Atlantic Tour Companies

A truly magical, once in a life time experience. Our group was an eclectic mix of amazing people who made this experience that much more special. Our guide, Dinarte was so welcoming, knowledgeable organized and motivating. As a native Madeiran, he truly loves the island and shared so much of this special place with us. If I could give 10 stars, I would. Take the leap of faith and book your next adventure in Madeira, you won't regret it. Thank you for this life changing experience and the opportunity to me new friends from around the world!

The hikes themselves were very nice. So the 3 day hiking experience was great. I was very disappointed with the optional last day as it really meant that the tour finished after day 4

First I must tell you that we have home where we do Bed and Breakfast so we are in the tourist industry. Our properties are rated 9.6 and 9.8 respectively on booking.com. We were in the catering business before that for 20 years. We do know what we are talking about as far as accommodation and food are concerned. One of the hikes was really too hard for us normal hikers. The written guides warned of "if y you are afraid of heights" but Eduardo really didn't indicate just how hard the hike was nor how tremendously afraid one could become walking on a ledge 1600m up. Fortunately it was cloudy and I could not see down. The accommodation most of the time was more than acceptable but the bathrooms often needed some bleach around the shower and floors. We are very sensitive about mold in the caulking and elsewhere in the bathroom. However, the food was ghastly and virtually unedible by the time we arrived in Encumeada. We didn't complain because 1) that ruins our holiday even more and 2) that is what they serve on a buffet and that is how they do it. I don't know why no one complained...besides that being hungry before and after a hike, you just eat it anyway. There was no option besides finding somewhere else to eat, which we did when there was another restaurant near that looked more acceptable. We were constantly told " oh the food is great there, so that is why we ate at the hotels even when the meal was not included. That was at the hotel Hotel O’Colmo - Santana. We did complain about the food and asked to be refunded. No I did not like their lamb, it was tasteless. The breakfast was very bad so that even the coffee was horrible. The other hotels had very nice coffee. We needed a good breakfast for hiking and were hungry for dinner after hiking all day. The engulf hotel was very nice but the food was made to far in advance and of poor quality. We thought that was bad but it just got worse. We were also very tired to go somewhere else to eat after hiking and going to dinner then to see the dinner was not acceptable to us. There was always good bread butter and fruit (except in Santana) but the quality overall was really very cheap processed, cooked too far in advance, especially at Hotel Encumeada – Santo Antonio da Serra. It was definitely cooked the day before and reheated. We did complain to the management at that hotel, not just about the towels which had holes in them. I didn’t think to take pictures of the worn out blankets, molded caulking in the showers and floors, processed and overcooked food. I will never do a tour again where meals are included. For the price of the tour, I do not feel we received what we paid for. 200£ a day should have given us better than average quality. If I took another tour, I would not be getting the meals included!

i guess Tourradar acts a travel agent for many operators. This does lead to a slight disjointing of the booking experience, but they did pick some good tours to promote. As to the trip itself, put together by local Madeira tour operator MB Travel, and tied together by Headwater Travel UK. 'Marvels of Madeira' gave a good cross section of the walking routes on the Island. Pick ups and taxis were all smoothly present when needed. The Hotel stays were well chosen to give a great, peaceful and comfortable stays, if rather grander than needed. Being set on Half board meant no worries about extra spends - only the bar bill to surmount. As this was a self guided tour, the initial briefing was important and well conducted. My only niggles were the ancillary services. Tourradars travel insurance deals were not flexible enough to take on a peronally arranged extension to my stay, and the flight agency (Kiwi.com) had a hefty booking mark up. Otherwise, a great Walking holiday. Philip

Beautiful island, interesting walking and good meals. Great company and caring guiding.

Great communication throughout the booking process. Just before going they send a really useful link to a detailed step by step itinerary. Hotel was good and all transport and tours were great. Going home with amazing pictures of San Miguel so all in all a great trip.

We were lucky and had the same Tour Guide for almost all of our days. The weather wasn’t perfect, but the island is beautiful, no matter the weather. When I had questions, the tour operator was responsive as well.

Could have been (should have) a day or two longer. I think there is enough to see in Ponta Delgada to justify a day there. Also, I would like to see the tour end where it starts. In Ponta Delgada.

Trip very good Organization could be greatly improved

I recently had the pleasure of taking a tour around the southern part of Tenerife, and it was an unforgettable experience, the volcanic landscapes, especially around Mount Teide, were stunning and unlike anything I've seen before. The pick up of the car was speedy and easy and the service at the time of the booking of this tour was excellent as we decided to travel in a short period of time. Great hotels, super relaxing and comfortable, one of them with an amazing view, and very friendly staff. Thank you for everything!

The apartments in the North and South were both clean and well kept. The breakfasts were good. Our room location in the North was a major problem. Our room was 415 which sounds good, but we had to take the elevator to the 4th floor and walk 49 stairs one way to our room. As we are in our 70's and we were vacationing in Europe for 6 weeks we had a large suitcase and carryons also. With no help on the stairs with our suitcases it was difficult to get to and from the room. We discussed this with the receptionist and we could not change as the hotel was full. I feel that we should never have been given this room to start with. The staff was excellent in both apartments both North and South.

Outstanding hiking holiday with a range of environments, a brilliant group and a top class guide.

I thought the holiday was enjoyable, though the walking was tough at times perhaps above my level. One notable subject was that our guide gave us excellent service and consideration. Only one slight negative was the transport arrandement between the airport and hotel on initial landing (5th) Oct, this appeared to be bady arranged., as I had to call "Explore" for assistance.

The individual activities were quite good however considering I signed up for an active trip there was very little activity, mostly sight seeing and the activities were very placid which was disappointing. They never begin on time either you just wait around for 40 mins until they decide to start. Secondly, this is not a tour - they just book you into day trips and book your accommodation..no guide or group. Thirdly, the communication from this company is awful. You will need to do a lot of independent research to even know what gear you need each day or what you are doing. My transfer from the airport did not arrive despite the company having my flight details and have got radio silence regarding a refund for this. I also apparently had a lunch included but didn't get told this or where or what time but they had the audacity to ring and say where are you. Guests need to be mind readers to get their meals apparnetly. All in all this island is magnificent but you can book all of this independently without paying their fees.

The hotel was very comfortable and well located. The daily hikes were really interesting, as a result of the excellent local guides who shared their knowledge and experience of the island. I found the hikes much more challenging than expected from the description of 'soft trekking' suitable for people up to age 90. The terrain was difficult at times and the hikes involved a lot of up and down hill.

The hotels were very good. The car rental was a little inconvenient as it was offsite from the airport. The only improvement would be either to include GPS in the rental car or a proper detailed map. We arrived on a rainy, foggy night and it was almost impossible to find our guest house the first night.

Overall the tour was good. The response coordinating the trip was great. They did change 1 item on the itinerary but it was no problem. I didn't like the location of the hotel. There was nothing close by (shops, restaurants, etc.). This also wasn't a tour where you were with the same group of people. It was more solo where you met different people on different days and no one stayed in the same location so very little group bonding. It was nice on the days I had the rental car so I was able to get out to stores, restaurants and sights. The last day there was a dinner but it was so far from the location of the hotel, I didn't even bother going. Note: the canyoning was well worth it!

Good nice trip,good service.

Booking with tourradar.com turned out to be a real stroke of luck for us! Together with the local operator bu country tours, a perfect program was created to really get to know the island of Boa Vista. This would hardly be possible without guides, only with them can you find the most beautiful places, all of which can only be reached with suitable vehicles and on the most adventurous routes. Although there were only two of us, all the excursions were carried out exclusively for us, with each of them covering around 100 km. Our friendly guide on the off-road vehicle excursions in particular told us lots of interesting facts about the island in excellent English and was happy to answer all our questions. We were even accompanied by 2 guides on the equally unforgettable quad tour with spectacular desert passages. A WhatsApp group was set up by bu country tours, where we were constantly and very personally provided with information about the program, etc. We were also informed about all shuttle trips and pick-ups. All shuttle rides and pick-ups also worked perfectly and on time. The cozy hotel is very close to the beach and the proximity to Sal Rei is convenient for exploring the city. The hotel bar on the roof with a fantastic view is also a highlight in itself. All in all, the offer is top value for money and a real recommendation for guests who want to see more of the island than a hotel complex. - We were really impressed! Walter and Silvia Reitmayr

I Will not use Wingbuddy again. This was a poorly organized trip and reflects badly on the company's overall ability to function during less than ideal situations. I had difficulty setting up the actual tour. I was not given any specifics until 3 days after payment was made on first contact. There were hidden airline costs that arose once I had booked. The Whale Watching tour was cancelled because of weather conditions and safety concerns. However, Wingbuddy did not have a plan 'B' in place to cover the vacant time. Instead, it was given as a free day without any thought to compensation. As well, the thermal baths in Furnas were closed because of the end-of-season maintenance. This is a yearly scheduled occurrence that Wingbuddy should have been on top of and offered a solution: another thermal bath location. When asked about compensation for the two cancellations, the run-around happened: call the Whale watching company, etc., etc. Also, there was no one answering the emergency line. The Hotel was great. The guide for the 2 1/2 day tours and 1 full day tour was very nice, so was the van driver.

George was very knowledgeable and a fun tour guide.

The first hike was great over the Boca do Rico. After that the hikes along the Levadas were much the same. Because of the recent fire the route on day 5 had to be changed so we missed the mountain hike. We were dropped off at view point to walk straight down to Camara de Lobos. The walk along the ocean was nice. We planned on taking the gondola up to the tropical gardens, but the line up was long so opted to hike up to the top. At times it was a 32 % grade! Not sure if the 15 Euro ticket to see the garden was worth it.

Very well organized. The instructions were clear and our driver helped us a lot with finding places to see and things to do.