Best hikes in Madeira: 7 epic hiking adventures
Madeira is the perfect place to unleash your inner child and explore stunning nature paths. From mountains shrouded in clouds to vast ocean views and epic waterfalls, there is no shortage of natural wonders to explore.
The trails in Madeira are easily accessible and well-marked. The official ones are all indicated with the letters ‘PR’ followed by a number, so you can effortlessly keep track of the trails you’ve completed.
What is more, most of the hikes are not difficult at all. This makes Madeira a great destination for outdoor newbies keen to hit their first trail without requiring special skills or equipment.
To get a proper taste of the island’s microclimates and endless natural diversity, you should include at least one hike from each of the following categories in your Madeira road trip: above the clouds, by the ocean, and along levadas. Let’s look at what they have to offer.
You’ll find all kinds of landscapes to hike in Madeira
Above the clouds
Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo (PR1)
📏 Distance: 11 kilometres return
⏱ Time needed: six hours
🚶♀️ Trail type: out and back
📍 Starting point: Pico do Arieiro parking lot
If you’re on Instagram, this hike has surely popped up in your feed. Epic drone footage follows a sole hiker traversing a narrow mountain path. The surroundings are covered in clouds and only he and the path rise above them. If he were to fall, he would hurtle into nothingness.
Sunrise at Pico do Arieiro is a true spectacle
Stairway to heaven
That is the famous Pico to Pico trail in Madeira. Characterised by intricate rock formations, an infinite colour spectrum of the sunrise skies above and deep valleys below, and stairways leading up to heaven and down to hell (which is literally what it’ll feel like as your legs get more tired and sore the deeper you are into the hike), it connects the island’s third-highest peak, Pico do Arieiro, with its highest mountain, Pico Ruivo.
The sheer number of times you’ll have to walk up and down stairs makes it one of the more challenging hikes in Madeira. However, the ever-changing nature of the island’s climate ensures that you never see the same view twice.
The Pico to Pico hike is an icon and as such, it deserves a spot in your Madeira itinerary. It is best combined with watching a sunrise at Pico do Arieiro, a spectacle you won’t find anywhere else.
For those who aren’t keen to walk the trail both ways, there’s an option to arrange a pick-up at Achada do Teixeira.
Colours and textures of Pico do Arieiro
By the ocean
Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço (PR8)
📏 Distance: seven kilometres return
⏱ Time needed: two to three hours
🚶♀️ Trail type: out and back
📍 Starting point: Ponta de São Lourenço Parking
From a plane window, Ponta de São Lourenço, the easternmost part of Madeira, looks like a dragon’s tail coming out of the ocean. When you’re standing on its barren red rocks with nothing but the occasional palm tree and blue ocean around, it feels like you’re on a different planet.
The seven-kilometre out-and-back trail offers an ideal way to enjoy this fascinating landscape. It’s not a physically demanding hike, but the trail can get narrow and steep. Be careful especially when crossing paths with people coming from the opposite direction.
Casa do Sardinha café is a good place for a quick refreshment, should you need one. From here, you can complete the final climb to Miradouro Ponta do Furado. This bit is especially slippery and can be closed when the wind is too strong.
But if you make it to the top, the views are mesmerising. On a clear day, you can see the neighbouring Porto Santo — one of the Madeira Islands, discovered a year before Madeira itself in 1418.
The rugged terrains of Ponta de São Lourenço are the perfect place to enjoy the sunset. As the day is coming to an end, many visitors will have already left the trail. Who doesn’t want to experience the beauty of these landscapes without crowds?
During golden hour, the colours really pop
A crowd-free trail
Along levadas
Levada do Moinho & Levada Nova (PR7)
📏 Distance: nine kilometres
⏱ Time needed: three to four hours
🚶♀️ Trail type: loop
📍 Starting point: Igreja da Lombada da Ponta do Sol
The combination of the two relatively short and easy walks, Levada do Moinho and Levada Nova, is a great choice for your first Madeira hike. It’s also a perfect introduction to the island’s famous levadas — a network of irrigation channels built to distribute water from the top of the mountains to the valleys and slopes below.
The starting point is behind a local church up on a hill in Ponta do Sol. Parking spaces around here are limited, so it’s best to come very early in the day or late in the afternoon.
The trail takes you inland along an irrigation channel, uncovering layered cliffs covered in greenery, and falling into the valley below. The two levadas run in parallel, with the newer Nova stretching a couple of metres above Levada Moinho.
The highlight of this hike is undoubtedly the impressive Levada Nova waterfall. Admire the rock formations that it helped form and find unique perspectives for photos before you make your way through a pitch-black tunnel to return to the starting point.
Get ready for some first-class views
The trail leads behind the waterfall
Levada das 25 Fontes (PR6)
📏 Distance: nine kilometres return
⏱ Time needed: three hours
🚶♀️ Trail type: out and back
📍 Starting point: Rabaçal Nature Spot Café
Bright green mosses, intricate ferns, crooked trees, and hidden waterfalls are some of the features that make the Levada das 25 Fontes so special. It’s one of the more popular hikes in Madeira, so it’s best to start early in the morning to beat the crowds.
The official starting point of the hike is at Rabaçal Nature Spot Café. You can get here by shuttle from the parking at Rabaçal Road for a small fee — or on foot. This adds about two kilometres to the trek and is something I’d recommend if you have the time. The road is paved and you can see some amazingly shaped trees.
The hike is easy and pretty flat, which partially explains its popularity. The 25 Fontes waterfall is the highlight for many and a place you aren’t likely to have all to yourself unless you start hiking early in the day. Expect to share the space with other travellers lining up to snap their Insta-worthy shot and perhaps a few brave souls taking a morning bath in the ice-cold water.
A small glass of poncha paired with a warm soup at Rabaçal Nature Spot Café is a nice way to finish this hiking adventure.
Feels like a fairytale
Nature’s amphitheatre
Levada do Risco (PR6.1)
📏 Distance: three kilometres return
⏱ Time needed: 30+ minutes
🚶♀️ Trail type: out and back
📍 Starting point: Rabaçal Nature Spot Café
Typically an addition to the Levada das 25 Fontes, the hike to Risco waterfall can easily be its own little adventure. The two hikes share the first two kilometres. If you’re going for the longer 25 Fontese hike, a detour to Risco is worth the extra steps.
The waterfall has an impressive 100 metres and consists of a few different water streams plummeting down a vertical mountain wall. You can’t get super close to it but you can enjoy an open view of Madeira’s beautiful nature from the designated viewpoint.
The hike is easy, which makes it suitable for all ages and fitness levels, and ideal for those short on time.
In the middle of Madeira’s “jungle”
Risco waterfall has an impressive 100 metres
Lagoa do Vento (PR6.3) & Levada do Alecrim (PR6.2)
📏 Distance: anywhere between 1.8 and seven kilometres depending on the chosen route
⏱ Time needed: depends on the chosen route
🚶♀️ Trail type: out and back or circular depending on the chosen route
📍 Starting point: Rabaçal Nature Spot Café
A hike to Lago do Vento and Levada do Alecrim will take you to the heart of Madeira’s lush mountains. Similarly to the hike to Risco waterfall, it is a great addition to the longer Levada das 25 Fontes hike.
I actually stumbled upon it by accident. After completing the 25 Fontes hike, I wasn’t quite ready to leave the beautiful scenery behind so I set off on another trail and got a little lost, which led me to these two trails.
Lagoa do Vento is a serene lagoon in the middle of nature. At an altitude of 1300 metres, Levada do Alecrim offers second-to-none views of the Rabaçal Valley. Both are a great addition to your Madeira adventures.
A bit of peace and quiet
The trails in Madeira are well-maintained
Levada do Caldeirão Verde and Caldeirão do Inferno (PR9)
📏 Distance: 17 kilometres return (12 kilometres to Caldeirão Verde and back)
⏱ Time needed: six to seven hours (four to five hours to Caldeirão Verde and back)
🚶♀️ Trail type: out and back
📍 Starting point: Queimadas Parking Lot
Dark tunnels, mesmerising waterfalls, magical views of clouds rolling into and out of the valley beneath, and narrow paths allowing you to inspect the details of every tree and plant are distinctive of the Levada do Caldeirão Verde and Caldeirão do Inferno hike.
The trail starts with a somewhat muddy path. But once you reach the levada, you enter the world of ferns and mosses of all shades of green. Getting to Caldeirão Verde — Madeira’s tallest waterfall — takes about two hours. As you take the final steps, the waterfall slowly reveals itself to you from behind layers of green leaves.
An oasis of peace
The last steps before Caldeirão Verde
You can return or continue your hike for two extra kilometres to see Caldeirão do Inferno. The route starts easy but be prepared for stairs and a few long, dark tunnels.
Note: The section between Caldeirão Verde and Caldeirão do Inferno is currently closed. Check here for up-to-date information.
The most confusing part of the hike comes when you come out of a long tunnel at a metal bridge at the Ribeira Grande waterfall. Many think the trail ends here, but you actually need to walk a couple more minutes to find water falling down a steep rock wall (the Caldeirão do Inferno).
Getting up close and personal with nature on the way to Caldeirão Verde
Many stop here but the trail to Caldeirão do Inferno continues
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Whether you’re a hiking newbie or have some serious experience in the outdoors, Madeira is the kind of place where everyone can find their adventure. The incredibly varied landscape and ever-changing climate ensure that no hike will ever be the same.
Have you tried any of these hikes? Which ones were your favourite? Share your tips and recommendations below!