Practical guide
Walks outside the PR system: no fee, no booking
Our catalogue covers the 39 official PR trails on Madeira, because those are the ones with IFCN statuses, fees and bookings. Alongside them run walks outside the system: free, with no ticket and no time slot. Below are the ones visitors ask about most, along with what you do NOT get on them.
How they differ from PR trails
A PR trail is classified by IFCN: it has a number, waymarking on the ground, an official open or closed status, a €4.50 fee and a mandatory SIMplifica booking. Walks outside the system have none of that.
In practice that means three differences: you pay nothing and book nothing, but nobody officially confirms the route is passable, and in an emergency there is no trail number to give the rescue services. Waymarking ranges from sparse to absent.
Levada Nova and Levada do Moinho (Ponta do Sol)
The best-known free walk in the south-west, roughly 8.5 to 9 km as a loop joining two levadas. It starts by the chapel in Ponta do Sol and finishes close to where you began, so no second vehicle is needed.
Technically it is not hard, but sections are exposed and the path along the channel is narrow. Anyone uneasy with heights may find it uncomfortable. After rain the stone and concrete turn slippery and the levada can splash across the path.
Rota da Banana (Madalena do Mar)
Four short routes marked RB1 to RB4, running through banana plantations that climb from the sea up the slopes. Each takes well under an hour, and RB1 and RB2 sit close enough to combine into one walk.
A good option for an afternoon after a heavy day, for bad weather in the mountains, or with children. These routes stay low, so the cloud sitting over the island's centre usually does not reach them.
Vereda do Larano (Machico - Porto da Cruz)
A coastal path traversing the cliffs between Machico and Porto da Cruz over the Boca do Risco pass. Counting the approach from Machico it comes to roughly 11 to 12 km one way; many call it the finest walk outside the PR system, and it is hard to argue.
The route is linear, so plan the return: a bus, a taxi or a second car in Porto da Cruz. Stretches above the drop are narrow and unfenced, they turn slippery after rain, and waymarking is minimal. In a strong northerly wind, give it a miss.
Fees and booking
You pay nothing for these walks and reserve no slot. The €4.50 fee and the booking requirement apply only to trails classified by IFCN, meaning those carrying a PR number.
Watch for one trap: a free walk can cross or run parallel to a paid PR trail. If at some point you see PR waymarks and a control point, you are already on a route that requires payment and a booking.
What is missing here and how to cover it
Walks outside the system never appear in IFCN notices, so you will find their status neither here nor on the official list. We cannot send an alert about them closing either, because nobody announces such closures.
Before you go, check the forecast for the right region and a nearby webcam: on levada walks that is the best available substitute for an official status. Carry a charged phone with an offline map, because the waymarking will not hold your hand.
Related pages
Descriptions of walks outside the PR system are indicative and based on publicly available information. These routes carry no official IFCN status or waymarking, so you walk them at your own risk. Check conditions on the ground.