Incredible tour to a 'Faja' with a story

Had a wonderful time with my husband on the farm and fruit tasting tour. Fatima, our guide was very passionate and knowledgable. Apart from how interesting it was, the views and surroundings were breathtaking. We arrived early and were able to take the funicular down early and explore by ourselves until the start time (it is also posibile to stay on afterwards, last exit is at 6pm). We tried some truly delicious fruit, shows what we’re missing by the store bought produce at home. Our only regret is that found out about the tour after we already arrived in Madeira and had accommodation booked, it is actually possible to stay on the on site accommodation at the farm, we would have loved to do that for a night, next time!

We had a fascinating tour of Faja dos Podres, a former Jesuit outpost close to Quinta Grande and the famous Cabo Girao lookout. Access is via a cable car which takes you on a leisurely 300m drop down to the beach - a unique experience in of itself!

Faja dos Podres is now an organic farm, restaurant and oasis of tranquility, with eight simple villas converted from previous houses and barns. Fatima was a wonderful guide:knowledgable, patient and unhurried. We learned about the history of Faja dos Postres, the various organic fruit and vegetables grown there, and the ethos and culture of the farm. After a fruit tasting (delicious, even the deceptive pitanga cherry!), we enjoyed a lovely lunch overlooking the blue sea with the freshest of fish and fruit and vegetables from the farm. The staff were lovely, the location was beautiful and it was a very memorable day. Thoroughly recommended.

Cable car/entrance fee €12; tour and entrance €26/36 (to include fruit tasting). Three course lunch with wine/drinks €85 for two. Experience: priceless.

We attended a guided tour and the fruit taste experience.

The guide, Fatima was friendly,helpful and had a excellent English. The garden was full of colours, fruits and flowers it was also well organised.

We will definitely recommend this amazing, wonderful experience!!!!!!

We (family with 2 kids 4yo and 6yo) discovered many details about the farm and its history. We enjoyed 2 hours with Fatima. Fruits are amazing, I really recommend this experience.

We had a great tour with Fatima, there was nothing about Madeira that she wasn’t willing to chat about. It was lovely to meet someone so passionate and proud of their home. We loved her stories of the history of the Fajã and the access routes of the past. We already knew a fair amount about the fruit, but even so we learnt some new things and really enjoyed the tasting. The tour with tasting lasted about 2 hours and we even got a quick look inside the lovely holiday homes available there. Afterwards we enjoyed lunch in the restaurant by the sea. We came home with a bag of mangoes on which to try out our newly learnt cutting and preparation skills and a jar of their delicious mango jam. It’s a beautiful spot and the cable car access is fun and easy. Parking is a lot easier than many places in Madeira and the weather down on the faja was much nicer than up the top. A great trip.

Fatima was a wonderful guide and couldn't be stumped by even the weirdest question about the fruit, the plantation, Madeira, it's history and people. She was bubbly and fun. The fruit tasting at the end of the tour was interesting and delicious too.

Afterwards we enjoyed the restaurant and the pier. Don't forget to bring bathing suits!

Great to see a working Faja.

Fatima was very informative and the fruit absolutely delicious

A beautiful place.

This was a return visit but this time we booked the tour and fruit tasting.

Fatima, who conducted the tour, was knowledgeable and passionate about the area.

Just look up their website and book.

After the fruit tasting we remained at the restaurant to have a light lunch of Limpets washed down with Poncha.

As I said in a previous review, this place is worth the effort to get there.

It cost us €50 return to get a taxi from our hotel.

My husband and I visited Faja dos Padres. We hesitated a bit booking a tour since there were a few bad reviews but decided to go anyway since the price wasn't too crazy. (€30 includes the roundtrip cable car rides which is €12 if you purchase searately). We are so glad we did it. Fatima was our guide and she went details on history of the island, of Faja dos padres and also the agriculture. She was very friendly and tried to share with us as much as she could; fruits, flowers, history of vines, monarch butterflies, its caterpillars & cocoons, different types of mangos, farm animals, family history and so much more! I had a lot of fun tasting 3 different types of mangos and 2 different types of banana as I personally really love fruits. We also got to eat lunch after without a reservation and the food was delicious. Service is a bit slow but that's not unusual in the island. I also bought some fruits once we returned to the top. We are planning to go back tomorrow to hang out around the beach. I would highly recommend this experience. BRING A HAT!

My daughters and I visited Faja dos Padres for a farm tour and fruit tasting during our recent family vacation in Madeira and are so glad that we did! Our host, Fatima, was happy to accommodate us on short notice and deliver a tour that educated us about the fascinating history of the farm as well as the organic farming practices used there. Our whole experience – from the cable car ride down to the farm, to a delicious lunch at the restaurant on the beach, to our pleasant and informative tour – was something we will never forget. We would recommend anyone visiting Madeira to add a visit to this unique place to their itinerary.