Madeira is known for its lush forests, diverse flora and mountain views. I have visited the island twice and hope to return again in the future. It’s a truly special place and somewhere I have personally fallen in love with.

Located deep within the São Jorge valley, the Levada do Caldeirão Verde (PR9) is one of the most impressive hiking trails the island has to offer (of which there are many!)

The hike has everything you could ask for: spectacular waterfalls, mountain views and tropical flora. On top of this, the hike is relatively flat with little elevation gain.

Below you’ll find my hiking guide to PR9, including some tips I picked up along the way.

Where is PR9 and how do I get there?

PR9 is located just outside Santana. The trail begins at the Queimadas Forestry Park and continues deep into the dense valley of São Jorge. The Queimadas Forestry Park is easily accessible from Funchal and takes about an hour to get to by car.

CAR : renting a car is definitely one of the best ways to get around the island if your plan is to tick off some of Madeira’s hiking trails. For my latest trip, we were based in Funchal and rented a car for half of our trip. We have found that the public transport system in Madeira is really good and easily accessible for a lot of the major spots we wanted to see. However, for hiking trails on the island, renting a car is definitely the most convenient way to travel.

The parking charge at Quiemadas Forestry Park was €2 per hour. You receive a ticket when you enter the car park and this is used to pay your parking fee before exiting the car park. You pay for your parking at the reception desk near the traditional thatched tea house.

The parking can fill up quickly, so I would suggest getting to the forestry park early. The final stretch of road leading up to the park is narrow with passing places. Please drive slowly to accommodate for oncoming cars.

GUIDED TOUR : Another great option is to book a guided tour for the trail where you will be accompanied by a local guide. Many of the guided tours on offer will provide hotel pickup and drop off services within Funchal. There are companies that offer to drop you off at the trail, let you explore on your own and then pick you up again afterwards. This is a good option if you are not renting a car but want to explore PR9 without a guide or group.

Please note that for most tours, you still need to book your PR9 time slot seperately via the Simplifica portal. If you are unsure, check with the tour provider prior to booking.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION : While it is technically possible to reach PR9 via public transport, it is a long journey. You will need to take a bus in the direction of Santana (line 56, 103 or 138). Once you arrive at the bus station in Santana, there will be a taxi stand where you can get a taxi for the remainder of the trip. All together, this will take roughly two hours.

Arrive at Queimadas Forestry Park

You will begin your hike at Queimadas Forestry Park. We booked the earliest time slot for the hike via the Simplifica portal to try and get the trail as quiet as possible. Slots can fill up a day or two before, so always try to plan ahead where possible. We arrived just after 8am. At this time, the cafe and toilets were not open so keep that in mind.

Beginning of the trail

To begin the hike, pass the cafe and you will notice a signpost followed by a clear path. Once on the path, you will quickly feel miles away from the car park you just left. The trail is dense with trees and fauna, however it is easy to follow and marked throughout. The path leads you through a beautiful laurel forest. A laurel forest, also known as laurisilva, is an ancient type of subtropical rainforest.

Defined by their thick moss, ferns and damp, misty environments, laurisilva is a photographer’s dream. Madeira itself is home to the largest surviving area of laurisilva.

After about an hour of walking, you will reach your first waterfall of the day. This is just a teaser of what is to come but it is a beautiful spot for photos.

Tunnels and mountain views

The second half of the hike involves passing through four tunnels and a jaw-dropping Levada trail around a cliffside. The tunnels are tight and have sections of low ceilings. When we hiked the trail, there were long sections of deep puddles in the tunnels. I would recommend bringing along a head torch and a well charged phone as a back up for these sections.

After the final tunnel, you will be rewarded by stunning views of the dense São Jorge valley and surrounding mountains. Although there is a fence on the right hand side, there are sheer drops so you have to be careful; particularly when passing by hikers coming from the opposite direction.

The Caldeirão Verde waterfall

As you continue, you will begin to hear the sound of falling water. Before long, you will reach the impressive Caldeirão Verde waterfall. At approximately 100m high, this is one of the tallest waterfalls in Madeira. It is truly a spectacular spot and I would reccomend taking some time here to sit down and take in the scene. Photos don’t quite do this waterfall and it’s sheer height justice.

This area can get quite busy. We started our hike early and still found this area to be a little hectic. I can imagine that it becomes much more crowded by midday. Please note that landfalls are common near the waterfall, so care is needed in this area. We ended up sitting here to have our lunch before beginning the walk back.

Return journey

From the Caldeirão Verde waterfall, you can chose to return back on the same path you came or continue on to include the neighbouring Caldeirão do Inferno waterfall. We did not plan to include Caldeirão do Inferno on our hike and the trail was closed when we visited (June 2026). It’s always best to visit Vist Madeira’s official site when planning out your hikes on the island. This website will let you know if the trail is open and it provides a link to book in your time slot for the trail.

While we chose the turn back after Caldeirão Verde waterfall, the Caldeirão do Inferno waterfall does look impressive. If you wish to include this, the total hike will be around 20KM in total. As mentioned, this trail was closed when we visited so please do plan ahead.

As we began our return, the cloud started to roll in. Soon the valley was enclosed in an atmospheric fog. I was glad that we had started the hike early as those starting midday would not have seen the impressive cliff-side views. We managed to get the best of both worlds by seeing the clear views out to the valley in the morning and then experience the forest in a deep fog on our return.

Once we reached the forestry park, we stopped at the cafe for some cake and coffee. I had a passion fruit cheesecake which was delicious. Some very curious little Madeira Firecrest birds joined us at our table and we even got to meet the cafe’s newest resident baby chick.

All round, it was a perfect day of exploring and made all the better by the conditions we had.

Best time to hike PR9

Caldeirão Verde is one of Madeira’s most popular Levada walks and as such can get very busy throughout the day. I would definitely recommend arriving early in the morning. We hiked the trail in June, which is a busy month for the island. However, I found the crowds manageable with our early morning start. On our return, the trail was getting increasingly busy and we had to stop often to let oncoming hikers past. Shoulder months of May, September and October should experience smaller crowds.

What to pack

As with any hike, it’s important to be well prepared. Madeira’s weather is often unpredictable, and while in Funchal it might be a clear, sunny day, the mountain regions will be much different. Water and snacks are also a must. A good pair of hiking boots with grip and a headtorch are necessary too.