32° 39′ N · 17° 00′ W · the Atlantic · Ground 03
580 metres of glass.
Below that, only the Atlantic.
You step onto a glass floor at Cabo Girão, and beneath your shoes the island drops 580 metres straight into the sea. Madeira is a volcano sticking out of the Atlantic – everything here goes steeply down: cliffs, gorges, cables, waterfalls. Scrolling means jumping. We show you every stop on the way down to the water.
Stop 1 · Skywalk · Cabo Girão
580M ABOVE THE SEA
No harness, no guide, no countdown. Just a sheet of glass – and the decision whether you really put your foot where your brain sees no floor.
Honestly: you can visit the skywalk without a tour – there's only a small entry fee on site. The tours are worth it if you want to see the west of the island anyway.
↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling
The valley opens towards the sea, the cable disappears into the haze – and you're hanging from it at over sixty miles an hour with the Atlantic straight ahead.
Note: zipline and swing are optional on both tours and paid for on site – the tour price covers the jeep, the guide and the route.
↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling
Stop 2 · Zipline · Ribeira da Janela
320M LAUNCH HEIGHT
Stop 3 · Giant swing · Ribeira da Janela
250M DROP BENEATH YOU
A swing like the one in the playground. Except this one carries you twenty metres out – and at the top of the arc there are 250 metres of valley beneath you.
Same tours as the zipline: the swing is at the same spot and is an option on the two jeep tours above. GetYourGuide has no separate ticket. Photo: the coast at Seixal, a few kilometres away.
↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling
Laurel forest above you, water everywhere. The guide checks the knot, you lean back over the edge – and walk down the wall, straight through the waterfall.
Photo: Risco waterfall – not the canyoning gorge itself. Level 1 gets by with rappels of up to about 15 m.
↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling
Stop 4 · Canyoning · Ribeira das Cales
22M RAPPEL
Stop 5 · Coasteering
0M · IN THE ATLANTIC
At the bottom there's no trail left. You scramble over lava rock, jump into the swell, swim through a grotto – and come out where no boat goes.
↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling
Madeira's most famous descent: about 2 km in a wicker basket down the streets from Monte to Livramento, steered by two carreiros who brake with their rubber-soled shoes – since 1850. We couldn't find a sourced figure for the height of the run, so the toboggan sits here rather than in the fall.
Take-off high above Arco da Calheta, landing on the beach at Madalena do Mar, 10–20 minutes in the air. Not bookable on GetYourGuide – you book the pilots in Calheta directly.
You at the wheel, through eucalyptus forest and over gravel tracks in the south-west – loud, dusty, and no head for heights required.
| Activity | Pulse | The number | Duration | From | Reviews | Bookable online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabo Girão skywalk | Book now →as a tour · entry fee on site | |||||
| Ribeira da Janela zipline | Book now →as an option on jeep tours | |||||
| Giant swing | 5/5 | 20 m swing above a 250 m drop | — | on site | — | tour option only |
| Canyoning | Book now → | |||||
| Coasteering | Book now → | |||||
| Monte toboggan | Book now →as a tuk-tuk tour | |||||
| Off-road buggy | Book now → |
On GetYourGuide the toboggan comes as part of tuk-tuk tours from Funchal costing between €33 and €110 per person (as of Sept 21, 2026); whether the sledge ride itself is included is stated in each listing. The run from Monte to Livramento is about 2 km long.
The glass platform sits 580 m above the sea, which makes Cabo Girão one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe. There is a small entry fee on site, and many jeep tours to the west of the island stop there.
Level 1 tours are meant for beginners with no experience, with rappels of up to about 15 m. Level 2 in the Ribeira das Cales has 11 rappels of up to 22 m. Wetsuit, helmet and harness are provided.