PR 13.1 · Madeira
Vereda da Palha Carga
A short, steep drop off the ER 209 into the top of the 25 Fontes valley.
- Distance 1.8 km
- Walking time 45 min
- Highest point 1,328 m
- 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
One point eight kilometres from the road at Louro da Gota down to the 25 Fontes lagoon, losing about 350 m.
It is really a way in rather than a walk in itself. At the bottom you either climb back up the way you came, or carry on along the 25 Fontes trail and come out at Rabaçal — which is a different road, several kilometres from your car. Decide before you start.
No difficulty grading is published for this one.
Before you go
Getting back
Back up the same path, or out via the 25 Fontes to Rabaçal on the ER 105 — nowhere near where you parked.
In the app
Everything for the day you walk PR 13.1
- 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 13.1 open today?
Yes. The IFCN lists PR 13.1 (Vereda da Palha Carga) as open.
Do I need a licence for PR 13.1?
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 13.1 take?
The official walking time is 45 min for 1.8 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 13.1?
Back up the same path, or out via the 25 Fontes to Rabaçal on the ER 105 — nowhere near where you parked.
Checked against
- Visit Madeira, official trail sheet PR 13.1 (1.8 km, 45 min, 970–1328 m; no difficulty published)
- 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.
Trails nearby
All 43 trailsVereda do Pico Fernandes
The back way into 25 Fontes, dropping off the Paul da Serra plateau instead of coming down from Rabaçal.
- 3.8 km
- 1 h 30
- One way
PR 6.3 Open Vereda da Lagoa do Vento
Down to a waterfall and lagoon below Rabaçal. Short, and much harder than short suggests.
- 1.8 km
- 1 h 30
- Easy
- There and back
Vereda da Câmara de Carga do Rabaçal
A short link from the Rabaçal loading chamber to the Túnel do Cavalo. The one classified trail with no official description at all.
- 1.8 km
- One way