Private boat · Funchal to Cabo Girão

Cabo Girão
boat tour

A private Cabo Girão boat tour from Funchal: 9 km west along the coast to the foot of a 580 metre sea cliff, with the drone up over your boat. Every Chifbay trip goes there, from €400 for the whole boat.

Check dates & book Ask the skippers
From
€400
By sea
9 km from Funchal
Guests
Up to 5
Trips
Day or sunset
01The cliff from below

580 metres,
seen from the sea

Cabo Girão is a wall of volcanic rock about 580 metres high, one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe. Most people see it from the glass skywalk at the top, looking down. From a boat you see the rest: the whole face above you, the layers of basalt, and the small farmed terraces at its foot.

We leave Marina do Funchal and run west past Câmara de Lobos, the fishing village Churchill came to paint. About 9 km out, the cliff fills the view. We slow down under it, the drinks and food come out, and the skippers fly the drone so you leave with footage of your boat and the cliff behind it, weather allowing.

See which trip to pick
Chifbay boat tour under Cabo Girão, the 580 m sea cliff west of Funchal Under Cabo Girão · drone footage included
02Two ways to go

Every trip reaches Cabo Girão

Choose by time of day. The sunset cruise is for the light and a drink on deck; the day trip adds a swim just past the cliff.

Evening · 2 h or 2 h 30

Sunset cruise

Câmara de Lobos · Cabo Girão · Ribeira Brava on the 2 h 30
€400
From · whole boat · up to 5
  • Leaves 1 h 15 before sunset, so the light is right all year
  • Cabo Girão from the water, drone up over the boat
  • Drinks, food and complimentary Portuguese wine on deck
  • 2 h turns at the cliff (€400), 2 h 30 goes on to Ribeira Brava (€500)
Book the sunset cruise

Read about the sunset cruise

10:00 or 14:00 · 2 h 30 or 3 h

Day trip with a swim

Cabo Girão · Fajã dos Padres · Ribeira Brava
€500
From · whole boat · up to 5
  • Under Cabo Girão with the drone up at about 10:45 or 14:45
  • Swim, jump in and paddle at Fajã dos Padres
  • A second swim stop at Ribeira Brava
  • 3 h option goes on to Ponta do Sol (€600)
Book the day trip

Read about the day trip

Drone at the cliff

The skippers fly the drone over your boat under Cabo Girão, weather allowing, and send you the footage.

Drinks & food aboard

Served on deck under the cliff, on every trip. Nothing extra to pay.

Two local skippers

Licensed and from Madeira. They know where the cliff looks best in each light.

03What you see on the way

Funchal to Cabo Girão
in 9 km

The run starts along the Funchal waterfront. At 6 km you pass Câmara de Lobos, with its painted fishing boats and the bay that made it famous. Then the coast rises and the houses stop.

At 9 km the cliff is straight above you. From the water you can read it: dark and light bands of rock, green ledges in the cracks, and at the bottom, the vines and banana terraces of Fajã dos Padres, which you can only reach by boat or by cable car.

The Chifbay boat off Câmara de Lobos on the way to Cabo Girão Câmara de Lobos, 6 km from the marina
The route

One coast, west of Funchal

Every trip runs the same coastline, out of Marina do Funchal and west under the cliffs. The distances below are real, by sea.

  1. The pontoon at Marina do Funchal where Chifbay trips start
    01 · 0 km

    Marina do Funchal

    Meet your skipper on the pontoon, 15 minutes before.

  2. The Chifbay boat cruising off Madeira's south coast
    02 · 6 km

    Câmara de Lobos

    The fishing harbour Churchill painted, seen from the water.

  3. Guests on the Chifbay boat under the sea cliffs
    03 · 9 km

    Cabo Girão

    580 m of cliff straight out of the sea. The drone goes up here.

  4. A guest swimming beside the Chifbay boat in clear water
    04 · 11.5 km

    Fajã dos Padres

    The cove with no road in. Swim, jump in, paddle. Day trip.

  5. The Chifbay boat at anchor in turquoise water
    05 · 14 km

    Ribeira Brava

    Where the 2h30 day trip and the longer sunset turn for home.

Day trip to Ribeira Brava, or on to Ponta do Sol on the 3hSunset to Cabo Girão, or on to Ribeira Brava
04The run, step by step

Funchal to the cliff and back

Times for the day trip on the 10:00 slot. The sunset cruise runs the same coast, leaving 1 h 15 before sunset.

10:00

Marina do Funchal, Pontoon C

Meet the skippers on the pontoon, 15 minutes before.

10:20

Câmara de Lobos

The fishing harbour Churchill painted, seen from the sea.

10:45

Cabo Girão · drone up

580 metres of cliff above you. Drinks and food come out while the drone flies.

11:15

Fajã dos Padres · day trip

Anchor under the terraces just west of the cliff. Swim and paddle.

12:30

Back in Funchal

Full speed home on the 2 h 30, or 13:00 on the 3 h.

05Good to know

Cabo Girão by boat: questions

How long does it take to reach Cabo Girão by boat from Funchal?+

About 45 minutes at an easy pace. It is 9 km by sea from Marina do Funchal, and we pass Câmara de Lobos on the way. On the day trip we are under the cliff about 45 minutes after leaving: 10:45 on the 10:00 slot.

Which Chifbay trip goes to Cabo Girão?+

All of them. The sunset cruise turns at Cabo Girão on the 2 h option (€400) and carries on to Ribeira Brava on the 2 h 30 (€500). The day trip stops under the cliff and then swims at Fajã dos Padres (€500 or €600).

Can we swim at Cabo Girão?+

The swim stop is a few minutes further west, at Fajã dos Padres, on the day trip only. The water there is calmer and clear, and the paddle boards come out. The sunset cruise does not stop to swim.

Is the skywalk or the boat better?+

They show two different things. The glass skywalk at the top shows the drop. The boat shows the cliff itself, from the waterline up, and the terraces of Fajã dos Padres at its foot. If you have time, do both.

Do you fly the drone at the cliff?+

Yes, on every trip, weather allowing. You also get an Insta360 360° video and high quality photos taken with a real camera, sent to you after the trip.

What does it cost?+

One flat price for the whole boat, up to 5 guests: from €400 for the 2 h sunset cruise to €600 for the 3 h day trip. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.

Included

You leave with the whole trip on film

Nothing extra to pay and nothing to set up. We film and photograph the trip and send it all to you after.

IncludedDrone footage from aboveAerial shots of your boat under Cabo Girão and in the coves, weather allowing.
IncludedInsta360 360° video360° footage from on board, reframed so you are in every shot.
Two guests at the back of the Chifbay boat watching the sun go down behind the cliffs of Madeira
IncludedCamera photosHigh quality photos of your group taken with a real camera through the whole trip, sent to you after.
Marina do Funchal · Pontoon C

See Cabo Girão from the sea

Check live dates and book your private boat in a couple of minutes. Your group only, from €400.

Check dates & book Message the skippers
Or call directly · +351 937 200 320
From€400
Book now