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📡 Today's status

The IFCN's official status, read every day. Green only when the IFCN writes « aberto » with no reserve.

● Open · ABERTO

The Laurissilva of the east of the island, between Portela and Machico: 8.7 km, about 3 h, moderate, from 624 to 186 m. The start, at the Portela viewpoint, opens onto the parishes of Porto da Cruz and Faial and the north coast; all along, the rock mass of Penha d'Águia, one of Madeira's great geological symbols, dominates the scenery. The trail first follows the Serra das Funduras forest road, then plunges into the native forest, a Natura 2000 site of Community importance and a major refuge for endemic fauna and flora — the Laurissilva, a UNESCO World Heritage site since December 1999, covers about 15,000 ha, or 20% of the island. You pass Casa das Funduras, a forestry support house, from where a detour leads to the Larano viewpoint and its view over Machico bay. The path finally crosses the traditional agricultural terraces and ends at Maroços. Plenty of shade under the forest, but no fountain is mentioned: carry water.

Highlights

  • Portela viewpoint
  • Penha d'Águia
  • Laurissilva
  • Larano viewpoint
  • Maroços terraces
Difficulty
Moderate
Length
8.7 km
Elevation gain
438 m
Duration
3 h
Price
€4.50 (over 12) · SIMplifica booking · free for residents and under-13s
Municipality
Machico
🎟️ Book on SIMplifica🗺️ See the route on the map📍 Start🏁 End

Track for guidance only.

Places within 2 km of the route

  • 🌿 Nature

    Furnas do Cavalum (Grutas do Cavalum)

    A group of four cavities in the parish of Machico, one of the few known lava-tube examples on the island. These conduits form when the surface of a flow cools fast while the inside stays liquid and drains away, leaving an empty channel. The four cavities, of different sizes and altitudes, hold a varied cave fauna, with species found only in Madeira. The name refers to a legendary figure, a horse with bat's wings.

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  • 🏛️ Culture

    Igreja do Piquinho (Caramanchão)

    A church of 1967 at Caramanchão, dedicated to Saint Joseph, patron of workers and families. A small eighteenth-century chapel stood on the same spot; ruins of archaeological value remain. The church is best known for its Christmas services: the missas do parto draw a crowd, and sharing regional food after mass is part of the ritual.

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  • 📍 Sítio

    Santo António da Serra (Santo da Serra)

    On a high plateau at 700 m overlooking Machico and Santa Cruz, the small romantic parish shared between the two municipalities (8.65 km² on the Machico side): mountains, abundant exotic vegetation and private quintas give it a rural, intimate atmosphere. At the centre, the Quinta do Santo da Serra — built in the late 19th century by the Blandys, known as Quinta da Junta — is a public park with fallow deer, peacocks, Garrano horses, mini-golf, tennis, a picnic area and a lookout as far as Porto Santo. Next door, the Santo da Serra golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones Senior, home of the Madeira Island Open.

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  • 🔭 Viewpoint

    Miradouro da Portela

    The Portela pass, at 670 m between Porto da Cruz and Machico, shows both the east and the north of the island: green mountains sinking into the blue of the sea, small orange-roofed houses scattered on the slopes of Porto da Cruz and, on the horizon, Penha d'Águia, a rock about 600 m high dividing the municipalities of Machico and Santana. It is the end of the Levada do Furado (PR 10) and the start of the Vereda das Funduras (PR 5).

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