need a car (Cabo Girão and Serra de Água)
• Off-road jeeps without the big bus crowd feeling
• Six-wine tasting experience at Quinta Barbusano

Skip or rethink if:

• Wine quality is your top priority and you expect top-shelf rarity. Some feedback points to more straightforward table-style wines.
• You need winery explanations in languages other than English. The winery guide portion is only in English.
• You’re highly sensitive to vehicle age or roughness. A few notes mention older jeeps.

If you go in with the right expectations, this is a great “first Madeira taste” tour: scenic, active, and built around a real tasting stop rather than just photos and promises.