A week crossing the island of Madeira from east to west

Madeira Island Trek in the Atlantic Ocean

Starting point

The trek starts at the eastern tip of the island on the Ponta de São Lourenço peninsula, specifically at Baía da Abra bay. There is a car park here and it is also the final stop for the local SAM buses that come here from Funchal via Machico and Caniçal. Alternatively, of course, you can start the trek from the other (western) side of the island, specifically in the town of Porto Moniz, which is also served by buses from Funchal.
 

Description of the hike

1. day

In the sleepy fishing town of Caniçal, where we spent the night after our arrival in Madeira yesterday, we buy supplies and think about our first steps on the island. We take the SAM bus 5 km to the final stop at Baía da Abra, where the hiking trail on the Ponta de São Lourenço peninsula begins. The easternmost tip of the mainland of Madeira, with its rugged steppe landscape, is almost unrecognisable from the rest of the green island.

The PR8 (Vereda do Ponta de São Lourenço) trail along the rocky ridge offers some breathtaking views to either side, and overhead we see planes flying overhead, which moments later we see in the distance landing on a reinforced concrete pontoon reaching out to sea. Along the way, we also admire several impressive tall rock monoliths that are separated from the rest of the land by water. After nearly two hours of slow walking we arrive at Casa do Sardinha, a small restaurant surrounded by palm trees, where we refresh ourselves.

We drop off our packs here before running up to the rocky hill of Pico do Furado, where we have an amazing view of the two islands just off the cliff and the lighthouse, which is no longer accessible. We head back to our packs and after some thought we finally decide to spend the night here, as we like the nearby campsite (Cais do Sardinha) right by the ocean. We have time to refresh ourselves in the ocean, set up our tent in peace, plan tomorrow's route and chat with a family of Czechs who are also camping here.
 

2. day

I wake up at 7am to enjoy the sunrise over the ocean on the opposite shore. An hour later we walk back to the Baía de Abra bus stop and take a ride to Caniçal, where we have breakfast at a local snack bar and buy supplies for the trip at a gas station.

Around 11:00 we finally head up into the hills, first following the Vereda Boca to Risco - Caniçal trail, then smoothly joining the Vereda to Larano. The trail follows the northern cliff of the island with spectacular views of the ocean and rocky coastline below. At the end of this trail, we have to turn into the wooded hills towards Portela, where the PR5 route (Vereda das Funduras) will take us. After five o'clock, we arrive at the Portela pass in a light rain and go to take shelter in a local tavern, where we can at least recharge our phones and refresh ourselves.

Once the rain has passed, we treat ourselves to a beautiful view of the town of Porto da Cruz below us and walk another 2 km to the Lamaceiros area. Next to the closed forestry administration building there are two picnic tables surrounded by beautiful flowers and a flat area just right for a tent. It is not officially a camping site, but we can sleep here without any problem.
 

3. day

In the morning, we hike the relaxing PR10 (Levada do Furado) trail, which combines views of the northern coast with the laurel forest of laurisilva. Around 11:30 we arrive at the village of Ribeiro Frio, which is already full of mostly day-trippers and their cars. We have lunch at a local restaurant and then take a short walk to the popular Balcões viewpoint (after PR11 - Vereda dos Balcões).

On the way back to get our backpacks, we ponder the easiest way to negotiate the daunting kilometre-long section to Pico do Arieiro, preferably by some form of motorised transport. The taxi drivers on site are all busy, but we end up taking a bus to the village of Poiso and after some hitchhiking, a couple from France take us to the top of Madeira's third highest mountain. The original cloud cover suddenly dissipates and we are treated to views of the surrounding mountainous landscape full of vegetation.

From here we walk again along the amazing and popular PR1 (Vereda do Areeiro) ridge, which leads to the highest peak of the island, Pico Ruivo. The trail is a secured stone path and goes along the slopes above the rock gorges, up steep steps and through tunnels, crossing one deep valley. Along the way, we have to climb and re-climb some 700 metres, but at virtually every step we can enjoy incredible views of the surrounding area. Around 6:30 we arrive at the base of Pico Ruivo, where we find the hut already closed and the campsite almost occupied, we pitch our tent in the last suitable spot in the lee and, as the sun sets, we walk the last few dozen metres to the very top of Pico Ruivo.

4. day

Before 9 o'clock we start to go further along another beautiful and challenging ridge PR1.3 (Vereda da Encumeada), which connects the highest mountain with the highest road saddle of Madeira called Boca da Encumeada. At the same time, it offers a very varied hiking experience in the form of a landscape of magnificent mountains, ravines and gorges, amazing plants and trees and plenty of views on both sides of the valley. On the left side, the so-called Valley of the Nuns and the Pico Grande can be seen first, then the Serra de Água area, while on the other side one can see all the way to São Vicente on the coast.

About halfway along the trail at Torrinhas Pass you can turn down into the valley of the nuns, or 1.5 km further on you can find an unmarked turn-off to Pico Grande. Just beyond this, the trail begins a gradual descent to the final endless stone steps down to the saddle. After 10 challenging kilometres, I happily sit down in a restaurant in Boca da Encumeada, ordering a cold Coral and the local speciality fish fillet de espada. We don't feel like adding any more kilometres today, so we decide to camp relatively early in nearby Chão dos Louros, which still requires a descent of about 150 vertical metres off the planned route. Around five o'clock we pitch our tent in a huge park, where we at least take our gratitude for drinking water and Turkish toilets.
 

5. day

We wait for the rain to stop and before eleven o'clock we head back up into the hills. We choose the northern variant of the PR17 trail (Caminho do Pináculo e Folhadal) towards the Pico Ruivo de Paul. The first part leads from Encumeada along the flat Norte lava and after a kilometre we put on our headlamps and enter the first of the tunnels (one of them is even 1 km long). If we are not walking through pitch black darkness, the trail runs along the levadas through beautiful green countryside and we also come across several high waterfalls. Once the trail leaves the levada, it continues through a dense forest and then we have to climb about 350 vertical meters in a short time to the ridge, which is shrouded in fog all around.

After a few more kilometres in the diverse tree cover, we indulge in a lunch break at a small campsite called Caramujo, which is located a short distance away near a burnt out forestry administration building. A little further on, we leave the diverse PR17, which turns back down to the south, and continue steadily uphill on a wide, rocky path to an area called Estanquinhos, where we decide to turn off and climb the nearby Pico Ruivo de Paul (1639 m). From here, we have at least 10 km to go before reaching today's destination of Rabaçal at 5pm.

Fortunately, there is no more climbing, as the route follows the large plateau of Paúl de Serra, but the initial 3 kilometres must be walked on hot asphalt. In the Lajeado area, however, we finally join the levadas, first on the Pico da Urze, crossing the river to PR6.2 (Levada do Alecrim) and finally joining the PR6.3 trail (Vereda da Lagoa do Vento). From there we turn down steep steps to the lagoon of the same name, which is part of a cascade of two high waterfalls. This living water amidst wild greenery is a hidden treasure without the tourist crowds, yet no less impressive than the more popular Risco and 25 Fontes waterfalls. From here to the finish line it's less than two kilometres and after eight o'clock we finally arrive at the campsite in Rabaçal, exhausted.

 

6. day

First thing in the morning, still without the rush of tourists, we take a detour to see the popular Risco waterfall, which is about 1.5 km from the campsite. Once we get back to Rabaçal, the local café is finally open, where I can go for a coffee and recharge my phone in the process.

Around noon, we set off with our backpacks on the PR6 trail (Levada das 25 Fontes), which leads us to the so-called 25 springs - a small lake in the middle of green forests, into which several small waterfalls fall from the surrounding rocks. The place is truly magical, but the impression is spoiled by the already too many tourists. Completely alone, however, we continue walking along the beautiful lavada da Rocha Vermelha, which leads us along the hillside to the north and offers us stunning views of the Ribeira da Janela valley and the hills opposite. Along the way we have to climb one steep hill on narrow and unprotected stone steps, beside which water rushes down at great speed in a downpour and in places spills out onto the steps. A second, and even longer, climb up a steep clay path awaits us at the end of the whole levada, as we need to reach the ridge and join the PR13 (Vereda to Fanal) trail.

The next path leads almost on flat ground, through a plateau dotted with low bushes and ferns, until we come across the first ancient trees of the native laurel, twisting into various bizarre shapes, and herds of cows in the Fanal area. The further we walk, the more we get into the fog that is typical of this area and makes it a truly magical place. It is also here that we find a campsite with drinking water, where we meet two other tourists from the Czech Republic.
 

7. day

It's been raining all night and the sky and forecast give us no hope of change. The final stage of the crossing of the island awaits us with a steep descent down to the coast. For the first almost 7 kilometres we descend slowly at first on the PR14 (Levada dos Cedros) trail, where fortunately we are somewhat protected from the rain by dense tree cover, but even so the trail is very muddy and covered with puddles in places. The rain and fog, however, add a certain mystery to this forest levada full of greenery. As soon as we cross the asphalt road that winds around the trail, we smoothly join the PR15 (Vereda da Ribeira da Janela) trail.

Its pitfalls in the rain are, again, that it drops steeply downhill and is largely made up of steps made of wooden logs, which are slippery. Eventually we encounter such large puddles and muddy areas that we decide to leave the path and join the tarmac road, which we follow to the village of Ribeira de Janela. Tired and wet, we reconsider our plan to sleep under a tent again today at a local (albeit well-equipped) campsite and book a hotel room online in the neighbouring town of Porto Moniz, 3 kilometres away.
 

Difficulty

The trek is mostly on forest paths, on the semi-island of Ponta de São Lourenço and at higher altitudes on rocky paths. The island crossing has no European long-distance trail designation (GR or E), Madeira is crisscrossed with a dense network of trails and levadas, allowing the hiker to choose his own route according to his physical or time capabilities. There are also several steep climbs and descents on the trail and can be done without belay devices. On the western side of the island, be prepared to make a long climb (or descent, depending on whether you start or end the trek here) from Porto Moniz to Fanal in 1 day, with more than 1,000 metres of elevation gain. I recommend bringing sturdy trekking shoes and a waterproof jacket (due to the unpredictable weather).
 

Water availability

There is plenty of water on the island due to the presence of levadas, it can be used for cooking and hygiene, with a water filter it will be drinkable. However, I used to buy bottled water for drinking in the mountain settlements along the way (Portela, Ribeiro Frio, Poiso, Encumeada, Rabaçal).
 

Sleeping options

Camping in Madeira is officially subject to a site-specific permit, which must be applied for online at least one day in advance (no fee). We didn't always apply for it (we didn't know where we were going to go in advance) and no one ever required it of us. For overnight stays we used the Cais do Sardinha campground on Ponta de São Lourenço (right by the ocean, has a picnic table), Pico Ruivo (below the peak, limited space), Chão dos Louros (spacious meadow, has Turkish toilets, water source), Rabaçal (has water source, grill, cafe next door), Fanal (spacious meadow with cow poop, picnic table, water source). In addition, there are plenty of campsites around Poiso and on the Paúl de Serra plain. In Ribeira de Janela there is a large campsite with hot showers and toilets for a fee. Camping is officially forbidden outside the campsite, but it is tolerated. At the end of the trek, we stay overnight in a hotel in Porto Moniz (€72/room for 2 people), then spend 2 more nights in a hotel in the capital city of Funchal (there is a great choice of accommodation).
 

Mountain peaks

The third highest peak of the island, Pico do Arieiro (1818 m above sea level), is easily accessible on foot and by car. From it, the PR1 (Vereda do Areeiro) trail leads 6 km to the highest peak of the island, Pico Ruivo (1862 m). From both peaks and along the PR1 trail, which runs along the ridge and through the valley, there are stunning views of the surrounding countryside as far as the ocean.

Other peaks on the route are Pico Ruivo de Paul (1639 m) on the Paúl de Serra plateau and the popular Fanal in the northwest of the island with its fairy-tale forest.
 

Danger

The weather in Madeira is very changeable (especially on the northern slopes of the mountains), so you need to be reasonably careful in wet weather, especially when descending steep stairs or forest paths. However, there are no downright dangerous places on the route.

Food

The staple of the menu was packaged food, and most camps have a source of water for cooking. It is also possible to eat at several restaurants along the route in the mountain passes (Portela, Ribeiro Frío, Poiso, Boca da Encumeada, Rabaçal).

Attractions

A large part of the island is covered by the Laurisilva laurel forest - a natural ecosystem with many endemic plant and animal species, which is a UNESCO Natural Heritage Site.

The whole of Madeira is criss-crossed by a dense network of marked trails and levadas. Each hiker can choose his own route or just individual stages according to what he likes or according to his physical and time capabilities.