PR 1.1 · Madeira
Vereda da Ilha
Down off the mountain from Pico Ruivo to the village of Ilha, losing more than 1200 metres on the way.
- Distance 8.2 km
- Walking time 3 h
- Highest point 1,764 m
- Difficulty Moderate
- Route One way
Official figures. Walking times are moving times: they assume you never stop.
The route
One way. The trail ends somewhere else from where it starts, so plan how you get back before you set off.
The walk
This is the descent nobody expects. It starts at the Pico Ruivo shelter at 1764 m and ends in Ilha at 490 m, and almost all of that is downhill.
Downhill sounds easy and is not. Eight kilometres of steady descent is hard on knees, and there is no way to shorten it once you have committed: the only exits are the top and the bottom.
Three hours is the official time. It is a walk for people who have already done a few here, and it needs a plan for the bottom before you start.
Long, continuous descent. Poles help more here than on anything else on this list. The upper section is exposed and cold.
Before you go
Getting back
It ends in Ilha, near Santana, nowhere near the mountain you started on. Sort out a taxi or a second car before you set off.
What to bring
Poles if you use them, and warm clothes for the top even if the bottom is hot — there is 1300 m between the two.
In the app
Everything for the day you walk PR 1.1
- You, on the line The whole trail on the map with your position on it, from the car park to the end.
- No signal needed Kept on your phone for the valleys and tunnels where the network goes.
- Today's free slots Every half hour of the day, live from SIMplifica, and booking in a tap.
- A timer for the walk Private, it counts from the trailhead and stops by itself at the end.
- To do, and done Mark the walks you want to do and the ones you have walked.
- Open or closed, every morning The IFCN status on every trail, read again each day.
Questions people ask
Is PR 1.1 open today?
Yes. The IFCN lists PR 1.1 (Vereda da Ilha) as open.
Do I need a licence for PR 1.1?
Yes. Every visitor over twelve books an entry slot on SIMplifica, the regional government's portal, before walking, and pays €4.50. Madeira residents, children aged twelve and under and people with a disability of 60% or more do not pay, but still register.
How long does PR 1.1 take?
The official walking time is 3 h for 8.2 km, one way. It is a moving time that assumes you never stop, so allow more for photographs, food and rests.
How do I get back after PR 1.1?
It ends in Ilha, near Santana, nowhere near the mountain you started on. Sort out a taxi or a second car before you set off.
Checked against
- Visit Madeira, official trail sheet PR 1.1 (8.2 km, 3 h, moderate, 490–1764 m)
- IFCN / SIMplifica (licence and fee)
Status as the IFCN publishes it. This page was last rebuilt on 15 October at 07:00, Madeira time. Trails close without warning after storms: check again on the morning you walk.
Guides that mention this trail
Trails nearby
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