Yellow Bus – Câmara de Lobos Tour (Funchal and Câmara de Lobos – Madeira), Hiking, Trekking, Walking Trails, Tracks, Pedestrian Routes, Portugal

Percurso de Yellow Bus - Câmara de Lobos Tour (Funchal e Câmara de Lobos - Madeira)

Today we took the day to “be a tourist”, rest our legs and discover Madeira with other eyes. Because we like to diversify our experiences in anywhere we go, we planned a Yellow Bus tour in the morning and a catamaran adventure for whale watching in the afternoon. We want to send a big hug to Marco from Amigos da Natureza (Friends of Nature) for all the suggestions and help in planning this day.

We woke up later than usual. We stay a little more time in bed because today there was no hike to do.
After breakfast we drove to Funchal Marina where the bus was waiting to take us on this tour. “Waiting” is a way of saying because these Yellow Bus “Hop On Hop Off” often passes at the defined stops on the chosen route, with intervals of about 35 minutes. We knew that if we couldn’t check-in on this one, the next wouldn’t be long to come.
In this case, we chose “Câmara de Lobos Tour” because as its name indicates, it leaves the city of Funchal to also enter Câmara de Lobos territory.

Upon arriving at the picturesque village of Câmara de Lobos, we notice the charm that this locality aroused in Winston Churchill.

We chose the first places on the top floor of the bus (luckily still available) and we started the route.
First by the main arteries of Funchal, Sá Carneiro Avenue, Infante Avenue and Estrada Monumental (Monumental Road) the trip proceed to Lido, a famous area with hotels, restaurants and swimming pools, in the direction of Câmara de Lobos.

Lido Islet (also known as “Gorgulho Islet”) rips the blue waters of the ocean, resembling a shark’s fin approaching the coast.

The houses that goes through the “amphitheatres” of the island is one of his trademark images. The green of the slopes is splashed by the housing clusters that grow in the most incredible places and almost always with breathtaking views of the Atlantic, after all we are on an island.

There are many places to walk, not only in the mountains and “levadas”, but also in the promenades that run along the coastline. One of the most famous is “Lido Promenade”, a pedestrian route that connects the Lido area to Formosa Beach.

On reaching the picturesque village of Câmara de Lobos, we notice the charm that this locality aroused in Winston Churchill in its wandering around to Madeira Island. Its charm doesn’t leave us indifferent and we feel that we would like to return with more time to know it better.
Here the Yellow Bus reversed the direction and we started the return way to Funchal to finish the tour with about 1h:10m.

Points of Interest:

Funchal and Câmara de Lobos.

Tips:

Park your car in the underground parking lot of CR7 Square.
Start and finish the tour next to Funchal Marina. In the end, you have access to other experiences, such as whale watching tours.
In “Hop On Hop Off” system you can get off the bus to visit nearby points of interest and re-enter the next to continue the tour.
Tickets can be purchased at the Yellow Bus website, at Avenida do Mar (Sea Avenue), at the Lido Kiosk, at the Official Agents’ Network or even on board of the vehicle.