Around Madeira

An update from the IFCN has confirmed that PR 19 - Caminho real do Paul do Mar - is now fully open. Additionally, PR 2 - Vereda do Urzal - is open between Lombo do Urzal and the 6.2km point only and PR 17 - Caminho do Pináculo e Folhadal - is open only between Encumeada and Bica da Cana.  The parts of the trails that remain closed are considered dangerous. The closure signs and barriers are for the safety of walkers and should not be ignored. In addition to the danger, anyone found on the closed sections of path may be subject to penalties.

As part of an ongoing dispute involving Madeira's bus drivers, local press is reporting that a strike is scheduled for 25th and 26th June affecting all three of the island's bus operators.  Previous strikes have varied in the degree of disruption, but it is possible there will be few, if any, bus services on these two days.  It's possible the strike may be called off if further negotiations take place. The SIGA website may provide information on service levels should the strike go ahead.

The previously-extended deadline for the use of pre-paid bus journeys using the old HF (non-SIGA) Giro cards has been extended again.  If you have not been following the SIGA saga, a reminder that bus transport in Madeira has been reorganised over the last year or so with the promise of new and improved integrated ticketing options which have largely yet to materialise.  In the past, for the (yellow) HF buses in Funchal, it was possible to buy tickets in advance using an electronic 'GIRO' card more cheaply and more conveniently than paying a cash fare on entering the bus. Many tourists, particularly regular visitors, will have kept their cards from year to year. The demise of these tickets has been repeatedly announced, but there has been a concern about the tourists who may lose the value of tickets bought on a previous visit and indeed about the increased delays on the buses if visitors are all obliged to buy tickets on board in the absence of any alternative. The latest d...

Just a reminder that May is the month of the annual Flower Festival. This year's parade takes place on Sunday, 4th May, starting at 4.30pm along the Avenida do Mar. There will be road closures, bus routes will be curtailed and the area will be very busy - and if you haven't booked a place on one of the official grandstands, you'll need to arrive early to find a spot from which you can see the procession.  Although the parade is the highlight of the festival, there are 25 days of activities to keep everyone entertained and there will be carpets of flowers in various locations to admire.

TAP have announced a direct flight connection between Madeira and the Algarve for the summer season. Flights, taking a little under two hours, will run twice weekly (Mondays and Thursdays) from June 2nd and September 11th - the linked announcement gives details of the schedule. There have been various attempts to establish a direct link between the two tourist destinations without any lasting success, so this latest attempt will be under some scrutiny. Connecting flights are available throughout the year via Porto or Lisbon (in the latter case continuing by train is also a realistic option) and may prove cheaper, if more arduous.

Owing to works on the electricity system, there will be diversions on the Levada das 25 Fontes (PR 6) walking route on 16th, 17th and 19th April. As some one-directional parts of the trail will have two-way traffic, the route is likely to be more crowded (even) than usual. Please pay attention to the local signage.

The ferry to Porto Santo has yet again been cancelled on 7th April owing to adverse weather conditions. More details on the operator's website .

According to local press report, the Levada do Furado walking route (PR10) will be closed to visitors on Thursday, 3rd April, while various repairs are completed. The trail is expected to reopen the following day.

Owing to the continuing bad weather, the IFCN advises that all the recommended walking routes are closed on 19th March, as are the Quinta do Santo da Serra and the Forest Road that connects Eira do Serrado to Pico do Areeiro. It has also been reported that owing to very heavy rainfall there have been some temporary road closures in the Pico do Areeiro area. 

Following the previous cancellation of ferries between Madeira and Porto Santo on 7th, 8th, 12th and 13th and 17th March owing to forecast bad weather, the company has announced that no ferries will sail on 19th March for the same reason. Please check the website of Porto Santo Line for details.

The IFCN has updated its list of open and closed walking routes and the main highlight is that the Vereda da Ilha (PR 1.1) and the Vereda do Pico Ruivo (PR 1.2) are once again open. Note, however, that the Vereda do Areeiro (PR 1) is still only open for 1.2km to the Pedra Rija viewpoint. Potential walkers should keep an eye on the weather as the access roads to Pico do Areeiro and Achada do Teixeira have recently (March 5th) been closed owing to forecast snow.  The following walking routes are closed throughout:     PR 1.3 Vereda da Encumeada     PR 4 Levada do Barreiro     PR 7 Levada do Moinho     PR 14 Levada dos Cedros     PR 19 Caminho real do Paul do Mar     PR 20 Vereda do Jardim do Mar     PR 23 Levada da Azenha     PR 27 Glaciar de Planalto     PR 28 Levada da Rocha Vermelha The following routes are partially open:     ...

Local newspapers are reporting the temporary closure of the Levada dos Cedros owing to landslips. The IFCN website hasn't yet been updated, so please keep an eye on the news outlets for further details.

Following the recent bad weather which closed all of the recommended walking routes, the IFCN has posted a new list of routes indicating which are open, partially open or closed. The following routes are definitively closed: PR 1.3 - Vereda da Encumeada PR 4 - Levada do Barreiro PR 7 - Levada do Moinho PR 12 - Caminho Real da Encumeada PR 19 - Caminho real do Paul do Mar PR 20 - Vereda do Jardim do Mar PR 23 - Levada da Azenha PR 27 - Glaciar do Planalto PR 28 - Levada da Rocha Vermelha The following routes are open only along part of their extent: PR 1 - Vereda do Areeiro PR 2 - Vereda do Urzal PR 9 - Levada do Caldeirão PR 17 - Caminho do Pináculo e Folhadal The details can be found on the IFCN website linked above.

Local press are reporting that the IFCN ( Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation) has advised that the recommended walking routes under its management will be closed on Monday, 20th January owing to forecast bad weather - that's all the walking routes with a PR designation. The closure may be extended depending on weather conditions. Please note that this is not simply advice, the closures have legal force. Please do not put yourself - or your potential rescuers - in unnecessary danger. Please note this closure announced for 20th January has been extended to 21st owing to continued bad weather, particularly at higher elevations

The rain has been wreaking havoc. No sooner was the landslip cleared on PR18 and the route reopened than PR9 had to be closed for similar reasons. Probably best to expect short notice closures in the current circumstances.

The IFCN has announced the closure of PR!8 (Levada do Rei) owing to a landslip. There has been no news so far of the likely duration.  In better news, the detour on PR10 (Levada do Furado) is now optional as the original route has been reinstated. The detour involved a greater height gain and so the walk is now more accessible, but the detour remains available for those who wish to use it.

According to press reports, Horários do Funchal has extended the deadline for using up the credit on the old-style pre-paid Giro cards that are being phased out. HF has accepted that there will be a significant number of people - many of them tourists - who will be unable to use up their remaining credit before the previously-announced deadline of the end of November, 2024. Consequently, the old tickets will continue to be accepted until 31st May, 2025. The company will also allow the old cards to be topped up with new credit until the end of this year. Update (19-Jan-2025): there has been press speculation regarding the future of SIGA, the new public transport authority, and its ticketing arrangements. Visitors arriving in 2025 may need to check before use whether their pre-paid tickets from 2024 remain valid.

By 1st January, 2025, there will be a charge for everyone using the regionally recommended walking routes (with numbers prefixed by PR). However, some routes are payable from 28th October. These are: PR1 - Vereda do Areeiro PR1.2 - Vereda do Pico Ruivo PR 6.1 - Levada do Risco PR 8 - Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço (existing charge goes up) PR 9 - Levada do Caldeirão Verde PR 11 - Vereda dos Balcões PR 18 - Levada do Rei  A payment of 3 Euros per person, per route per day should be made in advance online via the SIMplifica portal. Your permit will only be valid on the date and route for which it was issued, though you can contact the call centre to change it to another date or another route  if you're unable to embark on the walk you have booked. For a transitionary period, there may be staff available on site to take payments. Spot checks will me made to check people have paid the fee and penalties may be issued. Children of 12 and under are exempt, as are residents of...

As the Madeira Organ Festival draws to a close, a reminder that 2024's Madeira Piano Fest will take place in Funchal's Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias beetween 2nd and 10th November. The programme includes a variety of performances for solo piano, four hands on a single piano and pieces for two pianos. In between the two, the Maderia International Guitar Festival runs in various locations between 25th October and 3rd November.

23rd October: The majority of the PR1 trail at Pico do Areeiro remains closed. Horários do Funchal has announced two changes to the operation of its twice-daily shuttle service between Funchal and Pico do Areeiro which will come into effect on Sunday, 27th October. The departure point for the shuttle will change from Praça da Autonomia to the Cable Car Terminal bus station (4A), hopefully making it easier to find. Owing to the shortening days, the last departure from Pico do Areeiro, which is currently at 19:00 will leave an hour earlier, at 18:00. This winter timetable will run until 29th March 2025 (inclusive). The summer timetable will resume on 30th March. Summer departures from Funchal are presently timetabled as follows: 06:00 | 13:30 – Praça da Autonomia - stop Rua 31 Janeiro S (9); 06:02 | 13:32 – Jardim Santa Luzia; 06:10 | 13:40 – Monte - Largo da Fonte; 06:11 | 13:41 – Entrada Corujeira de Dentro; 06:15 | 13:45 – Terreiro da Luta; 06:23 | 13:53 – Portão Norte da Herdade do...