Around Madeira

The national government has confirmed that a contract is being finalized for Binter to operate the air link between Madeira and Porto Santo until 2027. Their previous contract has been extended for successive periods of only 3 months on multiple occasions, making it difficult for travellers to book flights in advance.

  As the pressure on the island's most popular visitor destinations continues to mount, the Regional Government has announced its intention to introduce a variety of measures to manage demand and ensure the safety and maintenance of popular walking routes. Although the plans are not yet finalised, it is likely that some combination of charging and timed access will be used - a ticket will be issued for admission within a specified time window only. There is already a charge for access to the Ponta de São Lourenço path and likely additional canidates include the popular 'Pico to Pico' route and the walks in the Rabaçal area.  There are also plans for improvements, such as increased parking at Pico de Areeiro and a surfaced path at Ponta de São Lourenço where there have been a number of recent accidents. Access to certain trails may also be dependent on being accompanied with a licensed guide.  It is expected the full plans - and the public tenders for any necessary services

Headlining the local press is an announcement from the police that they have issued 500 fines over the last two and a half years in relation to obstruction and other traffic offences in the vicinity of Pico do Arieiro.  The popular site has become increasingly notorious for long queues of vehicles - particularly in the early morning - and for visitors leaving their vehicles where they obstruct other traffic. A planned car park for an additional 250 vehicles is currently stalled owing to the ongoing regional government crisis. The bus operator, Horários do Funchal, is said to be assessing the viability of operating a tourist bus route as there is currently no public transport to the location. There are both guided tours and shared transfer options, so visitors are urged to use these where they can.

  The 15h of August sees the traditional celebration of Our Lady of Monte and in the immediately preceding days the streets around Monte will be busy with the preparations.  For this reason, the popular wicker toboggans that career down the hill to Funchal will be out of action from 12th-15th August inclusive.

  Bus transport is changing in Madeira, with the aim of providing a modern network with integrated ticketing under the name SIGA . Starting on 1st July, on routes historically operated by SAM, EACL and Rodoeste, you'll start to see new white buses with the SIGA branding. HF buses will retain their present yellow livery for now, with an additional SIGA logo. The initial ticketing changes will mostly affect pass-holders as through-ticketing won't be available to start with. Eventually, there will be one ticketing system covering Madeira and Porto Santo, but the changes are being implemented in phases. The Getting Around page has been updated accordingly. Also, it has been announced in the press that public transport in Madeira and Porto Santo will be free on 1st July. That could go either way...

According to local media, the popular Levada do Furado trail (PR10), which has been closed after significant damage in March caused by a landslide, has reopened between Ribeiro Frio and Portela - but with a detour that bypasses the damaged section of the levada.  Owing to the extent of the reconstruction required and the difficulty of getting materials to the site, the original route is likely to be closed for some time. The alternative route, which diverges approximately 7.2km from Ribeiro Frio before returing to rejoin the levada at Lamaceiros, has been signposted, but involves a climb over the Pico do Suna  and adds around 1km to the journey, making it a rather different proposition to the largely flat original route.  The IFCN website had not (as of 8th May 2024) been updated with the new information.