Fodor's Expert Review Carreiros do Monte
The village of Monte is home to one of Madeira's oldest and most eccentric attractions: a snowless sled ride down the mountain. The toboggan sleds were first created to carry supplies from Monte to Funchal. Nowadays the rides are just for fun, and no visitor to Madeira should miss out on this white-knuckle adventure.
Dressed in white and wearing goatskin boots with soles made of rubber tires, drivers line up on the street below the Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Monte. Resembling big wicker baskets, the sleds have wooden runners that are greased with pig fat so they'll go even faster. Two drivers run alongside the sled, controlling it with ropes as it races downhill on a 10-minute trip halfway to Funchal. At the end of the ride there are several souvenir shops where you can pick up a photograph of yourself taken by a sneaky photographer shooting you somewhere on the ride. To get back to Funchal, walk about 1 km (½ mile) or take one of the many waiting taxis.
