Kraig Adams
The film of Madeira Watch the film

326K views on YouTube. This guide is that trip, day by day.

Madeira, Portugal · 8 days · 5 hikes · Madeira

Madeira Hiking Guide

In April 2023 I spent eight days alone on Madeira with a rental car, sleeping in hotels and doing day hikes from the road: Pico Grande from the Valley of the Nuns, Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo above the clouds, the old laurel trees at Fanal, the Levada do Caldeirão Verde and Ponta de São Lourenço, with the coast from Ponta do Sol to Porto Moniz, Seixal and Machico in between. It's the trip from my films 8 Days of Traveling and Hiking in Madeira and Madeira in 8 Days. Since 2026 every trail needs a booked time slot and the PR1 is one-way, so this guide tells my trip and how to do it now: my GPX files, a map for every hike, the 2026 bookings and fees, the car, the buses and where to stay, a day-by-day plan, costs, weather and safety, and a trip sheet.

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$19

Instant download: PDF + GPX files.
Not useful? Email me within 30 days for a refund.

Free updates. 2027 season edition, updated October 2026. When I update the guide, your download link gets the new version.

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The cover of the Madeira Hiking Guide

What's inside

The route

My GPS recording of the route, simplified. The ring is the start; the dot is the finish. The full GPX files and the maps come with the guide.

10 km (6.2 mi)N

Elevation, start to finish: highest 5,960 ft (1,818 m), lowest 20 ft (7 m).

Look inside

At a glance page from the Madeira Hiking Guide
At a glance
A day page page from the Madeira Hiking Guide
A day page
A hike map and elevation profile page from the Madeira Hiking Guide
A hike map and elevation profile
The 2026 bookings and fees page from the Madeira Hiking Guide
The 2026 bookings and fees

The details

Format
A 57-page PDF sized for a phone (A5, prints fine too) and a folder of GPX files, in one zip download.
Edition
2027 season edition, updated October 2026.
Delivery
Instant. After you pay you get a private download link. Bookmark it to download again on any device.
Payment
Secure checkout through Stripe, in your own currency. Tax is included in the price, except in the US and Canada, where any sales tax is added at checkout.
Refunds
Not useful? Email me within 30 days for a refund: kraig@kraigadams.com.
Questions
Email kraig@kraigadams.com.

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$19

Questions

Do you need to book hiking trails on Madeira?
Yes, since January 1, 2026. Every classified trail (PR) needs a 30-minute time slot booked and paid in advance on the SIMplifica portal: €4.50 a trail, €10.50 for the full PR1 to Pico Ruivo. Children 12 and under and Madeira residents don't pay but still book. There's no payment at the trailhead.
Can you hike Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo and back?
Not any more. Since the PR1 reopened in 2026 it's one-way, toward Pico Ruivo, past the Pedra Rija viewpoint. Walk from Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo and down to Achada do Teixeira and get a taxi back, walk Pico do Areeiro to Pedra Rija and back, or walk up to Pico Ruivo from Achada do Teixeira and back.
How long is the PR1 from Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo?
Officially 6.1 km, plus 2.8 km down the PR1.2 to Achada do Teixeira. My out-and-back in April 2023 from the Pico do Areeiro parking, by way of Achada do Teixeira, was 12.5 miles and about 5,100 ft of climbing by my GPS, about 7.5 hours with stops.
Do you need a car on Madeira?
It helps a lot. The trailheads are high and spread around the island, and the weather changes fast, so a car lets you go back when the clouds clear. There is a daily bus from Funchal to Pico do Areeiro and buses toward Santana and Baía d'Abra, but none to Queimadas, Achada do Teixeira or Fanal.
When is the best time to hike on Madeira?
April to May and September to October are the usual picks: less rain than winter and less heat and fewer people than summer. The mountains are much colder than the coast, with ice on some winter days, and the clouds can cover the peaks at any time of year.
Is Pico Grande on the booking system?
The route I hiked, from the village of Curral das Freiras, isn't one of the classified PR routes, so it wasn't on the forest service's list or in the booking system in October 2026. The classified PR12 from Boca da Corrida was only partly open.

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