Hikes/Places covered in this episode:
*PR8 – Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço: Also known as the “Dragon Tail” of Madeira. This trail is rugged and arid (desert-like)! It was also the WINDIEST hike we’ve ever done to this date! The hike itself is only about 4 miles out-and-back, but we had to pick up our rental car earlier that afternoon, so by the time we made it there, parking was completely full and we ended up having to park down the road 1-2 miles from the trailhead. Bonus: There’s a little cafe at the end of this trail (before turning around and heading back)!
*Levada do Moinho to Levada Nova: This was a completely different vibe than the PR8! It was one of Madeira’s traditional “levada” trails – trails that follow water irrigation channels. The trail wanders the cliff sides of traditional farmland with the ocean at your back. Some main highlights were a double waterfall that you walk behind through a tunnel and a really long tunnel following the waterfall (make sure to bring headlamps)! Side note: If you are afraid of heights, you may want to consider out and back on Levada Moinho instead of connecting up to Levada Nova…there were some spots that definitely sketched out Rachel (haha). The trail itself is 5-5.5 miles total “loop”. This was also Darren’s favorite hike in Madeira!
*PR9 – Caldeirão Verde Levada Trail: If you hike this one, go EARLY! We got there early and there were not too many people on our way into the trail (it is an out-and-back), but on the way out, we passed SO MANY people, which made the way back not as enjoyable. Mostly because there are several spots where this trail is very narrow (running parallel to another “levada”) with drop offs on the other side, so there was a lot of maneuvering and waiting turns to pass (everyone we encountered were respectful though, which really helped). The trail is a little over 7 miles out and back and has multiple tunnels along the way and leads back to an epic waterfall – the Caldeirão Verde!
*Fanal Forest: A centuries-old laurel tree forest that is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Madeira. It is well known for its mystical atmosphere that is created by dense fog rolling through the trees. It was actually POURING rain when we went to see it for the first time, which was quite the *experience* and we would not trade it for anything! We actually ended up going back another day when it was bright and sunny and it had totallyyyy different vibes (the Shire!!). We have heard that since we were there in 2024, the island has erected fences to keep visitors on a more specific path, so I’m not sure how much freedom you really have to roam through the trees anymore…which…is a shame, but also understandable as the area was seeing a lot more tourism that it could not support.
*PR1 – Vereda do Areeiro: Okay…so we did not actually hike this one! We had plans to hike it to the “Stairway to Heaven” – an iconic mountain pass with views on either side of a narrow “stairway”, but upon starting the trail (basically inside of a cloud because of how foggy it was), Rachel immediately felt uncomfortable. It was just a combination of the extreme heights, how the land sloped off pretty steeply on either side of the trail, and the amount of people passing through. We planned to get an earlier start and be on the trail for sunrise, but our shoes were still soaking from our Fanal Forest trip the previous day, so we spent a good amount of time drying them out with a hairdryer LOL. Anyway, long story short – we turned around after just starting the trail and ended up just walking around the top area near-ish the visitor center! Which, to be fair, had EXTREMELY beautiful views AND we were able to stay away from the majority of people, which was really nice. No regrets! Sometimes you just have to listen to your body and mind. Maybe one day we will go back again and accomplish it!
*We ended our trip with a sunrise on the black sands beach of Seixal. It was the perfect ending to our trip – getting to experience a beautiful sunrise and then getting a breakfast from a local spot with the most perfect views above the beach. We then just walked around and ended up visiting a cafe that sold some local art, which was really cool and our favorite type of souvenir!
Anyway, this episode CONCLUDES our Portugal “Side Quest” series! Stay tuned for more side quest episodes that take place a little closer to home (Kentucky). ❤
As always, thank you for listening! For Red River Gorge content, follow @tread_the_red on Instagram or check out TreadTheRed.com. For side quests content, follow @ttr_sidequests on Instagram!
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