Madeira: This volcanic archipelago of four islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean, is an autonomous region of Portugal. The main island (also called Madeira) is where we went. This volcanic island is known for its landscape (green and steep mountains) and the fact that Ronaldo, one of the best football players ever, comes from it. There used to be an (in) famous statue of Ronaldo in Madeira but, sadly, the statue is now replaced. I had Madeira on my wish list for a while since nature was supposed to be awesome with many cool hikes to choose from.
Why we chose this hike: We decided to hike across Madeira instead of doing a few day hikes and driving around by car. My argument was that a single multi-day hike is more immersive than a few day hikes as we’re in a different place every day. Besides, the island seemed to be small enough to start on one side and finish on the other within the 5 days we had.
While Madeira is a hiker’s paradise, once I started planning the hike, I realized that multi-day hiking is not common. There was not that much information about which hikes are easy to combine. As the main peaks are in the middle of the island, most of the paths are made for an ascent and descent back to the “civilization” instead of staying high up. What inspired me the most was Madeira Island Ultra-Trail (MIUT), which is an ultra marathon crossing the whole island. We started our hike in Siexal (north west) and finished in Machico (south-east).
Difficulty: Mountains in Madeira are very steep. Most of the days we had more than 1000m elevation gain and loss (yes, both!), so short distances didn’t mean fast distances. Overall, the trails are well maintained, many steep parts are made of rock stairs and there are wire fences to protect from falling off a cliff. In fact, some paths lead you very close to high cliffs, which can be intimidating. The weather can change fast and it varies greatly between different sides of the island, therefore, this hike should be not underestimated. When it’s wet, extra precautions should be taken as it gets slippery and muddy. Given all those aspects, I’d rate this trail from moderate to moderately difficult.
Madeira in November: We hiked at the beginning of November, hoping to get away from grey autumn in mainland Europe. I’d say we got all sorts of weather 
Close to the coast it was summer, we hiked in shorts and t-shirts, while in the mountains we had a lot of rain and fog. It wasn’t freezing, but definitely cold.
What I liked about hiking in November, was that there were not that many people, even in popular places. Of course, occasionally we had some bad weather, but overall it was a great month for visiting Madeira.
Logistics to the start and back: Our trip was from one side of the island to the other. We started near Seixal and got there by taxi. The night before we stayed in Porto Moniz so the taxi drive was quite short. As an alternative, we could have hiked straight from Porto Moniz but we had a long first day already, hence took the taxi. Since Madeira is veeeeery hilly, even 1km might be a challenge as the roads often look like rollercoasters and lack pavements. As for public transport, there are some busses between towns, however, they don’t go that often (1-2 times per day).
We finished the hike in Machico, from which we took a taxi to Santa Cruz where we stayed on our last night. Here, again, we could have hiked all the way to Santa Cruz, but that would have cost us a few extra hours. We got lazy and took a taxi 🙂
A few notes on building a multi-day hike itinerary:
Our 5-day itinerary:
Day 1: Seixal – Sao Vicente | 21km
Day 2: Boca da Encumeada – Pico Ruivo | 10.5km
Day 3: Pico Ruivo – Ribeiro Frio | 14km
Day 4: Ribeiro Frio – Porto da Cruz | 15km
Day 5 – Porto da Cruz – Machico | 13km
Accommodation:
Distance: 21km
Hiking duration: 5h 30min
Total duration (hiking + rest): 7h 00min
Total ascent: 1370m
Total descent: 1437m
Accommodation: Estalagem do Vale
We chose this hotel because it was relatively close to the mountains. The main part of the town is at the coast, meaning even more hiking. Given the steepness of the roads, we didn’t want to stray away from the trail even further.
The hotel itself was quite fancy, so we even checked with the staff if it was ok that we were eating there in our hiking clothes 😄 There are quite a few activities in the hotel area (e.g. swimming pool), but we didn’t explore them as we were pretty tired and had to do some grocery shopping. For a double room, we paid 60 Eur.
Overall impression: For some reason, our first day is always tough. This time it was no exception as we had to conquer 21km. As you can see from the elevation profile, it was a damn steep climb, so at least we were happy it was a cloudy day.
We almost didn’t meet anyone on this trail, it didn’t seem to be popular at all. As we climbed higher, a few times we could glimpse the beautiful blue coast that we were leaving behind. At the top, we reached a sort of plateau but as it was cloudy/rainy, we didn’t see much.
The views came back once we started descending towards São Vicente and could see the blue coast once again. Overall, I’d say it was a tough day with some limited views.
Distance: 10.5km
Hiking duration: 3h 30min
Total duration (hiking + rest): 4h 30min
Total ascent: 1025m
Total descent: 333m
Accommodation: Casa de Abrigo do Pico Ruivo
I managed to find a mountain hut in Madeira and even got to stay in one! It was located right below Pico Ruivo, in the middle of the mountains, amazing, right? Well, we still have flashbacks from the stay… 
When we arrived, the weather was awful and so we came wet and cold. The hut was super basic with no proper lights or heating. Yes, no heating. It was so damn cold there, that we slept with all our clothes and blankets we got. For food we could ask the warden to boil us some water, that’s it. I knew about food but definitely didn’t expect the cold.
It was truly a sad night and we left the hut without seeing any of the amazing views since it kept on raining the next day too. For this memorable night, we paid 30 Eur for a double room. In case you’re wondering, we were the only ones staying there 
Overall impression: We skipped some of the climb up by taking a taxi to Boca da Encumeada and starting from there. While in São Vicente it was mild summer weather, the trail greeted us with wind and clouds. The forecast for today was not great, but hey, we had to move on to our next destination.
As Madeira is so small, after a little hike up we could soon see the other side of the island and the bigger peaks. The path was well maintained, just very steep and full of stairs. On day 2 we were truly in the mountains and enjoyed the views much more than yesterday.
However, that wasn’t meant to last… Somewhere midway it started raining and we could barely see anything. We sped towards Pico Ruivo, the highest peak of Madeira, fighting a ferocious wind and trying to keep our spirits high despite the weather. The path became rather tricky, especially on steep descents as most of it was covered with slippery rocks.
Although it was a relatively short hike, the weather made it quite miserable and we sadly couldn’t see the awesome views around the peak. Since it didn’t clear out the whole day and night, we didn’t even climb all the way to Pico Ruivo. I bet that on a clear day it’s a really cool walk.
Instead we rushed to warm up in the mountain hut, where we stayed for the night. As you already know, we didn’t get the heat we expected… 😄 What a day.
Distance: 14km
Hiking duration: 3h 45min
Total duration (hiking + rest): 5h 00min
Total ascent: 549m
Total descent: 1437m
Accommodation: Casa do Ribeiro Frio
This was one of the favorite places we stayed in Madeira. We had a double room with a private shower, while the whole place has a common kitchen and living room. Basically, it is an apartment with showers in every room.
The best part was that nobody else stayed there, so we had the whole living room to ourselves. As we (again) arrived soaking wet, it was awesome to just chill on a couch under a warm blanket. We really enjoyed our stay in this place.
The reception is in the restaurant nearby and we ate dinner there as well. They have typical local dishes and the food is great. For our room, we paid 53 Eur.
Overall impression: We woke up to rain, which didn’t seem to stop since yesterday. I was hoping for a clearing to be able to visit Pico Ruivo but that was not the case. However, soon after we started our hike toward Pico do Arieiro, the clouds started to part a bit, and all of a sudden we could see the mountains around us.
The landscape between the two peaks was really impressive with sharp mountains rising around us. The remaining clouds just made it more dramatic It was a steep walk, many times along cliffs and with many stairs involved. We even got to cross a few tunnels! Some of those were pitch black so it was a cool intermezzo.
Towards Pico do Arieiro we started meeting more and more people as this section of the island is very popular with tourists. Soon the weather turned into a horrible mix of rain and wind and again we could only see a bit of the path. As it was very narrow and steep, some of those sections looked pretty scary.
Close to Pico do Arieiro we met several groups of day hikers heading towards Pico Ruivo. They asked us hopefully whether the weather is better there. Well… Maybe another day
After lunch at the restaurant at the top, we headed towards Ribeiro Frio. This was a shady section to hike as there was no official hiking trail leading to it. For a bit, we hiked on the road while cars passed us in misty/rainy weather (it was not nice). Then we turned towards a hiking path, which soon mysteriously disappeared and we were left in the middle of nowhere.
We decided to look for an alternative path for a bit, otherwise, get back to the road and try to get a taxi. After some weird navigation, we found a marked path, woohoo! However, it soon became very steep and we figured it was some crazy bike path. We were so close to Ribeiro Frio though, that we decided to continue on it, grabbing a nearby metal fence and trying not to slide down.
Once we made it to an actual path, we looked back at the trail we had just come from and couldn’t believe there was a trail. From below it just looked like a bushy steep hill. Looking back, we should have probably gotten a taxi from Pico do Arieiro to Ribeiro Frio. All that sad hike was not anything to the experience.
Ribeiro Frio greeted us with clearing skies and tranquil paths along levadas. We were so glad to get out of the mountains, which were really not that welcoming to us.
Distance: 15km
Hiking duration: 3h 30min
Total duration (hiking + rest): 4h 45min
Total ascent: 230m
Total descent: 1059m
Accommodation: Hotel Costa Linda
This hotel was my personal favorite. Just look at the view! This hotel is located very close to the sea and I spent the whole afternoon sitting on the balcony and enjoying the relaxing sounds and views of the sea. After a few wet days, it was awesome to enjoy the sun and blue skies.
Overall we had a good stay in this hotel. The room was clean and spacious and the hotel staff was very friendly.
For a double room with a private shower (and this view!) we paid 63 Eur.
Overall impression: Finally we woke up to a sunny day. Before heading towards Porto da Cruz, we climbed up to a viewpoint (10-15min from the hotel) overseeing the big peaks. Today they were fully open and clear. At least from below, we could finally see them.
After the viewpoint, we continued the hike along levadas. Many levada paths go through Ribeiro Frio, so we were not surprised to meet groups walking with guides. Though it wasn’t that crowded and most of the time we had levadas to ourselves.
Our chosen levada section was very well maintained and easy to follow. At times the path gets very narrow, but it’s not dangerous or difficult. It was also a flat walk, so we moved quite fast.
To reach Porto da Cruz we eventually had to leave levadas and hike down a hill. Luckily today the path was dry and we had no trouble in steeper sections. The path was clear to follow and quite well maintained.
Close to the town we saw dark clouds coming our way with thunder rumbling in the distance. The mountains were covered in those clouds and all of a sudden I was glad that we were not up there We rushed to the hotel even faster and were greeted there by the sun.
Apparently, while the midland was soaking in rain, the coast enjoyed the sunny weather most of the time. The rest of the afternoon we enjoyed Madeira that we hoped for – amazing views and summer in the air!
Distance: 13km
Hiking duration: 3h 00min
Total duration (hiking + rest): 4h 00min
Total ascent: 506m
Total descent: 306m
Accommodation: Hotel Solar Bom Jesus (in Santa Cruz)
We chose this hotel due to a close proximity to the airport as we had a morning flight. The hotel was modern spacious. There was a common outside lounge area for chilling, which was nice.
For a double room with a private shower we paid 55 Eur.
Overall impression: Our last day was also the easiest one. After a short steep climb we continued the hike along the the coast with steep cliffs below us. The coast was absolutely gorgeous and we enjoyed this section a lot. For such a small island, Madeira has definitely a lot of different landscapes to offer.
The path along the coast goes all the way to the peninsula, but we decided to turn towards Machico and finish there. The path promised a section of levada walk and I felt it would be a nice ending to the trip.
The final section of the path led past the suburbs of Machico with all sorts of houses on our way. It was early afternoon when we made it to a little square overseeing Machico from above. As we finished the hike, a little drizzle welcomed us. Of course 😊 Within the 5 days we hiked in Madeira, this island showed us many different faces.
This hike was a luxury multi-day hike for us as we didn’t have to carry any camping gear and stayed in hotels (almost) every day. Woohoo! Thus, I didn’t care about my backpack weight as much as on other hikes. Besides, we were always close to a town, so there was really no need to take a lot of stuff. When it comes to clothes, I included in the list all the clothes, including the ones I wore.
My gear list:
In total, for this trip (two people) we've spent roughly 750 Eur (excluding flight tickets). In general, given the amount of time we stayed, I'd say that Madeira is not expensive.
Accommodation. Even though we stayed in hotels most of the time, we spent roughly 50-60 Eur per night for a double room with a private shower. This way we had a more comfortable trip without having to carry a lot of gear with us and spending a fortune.
Food & drinks. We almost didn't buy any groceries as we mostly ate in restaurants. This was not only due to convenience but also because there were not that many chances to do groceries. Besides, as an island, Madeira has limited supplies of items that might be considered "mainstream" on the continent (e.g. croissants). Eating out was also not that expensive, e.g. for dinner we've spend ~30 Eur for two people.
Travel. The quickest and often the only way to get to a certain place was by taxi. We could have lowered these expenses if we didn’t take a private transfer to Porto Moniz (50 Eur), but then we would have had to endure a long bus journey so we considered the transfer worth it (also since we saved money by not renting a car).
