Dayhike the ancient forests, canals, mountain ridges and seacoasts of Madeira

See a photo journal of our Madeira trip at this link.

See our planned daily Gaia routes at this link  and the actual tracks from all of our routes except for Paul do Mar to Prezeres at this link.  

We did two 'officially sanctioned' hikes on our own (these are the ones with the prefix PR and these require a 3-euro-per-person advance permit), and 5 'off the beaten track' routes devised by local guide Marcio from Madeira Hikes.  Below are the hikes we did in the order that we did them, and a high level summary of the trail conditions.  Note that the Pico Arriero hike was postponed for two days due to heavy rain in the high country and we just moved two other hikes forward.

1-2.  Tour and explore around Funchal

This town has a lovely historic area and we enjoyed a guided tour as well as an excellent food tour.

3.  PR 8 - Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço (on our own).   

This trail system was was a bit of a maze but and very crowded, but trails were noted on Gaia and we followed a route that we extended beyond the original PR8.  Some very steep descents and some areas of red clay that had experienced some erosion but other wise excellent trails and easy to follow.  We started early and that was good because parking filled up miles down the access road by 9AM.

4. Northeast Coast hike :  Caniçal village, Vereda da Boca do Risco, Pico das Roçadas, Boca do Risco, to Porto do Cruz, with Marcio from Madeira Wonder Hikes.

Marcio led us steeply up to an incredible view from the northern clifftops but we avoided the steep descent and climb along the cliffs to Boca do Risco because rain was making the red clay trail very slippery.  Instead we followed a lovely levada trail along the heights on the south side of the cliffs, coming back out at the tops and finally traversing along the incredible cliffs (jungle!  waterfalls!) to Porto do Cruz where our van picked us up.  We saw no one else on this route.  

5. Boaventura waterfalls - levada hike to Boca do Lapinha viewpoint with Marcio

This was an unforgettable jungle route along  multiple levadas above the little town of Boaventura, a seldom visited place on the north side of the island.  Marcio introduced us to several of the special plant species of the island including the  various Laurels, and we passed innumerable waterfalls.  Trails along the levedas were sometimes narrow but totally comfortable.

6.  Hike in the Mountains:  Poiso to Pico Arieiro with Marcio

This planned hike was re-routed a bit - we learned that the access roads to the original planned trailhead were too narrow for our big van, boo!  But the route we took was good trail through the forest from the previously planned endpoint, up to a viewpoint looking across to Pico Arriero, and then we walked across to the famous knife-edge walk on Pico Arriero.  (the knife edge had steep drop-offs on the two sides but wasn't scary).  Our van then picked us up from the Pico Arriero parking lot.  Note to self:  be aware that you'll need a smaller van for this trailhead transfer!

7.  Free day hiking and exploring around Porto Moniz

Some of us enjoyed the natural pools on the Porto Moniz waterfront, some people walked up the hill to the top for more views, others walked along the coast road to see the sea stacks.  A great place to spend a zero day!

8.  PR13 - Vereda do Fanal (on our own)

The high point on this Vereda is the very last part through the Fanal forest - giant old laurel trees in the mist!  But the first 4-5 miles of this route took us through a lot of boring thick scrub with no views (skip this part!), but once we get into Fanal it was incredible with rows of huge spreading trees.    There was a maze of trails but we generally aimed in the direction we wanted to go and found our way back to the parking lot.

9.  Hike Paul do Mar to Prezeres via Miradouro da Raposeira with Marcio

This was surprisingly one of everyone's favorites.  The trail wound straight up the cliff first (rather sketchy trail with lots of steps  and somewhat overgrown trail) and then traversed along the tops to a stunning viewpoint.  All along the way the flowers were exceptional, as well as the vast ocean views.  We ended the walk along a levada and into the little town of Prezeres.

10.  Hike the hidden waterfalls of Rabacal with Marcio

This was a rainy day but Marcio took us on a round-about route through the jungle along levadas to views of multiple incredible waterfalls and deep pools.  These trails were busier but well defined.

11.   Free day around Santa Cruz and Funchal

The group spent this day  visiting the botanical gardens high up on the hill above the town and enjoying the Funchal market, very worthwhile.  We took the bus from our hotel in Santa Cruz and that was quite easy.

12.  Departure day (some people spent another day in Lisbon on the way back)