PR 27 · Madeira
Glaciar de Planalto
Closed, with no reason published. Closed trails cannot be booked on SIMplifica; check the status before planning around it.
A short walk on the Paul da Serra plateau, from Bica da Cana. Classified in 2024 and closed at the moment.
- Distance 4.6 km
- Walking time 1 h 30
- Highest point 1,588 m
Official figures. Walking times are moving times: they assume you never stop.
The route
The walk
One of two trails added to the official list in October 2024, up on the high plateau at around 1500 m.
It is closed. Visit Madeira, the IFCN list and the IFCN notices page all say so, and none of them gives a reason or a date for reopening. It remains bookable on the government portal, which is worth knowing before you pay for a slot.
We have not walked it and there is very little published about it, so this page is short on purpose. When it reopens we will go and write it properly.
Before you go
Where to park
At the Bica da Cana leisure area off the ER 110, which the Ponta do Sol council refurbished with toilets and covered fireplaces.
By bus
No bus serves the Paul da Serra plateau.
In the app
Everything for the day you walk PR 27
- 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.
- 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 27 open today?
No. The IFCN lists PR 27 (Glaciar de Planalto) as closed. Closed, with no reason published. Closed trails cannot be booked on SIMplifica; check the status before planning around it.
How long does PR 27 take?
The official walking time is 1 h 30 for 4.6 km. It is a moving time that assumes you never stop, so allow more for photographs, food and rests.
Where do I park for PR 27?
At the Bica da Cana leisure area off the ER 110, which the Ponta do Sol council refurbished with toilets and covered fireplaces.
Can I get to PR 27 by bus?
No bus serves the Paul da Serra plateau.
Checked against
- Visit Madeira, official trail sheet PR 27 (4.6 km, 1:30, 1457–1588 m; no difficulty published)
- Despacho n.º 473/2024, Jornal Oficial da RAM II Série n.º 184, 9 October 2024 (classification)
- IFCN classified-trails list and notices page, closure, page updated 24 July 2026
- Câmara Municipal da Ponta do Sol (Bica da Cana leisure area)
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 trailsCaminho 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
Caminho do Norte
Three kilometres downhill from the Encumeada pass to Ribeira Grande in São Vicente.
- 3.2 km
- 1 h 30
- Moderate
- One way
Levada Fajã do Rodrigues
A levada into the São Vicente valley with three tunnels, the longest around 600 metres.
- 3.9 km
- 3 h 30
- Moderate
- There and back