🥾 Hiker5 days

The big trail week

Pico Ruivo · Rabaçal · Furado · Caldeirão Verde · Fanal & Cedros

At a glance

Five classics of the PR network: the three peaks, Rabaçal, Levada do Furado, Levada do Caldeirão Verde with its four tunnels, then Fanal and the 17th-century Levada dos Cedros, with the Seixal pools to finish.

Difficulty: Moderate, long days · about 65 km · head torch
Best season: Trails open all year on SIMplifica booking; PR 1 fully reopened on 1 May 2026, PR 7, 20, 27 and 28 are closed and PR 1.3, 4, 12 and 17 partly — check the official status. Fog, wind and cold possible in the mountains in any season.

🎒 Packing list

Walking shoes
Water, 1.5 L per person per outing
Windbreaker, warm layer, hat for dawn at Areeiro
Head torch (tunnels)
Sunscreen and hat
SIMplifica bookings (€4.50 / PR 1 €10.50)
Swimsuit for the evening swim

Day by day

Day 1 · The three peaks, from sunrise to Pico Ruivo9

📍 Pico do Areeiro → Pico Ruivo → Achada do Teixeira → Santana · ⏰ 05:15 · 🚗 ~1 h 55

06:15 → 07:15Photoby car · 30 min · ~30 min
Pico do Areeiro at sunrise
At 1,818 m, the summit you can drive to: the sunrise show, weather permitting, draws photographers and early risers — the best hour, provided you wrap up. Parking €4 per hour, viewpoint free.
📍 Miradouro do Pico do Areeiro
💡 Insider tip — Horários do Funchal shuttle (times on their site) if you would rather not drive in the dark.
07:15 → 07:30Photoon foot · 2 min · ~2 min
Ninho da Manta, home of the Zino's petrel
A few metres from the start of PR 1: the Fajã da Nogueira valley, rock formations rising from the clouds, and the nesting ground of the Zino's petrel, Europe's most threatened seabird. Free.
📍 Miradouro do Ninho da Manta
07:30 → 10:45Visiton foot
PR 1: Areeiro → Pico Ruivo, the three peaks
6.1 km and about 3 hours from Pico do Areeiro (1,818 m) to Pico Ruivo (1,862 m) through the Pico das Torres tunnels, one-way from Pedra Rija; fully reopened on 1 May 2026. Full ticket €10.50 on SIMplifica, morning slot to walk before the clouds.
💡 Insider tip — No return transport: descend by PR 1.2 to Achada do Teixeira (2.8 km) and arrange a vehicle or taxi.
10:45 → 11:30Photoon foot
Pico Ruivo, 1,862 m
The archipelago's highest point, Portugal's third summit, reachable on foot only: Curral das Freiras, Santana, Ponta de São Lourenço, Paul da Serra and, in good visibility, Porto Santo and the Desertas. Free viewpoint; snack at the top.
📍 Miradouro do Pico Ruivo
11:30 → 12:30Visiton foot
PR 1.2: Achada do Teixeira → Pico Ruivo
The shortest way to the archipelago's roof: 2.8 km (and back) from the Achada do Teixeira car park and its "Homem em Pé", 1.5 hours return, a well-built path with shelters. SIMplifica booking €4.50; early, for the sea of clouds.
13:15 → 14:30Mealby taxi · 20 min · ~20 min
Lunch in Santana, Biosphere Reserve
The north-coast town, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2011: lunch of sopa de trigo or espetada before the coastal viewpoints (Quinta do Furão, Rocha do Navio, Cabo Aéreo).
📍 Santana
15:00 → 16:15Breakby car · 10 min · ~10 min
Queimadas, the thatched house
Santana's busiest forest park: the thatched Casa de Abrigo, now the Casa das Tradições Madeirenses, centuries-old tils and tree heaths, picnic area, café and bird hide; paid parking (€2/h).
📍 Parque Florestal das Queimadas
16:30 → 17:15Visitby car · 10 min · ~10 min
Santana's traditional houses
The Núcleo of triangular wooden houses with thatched roofs and blue-red-white façades in the centre of Santana: free, with one of the 85 official viewpoints — the children's stop after the levada.
📍 Casas Típicas de Santana (Núcleo)
19:30Mealby car · 45 min · ~45 min
Dinner in the Zona Velha: espetada or espada
In the evening Rua de Santa Maria becomes the liveliest quarter in town: tables outside, bay-laurel beef espetada, black-scabbard fillet with banana, bolo do caco, and a poncha to finish.
📍 Zona Velha (Rua de Santa Maria)

💡 PR 1 is one-way from Pedra Rija: you do not come back to Areeiro. Descend by PR 1.2 to Achada do Teixeira and book a taxi (or leave a second car there); full ticket €10.50.

🌧️ Rainy-day alternative — The official advice is to give up the trails in heavy rain, wind or hail: São Vicente caves, Ribeira Brava Ethnographic Museum, Madeira Story Centre, or the more sheltered south-coast viewpoint road.

🎒 What to bring — Walking shoes, 1.5 L of water per person, snacks, windbreaker and a warm layer — the peaks are windy and cold even in fine weather —, sunscreen, head torch for tunnels, SIMplifica booking on your phone.

PR trails: since 1 January 2026 you book a 30-minute slot on SIMplifica — €4.50 per trail (full PR 1 €10.50), free for residents and children up to 12, registration compulsory even when exempt.
Closures are decided officially (weather, safety, works); a weather warning does not close a trail automatically. Check the official status the day before and on the morning itself.
Safety advice: never walk alone, tell someone your route, finish before dark, carry spare water and food, give up in heavy rain, wind or hail. Emergencies 112.
On Paul da Serra and in the Maciço Montanhoso, fog, wind and cold are possible in any season; the peaks often rise above a sea of clouds: dress warmly and start early.
Pico do Areeiro: paid parking, €4 per hour; a shuttle is run by Horários do Funchal (times on their site). PR 1 is one-way from Pedra Rija: no return transport is provided, plan your own logistics.
Water: at least 1.5 L per person — no fountains on most trails, and the official advice is to carry spare water and food.
Narrow, winding mountain roads, tunnels and fog: journey minutes are estimates without traffic or photo stops — allow extra time.

Day 2 · Rabaçal: 25 Fontes, Risco and Lagoa do Vento7

📍 Paul da Serra → Rabaçal → Calheta · ⏰ 06:30 · 🚗 ~1 h 35

07:45 → 08:00Driveby car · 55 min · ~55 min
Across the Paul da Serra plateau
The island's only plateau, at about 1,500 m: in clear weather both coasts are visible at once; fog, wind and cold are possible in any season. The road to Rabaçal, Fanal or Bica da Cana, past wind farms and picnic areas.
📍 Paul da Serra
08:15 → 11:15Visitby car · 15 min · ~15 min
PR 6 Levada das 25 Fontes
Madeira's busiest levada: 4.3 km from the Rabaçal car park (ER 105) to the Lagoa das 25 Fontes and back, about 3 hours, controlled one-way — the initial descent has to be climbed again on the way back. First SIMplifica slot to have the lagoon almost to yourself.
💡 Insider tip — Combine with PR 6.1 Levada do Risco (3 km, 2 h, easy): same start.
11:15 → 12:45Visiton foot
PR 6.1 Levada do Risco, the waterfall
The little sister of the 25 Fontes, graded easy and recommended for families: 3 km to the Risco waterfall and back, about 2 hours, same start at the Rabaçal car park. SIMplifica booking €4.50.
12:45 → 13:30Mealon foot
Picnic at Rabaçal
On the Pico da Urze balcony over the island's largest Laurisilva valley: no restaurant in this rest-and-quiet area, so a packed picnic with bolo do caco and market fruit.
📍 Rabaçal
13:45 → 15:15Visiton foot · 10 min · ~10 min
PR 6.3 Lagoa do Vento, the hidden waterfall
1.8 km (and back, 1.5 hours) from the Casa de Abrigo do Rabaçal to the lagoon below the Ribeira do Lajeado waterfall, between heathers and Laurisilva; graded easy, to follow in the afternoon after the Risco. SIMplifica booking.
16:15 → 18:00Breakby car · 25 min · ~25 min
Calheta sandy beach
100 m of imported golden sand (2004) sheltered by two breakwaters, warm calm water, canoeing and windsurfing. Blue Flag, supervised 29 June – 30 September — the late-afternoon swim after Rabaçal.
📍 Praia da Calheta (areia)
19:00Mealon foot · 1 min · ~1 min
Dinner in Calheta, late sunsets
The municipality with the island's latest sunsets and lowest rainfall: dinner near the marina, espetada or fish, after the beach.
📍 Calheta

💡 Three trails from the same car park: book the first PR 6 slot to avoid the queue at the controlled one-way section, then PR 6.1 and PR 6.3 in the afternoon (one slot per trail).

PR trails: since 1 January 2026 you book a 30-minute slot on SIMplifica — €4.50 per trail (full PR 1 €10.50), free for residents and children up to 12, registration compulsory even when exempt.
Closures are decided officially (weather, safety, works); a weather warning does not close a trail automatically. Check the official status the day before and on the morning itself.
Safety advice: never walk alone, tell someone your route, finish before dark, carry spare water and food, give up in heavy rain, wind or hail. Emergencies 112.
Levadas with tunnels (Caldeirão Verde, Fajã do Rodrigues, Túnel do Cavalo): a head torch is essential, ledges are narrow and wet — not for anyone prone to vertigo.
Water: at least 1.5 L per person — no fountains on most trails, and the official advice is to carry spare water and food.
Narrow, winding mountain roads, tunnels and fog: journey minutes are estimates without traffic or photo stops — allow extra time.
On Paul da Serra and in the Maciço Montanhoso, fog, wind and cold are possible in any season; the peaks often rise above a sea of clouds: dress warmly and start early.

Day 3 · Levada do Furado, from Ribeiro Frio to Portela8

📍 Ribeiro Frio → Portela → Machico → Pináculo · ⏰ 06:45 · 🚗 ~1 h 15

08:00 → 08:30Visitby car · 30 min · ~30 min
Ribeiro Frio and its trout
The forest park shows the original flora (laurel, til, vinhático, mountain orchid) and the trout farm has raised rainbow trout since 1960 (€3 over 12); frequent fog — the cool stop before Balcões.
📍 Parque Florestal do Ribeiro Frio (Posto Aquícola)
08:30 → 09:45Visiton foot · 2 min · ~2 min
PR 11 Balcões trail
The easiest walk in the Laurisilva: 1.5 km almost flat along the Levada da Serra do Faial to the balcony over the Ribeira da Metade valley and, in clear weather, the three peaks; 1.5 hours all told, tame chaffinches at the end. SIMplifica booking €4.50.
09:45 → 14:45Visiton foot · 5 min · ~5 min
PR 10 Levada do Furado, Ribeiro Frio → Portela
11 km and about 5 hours along one of the oldest public levadas, from Ribeiro Frio (ER 103) to Portela (ER 102), every shade of Laurisilva green and then the farmland of Faial; a one-way crossing, leave a vehicle at Portela. SIMplifica booking.
14:45 → 15:00Photoon foot
Portela pass, Porto da Cruz and Penha d'Águia
At 670 m between Machico and Porto da Cruz, east and north in one glance: Porto da Cruz's orange roofs and the 600 m rock of Penha d'Águia. End of PR 10 and start of PR 5; free.
📍 Miradouro da Portela
15:30 → 16:45Mealby car · 15 min · ~15 min
Lunch on Machico bay
After the shadeless peninsula, Machico bay and its terraces: black-scabbard fillet, grilled limpets, bolo do caco — then Banda d'Além beach (supervised 16 June – 27 September) for a siesta.
📍 Machico
16:45 → 18:00Breakon foot · 1 min · ~1 min
Banda d'Além beach
About 70 m of imported golden sand, one of the island's rare sandy beaches, Blue Flag, supervised 16 June – 27 September, with cabins, showers and access for reduced mobility: the children's swim after Machico.
📍 Praia da Banda d'Além (Machico)
19:30 → 20:00Photoby car · 20 min · ~20 min
Pináculo at nightfall
Roadside, direct access.
📍 Miradouro do Pináculo
20:15Mealby car · 10 min · ~10 min
Dinner in the Zona Velha: espetada or espada
In the evening Rua de Santa Maria becomes the liveliest quarter in town: tables outside, bay-laurel beef espetada, black-scabbard fillet with banana, bolo do caco, and a poncha to finish.
📍 Zona Velha (Rua de Santa Maria)

💡 An 11 km one-way crossing: leave a car at Portela or arrange a taxi back to Ribeiro Frio; the Balcões viewpoint (PR 11) is a 1.5 km warm-up from the same start.

PR trails: since 1 January 2026 you book a 30-minute slot on SIMplifica — €4.50 per trail (full PR 1 €10.50), free for residents and children up to 12, registration compulsory even when exempt.
Closures are decided officially (weather, safety, works); a weather warning does not close a trail automatically. Check the official status the day before and on the morning itself.
Safety advice: never walk alone, tell someone your route, finish before dark, carry spare water and food, give up in heavy rain, wind or hail. Emergencies 112.
Levadas with tunnels (Caldeirão Verde, Fajã do Rodrigues, Túnel do Cavalo): a head torch is essential, ledges are narrow and wet — not for anyone prone to vertigo.
Water: at least 1.5 L per person — no fountains on most trails, and the official advice is to carry spare water and food.
Narrow, winding mountain roads, tunnels and fog: journey minutes are estimates without traffic or photo stops — allow extra time.

Day 4 · Caldeirão Verde, Santana's great levada6

📍 Queimadas → Caldeirão Verde → Santana coast · ⏰ 06:15 · 🚗 ~1 h 25

07:45 → 08:00Breakby car · 50 min · ~50 min
Queimadas, the thatched house
Santana's busiest forest park: the thatched Casa de Abrigo, now the Casa das Tradições Madeirenses, centuries-old tils and tree heaths, picnic area, café and bird hide; paid parking (€2/h).
📍 Parque Florestal das Queimadas
08:00 → 14:30Visiton foot
PR 9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde
8.7 km from Queimadas to Caldeirão Verde and 8.7 km back, about 6.5 hours: four tunnels (torch), the roughly 100 m waterfall, the Caldeirão do Inferno — the big levada day, to start at the first SIMplifica slot so as to be back before dark.
15:00 → 15:45Visitby car · 10 min · ~10 min
Santana's traditional houses
The Núcleo of triangular wooden houses with thatched roofs and blue-red-white façades in the centre of Santana: free, with one of the 85 official viewpoints — the children's stop after the levada.
📍 Casas Típicas de Santana (Núcleo)
16:00 → 16:30Photoby car · 5 min · ~5 min
Rocha do Navio viewpoint
Above the marine reserve created in 1997 at the wish of Santana's people: cliffs, the Ilhéu da Viúva (94 m, a botanical refuge) and an often rough sea; you go down by a steep path or the cable car, water access remaining very limited by sea conditions.
📍 Miradouro da Rocha do Navio
16:45 → 17:15Photoby car · 10 min · ~10 min
Guindaste viewpoint
One of the fullest panoramas of the north coast: the pebble beach at the mouth of the Ribeira do Faial, a columnar lava jointing, Penha d'Águia and the coast to Ponta de São Lourenço.
📍 Miradouro do Guindaste
18:30Mealby car · 10 min · ~10 min
Dinner in Santana
After the big levada, dinner in the town of thatched houses, a Biosphere Reserve: sopa de trigo, espetada, bolo de mel — an hour from Funchal by the expressway.
📍 Santana

💡 6.5 hours return with four tunnels: first SIMplifica slot, head torch, and a picnic — Queimadas park has a café but the levada has nothing. Paid parking (€2/h).

PR trails: since 1 January 2026 you book a 30-minute slot on SIMplifica — €4.50 per trail (full PR 1 €10.50), free for residents and children up to 12, registration compulsory even when exempt.
Closures are decided officially (weather, safety, works); a weather warning does not close a trail automatically. Check the official status the day before and on the morning itself.
Safety advice: never walk alone, tell someone your route, finish before dark, carry spare water and food, give up in heavy rain, wind or hail. Emergencies 112.
Levadas with tunnels (Caldeirão Verde, Fajã do Rodrigues, Túnel do Cavalo): a head torch is essential, ledges are narrow and wet — not for anyone prone to vertigo.
Water: at least 1.5 L per person — no fountains on most trails, and the official advice is to carry spare water and food.
Narrow, winding mountain roads, tunnels and fog: journey minutes are estimates without traffic or photo stops — allow extra time.

Day 5 · Fanal and Levada dos Cedros, the enchanted forest6

📍 Bica da Cana → Paul da Serra → Fanal → Curral Falso → Seixal · ⏰ 06:00 · 🚗 ~1 h 40

07:15 → 07:45Photoby car · 60 min · ~60 min
Bica da Cana, 1,580 m
On the rim of Paul da Serra, reachable by road: the São Vicente valley carpeted with Laurisilva and, often at sunrise, a cloud layer below the peaks. Renovated leisure area with picnic tables; free.
📍 Miradouro da Bica da Cana
08:15 → 12:15Visitby car · 15 min · ~15 min
PR 13 Fanal trail, Assobiadores → Fanal
10.8 km and about 4 hours from Paul da Serra to Fanal through an exemplary Laurisilva (World Heritage 1999); one-way, leave a vehicle at Fanal or take a taxi. SIMplifica booking.
12:15 → 13:00Photoon foot
Fanal, tils in the fog
Centuries-old tils, some older than the island's discovery, in a small crater classed as a Rest and Quiet Reserve: the mystical mood comes from the fog, frequent late in the day — though with no visibility you see nothing at all. On the ER 209, free.
📍 Fanal
13:00 → 16:00Visiton foot
PR 14 Levada dos Cedros, Fanal → Curral Falso
7.2 km and about 3 hours along a 17th-century levada, under trees 30 to 40 m tall, from Fanal to Curral Falso (same ER 209): under the centuries-old tis of Fanal, downhill. SIMplifica booking.
💡 Insider tip — Continue on PR 15 (2.7 km) down to the village of Ribeira da Janela.
16:45 → 18:00Breakby taxi · 25 min · ~25 min
Clube Naval do Seixal volcanic pools
The wide volcanic pools, free (10–7 according to the council), between green mountains and blue sea, with a terrace bar and kayak and diving-gear hire: the safe swim when the ocean is rough.
📍 Piscinas do Clube Naval do Seixal
18:15Mealon foot · 1 min · ~1 min
Lunch in Seixal
The village of terraced vines and the black beach: lunch of fish or grilled limpets facing the harbour of refuge, between the beach and the Clube Naval pools.
📍 Seixal
💡 Insider tip — Panelo, Seixal's hotpot, is celebrated on the penultimate weekend of January.

💡 Two one-way trails in the day (PR 13 then PR 14): two cars (Assobiadores / Curral Falso) or a taxi from Curral Falso. Fanal is the midday picnic.

PR trails: since 1 January 2026 you book a 30-minute slot on SIMplifica — €4.50 per trail (full PR 1 €10.50), free for residents and children up to 12, registration compulsory even when exempt.
Closures are decided officially (weather, safety, works); a weather warning does not close a trail automatically. Check the official status the day before and on the morning itself.
Safety advice: never walk alone, tell someone your route, finish before dark, carry spare water and food, give up in heavy rain, wind or hail. Emergencies 112.
Levadas with tunnels (Caldeirão Verde, Fajã do Rodrigues, Túnel do Cavalo): a head torch is essential, ledges are narrow and wet — not for anyone prone to vertigo.
Water: at least 1.5 L per person — no fountains on most trails, and the official advice is to carry spare water and food.
Narrow, winding mountain roads, tunnels and fog: journey minutes are estimates without traffic or photo stops — allow extra time.
On Paul da Serra and in the Maciço Montanhoso, fog, wind and cold are possible in any season; the peaks often rise above a sea of clouds: dress warmly and start early.
North coast: lively sea, swell, and water access often limited by sea conditions — the natural pools (Porto Moniz, Seixal) are the safe option.

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