Hiking Tips/Advice for Madeira–
You can’t visit Madeira and not go for a hike. This island was made for hiking!
Even if you are staying in Funchal city and are not renting a car you will find lots of tour companies (local tours are best but GetYourGuide and other international tour companies also offer hiking tours)
To really explore the island I do recommend that you rent a car. Most cars will be automatic and be hybrid vehicles. The roads aren’t overly hard but you will need to be comfortable with driving in general, and know how to use a round-a-bout. Parking can also be hard to find in some areas. Most areas (marked with blue lines) are paid parking, you will find the ticket kiosk and pay in coins to park. Don’t forget to put the paid parking receipt on your dash.
I recommend researching the trails you are interested in hiking. There are a lot of easy hikes all over the island, however there are some pretty challenging and extreme hikes as well. Make sure you know what you are getting into before you go.
Also check the weather, there are weather cams all over the island that can be helpful. Some hikes will close in inclement weather, and others get more dangerous in wet rainy weather.
Dress in layers. Often up in the mountains it can be rainy, muddy and cold even when it’s warm and sunny on the coast.
Plan on getting wet, at least a little bit. From muddy puddles on the trails to dripping waterfalls you have to walk under or just plain rain, you are likely to get a bit wet. That being said, make sure to wear real shoes to hike. You want something that grips with good tread. If you are coming to do some more extreme hiking, I would bring hiking boots with you. The hikes listed below were all done in regular hiking tennis shoes not hiking boots. Don’t wear sandals or flip flops
Starting in 2026 you must pay a fee and register a date and time of your hike. This is for the most popular trails on the island. In an attempt to keep the trails from getting overcrowded and to pay for the maintenance of the popular spots.
You will go to SimPlifica and register for the hikes you want to do. Add them to your cart after picking the date and time you want to go. You can pay all at once for all the hikes you want to do. It’s about $4 euros a person at the time of writing.
You will then be emailed a receipt and a QR code with verification of your payment. You will want to have this downloaded on your phone because rangers do patrol and will ask to see proof of payment.
Bring water and snacks. I shouldn’t have to say this but I see people on hiking trails in the dead of summer in 100+ degree Utah desert heat, hiking without water all the time! Not to mention in flip flops! People die each year on trails from heat exhaustion and dehydration, all over the world. It should go without saying, but pack enough water for the length of your hike and the estimated high temperatures. If you are hiking near water sources you could also bring a water purifier just in case of emergency. Ok rant over 🙂 time for the fun part…..
Levada do Faja Rodriguez-
Park alongside the edge of the road and follow road up to trailhead. There is a trail map at the beginning of the hike. There are no restrooms here so plan for that beforehand.
This hike is located on the north side of the island. You will park and walk uphill on a dirt road to reach the beginning of the hike. This is the only uphill section of the hike. After you start the hike the trail is flat and easy to follow. This is an out and back trail and you will likely spend 2.5-3 hours total.
Pretty soon into the hike you will start seeing waterfalls, there are so many spots with waterfalls and springs bubbling up. The trail is draped in lush foliage and you hike next to the cliff edge. There are railings for safety but if you don’t like heights be careful when looking down, it’s pretty straight down.
This trail isn’t as busy or crowded as other trails on the island. We came around 1pm and found that was a great time.
So much beauty, we stopped to take pictures often!
There are about 3 tunnels to navigate on this hike with the last one being the longest. It is about 1/2 mile or 0.6km one way. Which may not sound like much but when you are hunched over in the tunnel walking a very narrow path next to the running water in the levada (trying to pass people coming the other way) it is long! Our backs were cramping up so bad after the first trip through this tunnel. You will 100% need a flashlight (either your phone..make sure your battery is charged, or a headlamp)
I am about 5ft4 and didn’t have to bend much in the tunnels but my 6ft husband did and it’s easy to whack your head on the top of the tunnel when you are tall!
This is by far one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever done in my entire life. With some of the Red Rock trails in Southern Utah and Moab area maybe competing with this one.
Not far after the last tunnel the trail will end at a waterfall. There isn’t much room to sit and relax here, I suggest turning around and sitting down for a snack after traversing the longest tunnel again.
Levada do Alecrim
The start of the trail Levada Do Alecrim is located in the Rabacal area of Madeira, near the start of the hike Fontes 25 (wildly popular). There are 2 main parking areas off the road and the spots fill up fast. I recommend either going early in the morning or if it’s summer time and gets dark later, you could go around 3:30-4:00pm for more parking options. There were plenty of people just starting the hike as we were leaving about 4:15pm in early May.
The trail is mostly flat with little elevation gain. The path does have muddy spots and pools of standing water or rocks to avoid. Some areas are steep drops down, but hand rails and fencing has been put up in these areas.
About halfway you will come to a set of stairs leading up next to the Levada. This is a great spot for photos! Just step to the side and let others pass until you can get a clear shot of the view.
When we hiked this levada in early May there were a lot of pretty wildflowers blooming, and birds flying around
The main trail ends at the Dona Beja pool and waterfall area. You are allowed to swim in the pool, but it’s pretty chilly!
After you reach the main waterfall you can choose to take the stairs to the left and trek up farther along a less walked path. This way feels more like true hiking, with hills to climb, steps, and a much narrower pathway. As you make your way up be careful and watch your step. From up here you can see views from the pool above the waterfall
We followed the trail for quite a ways, but eventually it became quite overgrown and started leading away from the water and up the mountain.
The walk back along the levada goes quickly, but we were still stopping to take photos along the way.
We spent about 3 hours total on this hike including a dip in the pool beneath the falls and the side trek trail.
I loved this hike and totally recommend it. It was definitely busier than our previous hike to Faja Rodrigues, so we just stayed patient and stepped aside to let others pass us.
Side Note:
I try to always let those on the outside of the trail (nearest the drop off ledge) pass me first. I step aside to give them room to safely pass. I think it’s hiking courtesy to let those nearest the cliff faces pass while you step out of their way. It’s not very safe to make them step towards the cliff to let you pass.
Also if you are stopping to take a lot of pictures it’s always polite to step aside off the trail to let those who are hiking faster pass you.
We did take water bottles and snacks with us, which I would recommend especially if hiking in hot weather. The day we hiked this trail it was about 68 degrees out and our packable water bottles were enough water for the whole hike.
If you are planning on doing longer hikes or hiking in the summertime heat I would totally pack a camelbak water bladder.
Walk Me App– This app is free and lists all the hikes on Madeira. However if you want detailed information on the hikes you can subscribe and pay a fee ( there is a monthly subscription that can be canceled when you leave or a lifetime fee for unlimited lifetime hiking access). This app is updated with trail closures and openings and was really accurate. It updated me when trails closed due to bad weather and sent me notifications when they were open again.
“Large Waterfall”
We stopped here on our drive back from hiking the Levada do Faja Rodriguez
You will park on the side of the road or if you are lucky you may get a spot in the small parking lot.
From here you will follow the dirt path toward the coast, there are some hills but nothing crazy. It will take about 10 minutes to walk to the lookout area.
This was not overly busy but there were people coming and going, you definitely won’t be alone that’s for sure
The drop off here is steep, and it took some courage for me (totally scared of heights) to walk to the edge to get pictures of the falls and the ocean cliffs. It made my stomach drop but the views were worth it!
I imagine that this area would be beautiful at sunset. I would definitely bring a flashlight though if you are planning on staying until it gets dark. There are no barriers to keep you from going over the cliff side here.
On the way back to our car, I stopped to admire the cows that were munching grass on the hillside. What a nice view the had to eat 🙂
I wanted to do more hikes while in Madeira but didn’t want to overdue it either. We wanted time to rest and relax during this portion of our 18 day vacation.
I would wholeheartedly come back to Madeira and plan out more hikes in the future! One that I wanted to do, but it was closed for maintenence and repair was Levada Do Caldeirao Verde on the Eastern side of the island, I would have also liked to hike Pico de Areeiro for sunrise or sunset and since we didn’t make it to the east side of the island we also missed out on Verada dos Balcoes a shorter and easier hike I had planned on doing on this trip.
For information on all the Levada/Verada trails on Madeira check out Madeira’s website on all things Madeira or the WalkMe Madeira App linked above.
Stay safe and happy hiking!
–for more hiking check out my blog page at www.thebeckeffect.com I have posts on Utah hikes, Sedona hikes, and Salt Lake City area hikes and dog friendly spots.
Leave a Reply