March 30, 2025, 8:20 a.m. | Reading time: 5 minutes
The mountainous landscape of Madeira is perfect for hiking tours. There are steep coasts and high mountains, the highest being Pico Ruivo, which measures 1,862 meters. Surrounding it is a high mountain range of jagged lava rock. There are also moorland landscapes, waterfalls, high plateaus, shrub and succulent landscapes and laurel forests. Sunnytrips presents some of the most beautiful routes for hikers.
Madeira is also called “Island of Eternal Spring” – and this name fits perfectly. In fact, it rarely gets significantly warmer than 26 degrees on the archipelago in the Atlantic that belongs to Portugal and is located 600 kilometers from the African northwest coast and 1,000 kilometers southwest of Lisbon. And the temperatures hardly drop below 13 degrees. This means that Madeira has perfect conditions for hiking all year round.
The island offers paths for easy walks and also for demanding tours through the mountains. An overview of the most beautiful routes.
Hiking along the levadas
Some of the most beautiful hiking trails in MadeiraVereda da Ribeira da JanelaLevada Fajã do RodriguesVereda dos BalcõesLevada do Caldeirão VerdeCaminho Real do MonteVereda das FundurasPeak tour
Vereda da Ribeira da Janela
Levada Fajã do Rodrigues
Vereda dos Balcões
Levada do Caldeirao Verde
Caminho Real do Monte
Vereda das Funduras
Hiking along the levadas
You can take delightful tours along small water canals, the so-called levadas, and from there you can experience magnificent views and insights into the beauty of the island world that belongs to Portugal. The levadas were built about 300 years ago by Moorish slaves as economic and connection routes for maintaining the water canals.
Today the partially buried paths have been repaired and are ideal as hiking trails. The advantage of the paths that run parallel to the still intact water canals is simple: in order to avoid water loss, they usually overcome the gradient quite slowly. As a result, the hiker rarely has to cope with descents and ascents. Sometimes it also goes through tunnel-like channels that are quite low.
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The core area for hiking is the area between Porto da Cruz and Santana in the north. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But you can also find beautiful hiking trails in other parts of the island, from easy to challenging. It is important to have good equipment for the hikes. Since many paths are slippery and full of rubble, you should wear good shoes with treads or hiking boots.
Some of the most beautiful hiking trails in Madeira
Vereda da Ribeira da Janela
The Ribeira da Janela hiking trail stretches for 2.7 kilometers and takes approximately 1.5 hours. It follows the traces of an ancient path that connects Curral Falso (Fanal) with Ribeira da Janela. The route is of medium difficulty and is mostly downhill.
Levada Fajã do Rodrigues
The Levada Fajã do Rodrigues hiking trail covers 3.9 kilometers each way (7.8 km total return) and takes approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes. It begins in Ginjas in São Vicente county, and the end point of the hike is the Ribeira do Inferno stream. On the way, hikers can expect impressive panoramic views, picturesque tunnels and waterfalls worth seeing.
Vereda dos Balcões
Even if you don't like hiking, there are short, easy walks at the end of which you will be rewarded with a sensational view, for example from Ribeiro Frio (1.5 kilometers) to the Balcões viewpoint. When you arrive at your destination, you can look hundreds of meters into the depths of a lush green valley. If you get dizzy, look straight ahead - directly at the highest mountains on the island, including the peak of Pico Ruivo (1861 meters).
Levada do Caldeirao Verde
This path runs along the Levada do Caldeirão Verde waterfront and connects the Queimadas and Pico das Pedras forest parks in the Santana district. The approximately two kilometer long route can be completed in around 45 minutes. It is also suitable for “people with motor and visual disabilities,” according to Visit Madeira, Portugal’s official tourism website.
Caminho Real do Monte
The Caminho Real do Monte is a 4.2-kilometer hiking trail that takes approximately two hours to complete. It runs from the Ribeira das Cales stream, located in the mountainous landscape of the Funchal Ecopark, to the municipality of Monte, whose historic center is an important cultural site.
Vereda das Funduras
This 8.7 kilometer long, around 3 hour hike starts at the Portela viewpoint with an impressive view of Porto da Cruz and Faial on the north coast of Madeira. Along the Vereda das Funduras, the striking Penha d’Águia rock massif dominates the scenery. The moderate path goes from Machico to Maroços, starting on the Serra das Funduras forest road before entering the protected laurel forest.
The mountain hiking route between the third highest peak Picot do Arieiro and the highest mountain Pico Ruivo is spectacular, but not suitable for inexperienced hikers. You should start this hike early in the morning, because at lunchtime the mountains are often in the clouds (see also large photo above).
Text collaboration: Dieter Weirauch
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