PR 21 · Madeira
Caminho do Norte
Three kilometres downhill from the Encumeada pass to Ribeira Grande in São Vicente.
- Distance 3.2 km
- Walking time 1 h 30
- Highest point 1,000 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
A short descent from the pass at 1000 m to Ribeira Grande at 320 m, on the northern side.
The official description has not been published yet — the status list says one is coming — so there is less to say about this than we would like, and we are not going to fill the gap from someone else's blog.
What matters practically is the bus, because this ends 680 m below where it starts. Rodoeste line 6 is the only service, once each way per day: it comes up mid-morning and the return from São Vicente back to Encumeada leaves at half past three, reaching the pass at four. Miss that and there is nothing else that day.
One warning about searching for this trail: several results confuse it with a long route to Pico Ruivo that needs an overnight. Different walk.
Before you go
Getting back
It finishes 680 m below the start, at Ribeira Grande in São Vicente. Either the one afternoon bus back up, a taxi, or a long climb.
By bus
Rodoeste line 300/301 (formerly 6), once each way per day. Up to Encumeada around 09:25, and back from São Vicente at 15:30 arriving Encumeada 16:00. There is no second option.
In the app
Everything for the day you walk PR 21
- 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 21 open today?
Yes. The IFCN lists PR 21 (Caminho do Norte) as open.
Do I need a licence for PR 21?
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 21 take?
The official walking time is 1 h 30 for 3.2 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 21?
It finishes 680 m below the start, at Ribeira Grande in São Vicente. Either the one afternoon bus back up, a taxi, or a long climb.
Can I get to PR 21 by bus?
Rodoeste line 300/301 (formerly 6), once each way per day. Up to Encumeada around 09:25, and back from São Vicente at 15:30 arriving Encumeada 16:00. There is no second option.
Checked against
- Visit Madeira, official trail sheet PR 21 (3.2 km, 1:30, moderate, 320–1000 m); official description not yet published
- Rodoeste line 6 timetable, Encumeada and São Vicente
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
All 43 trailsVereda da Encumeada
The mountain traverse from Pico Ruivo west to Encumeada. Half of it is currently closed.
- 11.2 km
- 5 h
- Moderate
- One way
PR 22 Open Vereda do Chão dos Louros
A short loop around the Chão dos Louros forest park, and the only classified trail here that brings you back to your car.
- 1.9 km
- 45 min
- Easy
- Loop
Caminho do Pináculo e Folhadal
The hardest classified trail on the island: 15 km across the centre from Lombo do Mouro to Encumeada, through long dark tunnels. Currently open only in part.
- 15 km
- 6 h 30
- Hard
- One way