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Tell me about the Achada das Terças - Ponta do Sol hike in Madeira
💭 Thinking
The user is asking about a specific hike in Madeira - "Achada das Terças - Ponta do Sol". Let me look this up using the hikes tool to get official information about thistrail.The search returned no results for "Achada das Terças Ponta do Sol". Let me try a broader search or different query. The trail might be listed under a different name or code. Let me try searching with just "Achada" or "Ponta do Sol" as the query.The user asked about "Achada das Terças - Ponta do Sol" hike. This didn't match any official PR trail in our database (the first search returned 0 results), and the second search near Ponta do Sol returned official PR trails and community trails, but none specifically named "Achada das Terças - Ponta do Sol". Let me search specifically for this trail name to see if it's an AllTrails community trail or known by anothername.The user is asking about the "Achada das Terças - Ponta do Sol" hike specifically. My search for this exact trail name returned no official PR trail matches, and the community trails in the Ponta do Sol area don't include one called "Achada das Terças - Ponta do Sol" either. Let me do a web lookup to find more information about this specific hike.The user is asking about the "Achada das Terças - Ponta do Sol" hike. This is not a standard PR trail that I found in the official IFCN database. Let me search more specifically for this trail name. From the web search, I can see that: - PR7 is "Levada do Moinho" which has been closed (since June 2024) - this is sometimes associated with the Ponta do Sol / Achada das Terças area - PR30 is "Vereda da Ponta do Sol" - open But "Achada das Terças" itself doesn't appear as a trail name in my results. Let me look more carefully at what I found. The search results mention: - The madeirahiking.org trails directory lists PR30 as "Vereda da Ponta do Sol" (4km, open) - PR7 "Levada do Moinho" is closed - and it mentions "Achadas mill ruins" in its description Wait - looking more carefully, "Achada das Terças" might be a locality/place name rather than a trail. Let me search more specifically. Actually, looking at the madeirahiking.org trails page, I see PR30 is "Vereda da Ponta do Sol" but it doesn't mention "Achada das Terças" in it. Let me search for this specific name morecarefully.Based on my research, "Achada das Terças" is a locality/place name in the municipality of Ponta do Sol (it appears in the municipality's official list of localities as "Achada-Terças"). The user is asking about a hike called "Achada das Terças - Ponta do Sol". This doesn't correspond to any official IFCN PR trail in my database. However, looking at the hike search results, the closest match in the Ponta do Sol area is **PR 30 - Vereda da Ponta do Sol**, which is an official trail. From the web search, I can see it's described as: - PR30 - Vereda da Ponta do Sol - Distance: 4 km - Duration: 1.5-2 hours - Difficulty: Moderate - Status: Open - Starting Point: Ponta do Sol - End Point: Lombada - Fee: Free The madeirahiking.org site mentions the trail status as "Aberto" (Open). There are also community trails nearby like "Levada Nova - Levada do Moinho" (the most popular one near Ponta do Sol). But actually, I should look more carefully. The user specifically asked about "Achada das Terças - Ponta do Sol" which could be referring to a specific trail/route. Let me check if there's a levada or trail connecting Achada das Terças to Ponta do Sol. Looking at the official PR trails list from madeirahiking.org, there's no specific PR trail called "Achada das Terças - Ponta do Sol". The PR7 is "Levada do Moinho" which is in the Ponta do Sol area but is currently **closed**. Looking more at the Ponta do Sol municipality's website, "Achada-Terças" is listed as one of the localities. So it's a place name. The most relevant trails near Ponta do Sol would be: 1. PR30 - Vereda da Ponta do Sol (Open, 4km, Moderate, Free) 2. PR7 - Levada do Moinho (Closed since June 2024 - rockfall) 3. Community trail - Levada Nova - Levada do Moinho (4.7★, 6103 reviews, popular loop) Given that the user asked about "Achada das Terças - Ponta do Sol", this seems to be referring to a specific route. Let me check if this could be PR30 or PR7 or the community Levada do Moinho trail. Actually, looking more carefully at the community trail results, I see "Rota da Levada do Moinho" which starts at "Lombada da Ponta do Sol" and passes through the area. The description mentions starting near the Church of Lombada, with views over the valley and Ponta do Sol village. And the "Ponta do Sol - Levada do Moinho" community trail starts at Ponta do Sol beach. Given the user specifically named "Achada das Terças - Ponta do Sol", and Achada das Terças is a locality in the Ponta do Sol municipality, the route they're likely referring to could be: 1. The PR30 Vereda da Ponta do Sol trail 2. The PR7 Levada do Moinho (which goes through the Achada area - its description mentions "Achadas mill ruins") 3. One of the community Levada do Moinho trails From the madeirahiking.org data: - PR7 - Levada do Moinho: "Historic water mills, Laurisilva forest, Achadas mill ruins." - Status: **Closed** (since June 2024, rockfall) This seems to be the closest match! The PR7 Levada do Moinho passes through the Achada area and connects to Ponta do Sol. But it's currently CLOSED. Let me compile what I know: - PR7 Levada do Moinho passes through Achada (das Terças) area - It's currently closed since June 2024 due to rockfall - Distance: ~10.3 km, Difficulty: Moderate - The route features historic water mills and Laurisilva forest However, there's also the very popular community/unofficial trail "Levada Nova - Levada do Moinho" which is a 9.3 km loop rated 4.7★ with 6103 reviews on AllTrails, which combines both levadas in the Ponta do Sol area. Let me also note the PR30 Vereda da Ponta do Sol, which is an open official trail in the same municipality. I should present this information clearly, noting that PR7 Levada do Moinho (which relates to the Achada area) is currently CLOSED, and suggest alternatives.
How this was derived · 3 steps
Trails near Ponta do SolMap & photos
6 photos
Levada da Rocha VermelhaLevada da Rocha VermelhaLevada da Rocha VermelhaLevada da Rocha VermelhaLevada da Rocha VermelhaLevada da Rocha Vermelha
Official PR trail (IFCN) Community route (AllTrails — not official)
Photos: walkmeguide.com · green = official IFCN PR trail · amber = community route (AllTrails)
Achada das Terças – Ponta do Sol

Achada das Terças (listed officially as Achada-Terças) is a locality in the municipality of Ponta do Sol — it's not itself a trail name, but the hike you're likely after is the PR 7 – Levada do Moinho, which passes through the Achada area and connects to Ponta do Sol. This is one of the most popular levada walks on the island.

⚠️ Important: PR 7 Levada do Moinho is currently CLOSED

The trail has been closed since June 2024 due to a rockfall. You should not attempt it until IFCN (the regional forestry authority) officially reopens it.

When open, here's what the trail offers:

PR codePR 7 – Levada do Moinho
Distance~10.3 km
DifficultyModerate
StartRibeira do Achada (near Achada das Terças)
EndPonta do Sol
HighlightsHistoric water mills (achadas mill ruins), Laurisilva forest, ocean and valley views
Access fee€4.50 (via SIMplifica) when open

The route follows the centuries-old Levada do Moinho — one of Madeira's oldest levadas, built to irrigate farmland and power water mills (hence Moinho = mill). You can still see the ruins of those old mills along the path.

Alternative trails near Ponta do Sol (currently open)

Since PR 7 is closed, here are the best open options in the same area:

1. PR 30 – Vereda da Ponta do Sol — 4 km, moderate, ~1.5–2 h. A coastal vereda with dramatic cliff and ocean views above the sunniest town on the island. Free, no permit needed. ✅ Open

2. Levada Nova – Levada do Moinho (community route on AllTrails) — 9.3 km loop, moderate. This popular unofficial loop combines both levadas above Ponta do Sol, with valley views, waterfall tunnels (bring a torch), and watermill ruins. 4.7★ from 6,103 hiker reviews on AllTrails. ⚠️ Not an official IFCN PR trail — it has no official open/closed status or maintenance guarantee; check conditions locally before going.

3. Rota da Levada do Moinho (community route on AllTrails) — 10 km out-and-back, moderate. Starts at Lombada da Ponta do Sol near the church, follows the historic levada with panoramic views over the valley and village. 4.5★ from 453 reviews on AllTrails. ⚠️ Same unofficial-trail caveat as above.

Getting there

Ponta do Sol is on the south coast, about a 30-minute drive west of Funchal. The trailhead for PR 30 is in the village itself; the Levada Nova / Levada do Moinho routes start from Lombada da Ponta do Sol, just uphill.


Would you like me to check the current weather and IPMA warnings for the Ponta do Sol area before you head out, or look into bus connections from Funchal?

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