Hello and welcome back to my blog! In today’s blog, I will share with you my experience hiking Vereda da Ponta de Sao Lourenço (PR8), one of the most popular hikes in Madeira. And it is for a good reason! The trail snakes along the rugged cliffs of the Ponta do Sao Lourenço peninsula, offering unrivaled views of the Atlantic Ocean crashing against the volcanic rocks. It’s no wonder that Verada da Ponta do Sao Lourenço has become a must-visit for outdoor and nature lovers.
Ponta de Sao lourenço
Before we jump into the most practical details to plan and do this hike, I want to share with you some information about Ponta de Sao Lourenço.
- Ponta de Sao Lourenço is the easternmost point of the island of Madeira. It is located inside the town of Caniçal and forms part of the municipality of Machico.
- The Sao Lourenço peninsula is approximately 9 km long and it is followed by two small islets: Illhéu da Cevada and Illhéu do Farol.
- The peninsula has a semi-arid climate and it is exposed to north winds. Due to this, there are barely any trees and most of the vegetation is creepers. This is quite a contrast with the lushness of the rest of the island.
- The peninsula is classified as a Partial Natural Reserve.
getting to Ponta de Sao lourenço
In order to reach Vereda da Ponta de Sao Lourenço, you will have to drive east from Funchal for approximately 30 minutes. To do so, just follow road ER101 from Funchal until you reach Caniçal. From there, follow road ER109 until your destination where you will find a big parking lot. This parking lot gets quite busy during the day, so consider arriving early in the morning to be sure you get a parking spot. I’ve pinned the exact location of this parking in the map below.
The roads to get you here are very easy to ride so I do recommend renting a car and driving there yourself. However, if you don’t feel like driving, it is also possible to join a tour that will bring you to this beautiful part of the island.
things to know before hiking vereda Ponta de Sao lourenço
Equipment needed
Vereda da Ponta de Sao Lourenço is a very popular hike in Madeira. This means you don’t need any specific gear to hike it but the following things will come in very handy.
- Appropriate hiking shoes. The trail is well-conditioned but there are some steep parts in which you will be glad to have shoes with a good grip.
- A hat and sunscreen to protect you from the sun. There is no shade at all during this hike.
- Reusable water bottles to ensure you have plenty of hydration during your hike.
- Make sure to have some coins since you will need them to use the toilets.
Tips to visit
Here are some other tips to make the best of your visit:
- Always check the weather forecast and trail conditions before heading to Ponta de Sao Lourenço. Weather conditions can vary a lot from one part of Madeira to the other. I recommend the app MadeiraWeather.
- When is the best moment to go? I would recommend doing this hike early in the morning. There is no shade at all on the trail so if you visit it on a sunny day, it can get quite warm.
- The trail is not a difficult one but the last part before reaching the end of the peninsula includes an elevation gain of 400 m.
My experience hiking vereda Ponta de Sao lourenço
Hike Summary
- Trail Start/End: Parking lot at the end of Road ER109 (see map above)
- Distance: 7,4 km
- Elevation Gain: 412 m
- Route type: Linear route (although there is a little loop at the end)
- Time needed: 4 hours (this included stopping for multiple photos and having lunch at Miradouro Ponta do Furado)
Beginning of the trail: Walking along the rocky formations
The Vereda da Ponta de Sao Lourenço was a fantastic surprise in Madeira. I had read many travel blog recommendations about this trail but for some reason, the photos had not stuck in my mind so I went without any expectations. It was not long after I started the train that I was blown away but its beauty.
The hike begins with a few small ups and downs along a gravel trail conditioned with some stairs. In the first part of the trail, you get to see the southern coast of the peninsula and the two islets following it.
However, it doesn’t take too long to reach Miradouro do Sao Lourenço and it is here (in my opinion) where the real beauty of this hike begins. From here, you will walk between different beautiful viewpoints overlooking the rugged cliffs and the sea. Right next to this first viewpoint, there are some stairs to the right of the trail that will take you to Sao Lourenço beach.
The burnt orange rock formations make a fantastic contrast with the blue of the sea. Each viewpoint we saw was more breathtaking than the previous one and had to stop for a while to enjoy it and take as many photos as possible.
The plateau and going up to Pico do Furado
At some point, we reached a small plateau in which the trail divides into two. It doesn’t matter which side you choose since the trail does a loop and both sides will bring you to the climb up to Miradouro do Furado. We chose to go left and decided to return on the right path on our way back.
Right before you start to climb to Pico do Furado, you will find Casa do Sardinha. This small house was built for Manuel Bettencourt Sardinha, who ordered its construction to serve as a place of refuge and vacation for his family. In 1996, it was sold to the Autonomous Region of Madeira on the condition that it would be used for the conservation of the area. It also hosts a small bar where you can get some drinks and small snacks to eat.
After a small break at Casa do Sardinha, we started our climb towards Miradouro do Furado. This part is the only challenging part of the hike but it is still feasible and in the end, you will get rewarded with the most amazing views. It was so amazing that we decided to eat our sandwiches with this amazing view.
Unfortunately, this is as far as you can go since the rest of the land is separated by water.
Important: There was a small sign showing that this part of the trail was closed but everybody was going up, so we decided to do the same. The trail didn’t seem that dangerous for me, but some stairs were a bit broken and the way down was a bit slippery. If you decide, to do this part of the trail, it is at your own risk.
Returning to the parking lot
After our lunch, it was time to return to the park. We slowly descended from Pico du Furado to avoid slipping and falling and then continued our trail on the other side of the loop that we had come from.
On this side of the trail, you can visit the small beach Praia do Sardinha and if you don’t feel like walking back to the car, you can also get a boat that will bring you to Caniça (tickets can be bought at Casa do Sardinha). By this time, it was getting really warm, and decided to not stop for long here and try to get back to the car as soon as possible.
Walking back to the car was quite tough, not because of the technical level of the trail but because of the weather conditions. It was really warm and we were a bit short on water. I had a small sun stroke and I have never been so happy when we reached the parking lot.
And that’s it for my blog about hiking Vereda da Ponta de Sao Lourenço (PR8). I hope you liked it and found it useful and happy hiking! Let me know what you thought in the comments!
DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links. Clicking and buying from them will be at no additional cost to you but I will get a small commission.
Enjoyed this guide? Pin it for later!
