Tell me about the Portela - Pico do Maçarico hike in Madeira
💭 Thinking
The user is asking about a specific hike in Madeira - "Portela - Pico do Maçarico". Let me look this up using the hikestool.The search returned no results for "Portela Pico do Maçarico". Let me try a broader search - maybe the trail name is slightly different, or it might be a community trail rather than an official PR trail. Let me also try searching near "Portela" which could be the startingpoint.The user asked about the "Portela - Pico do Maçarico" hike in Madeira. Let me look through the results carefully.
Looking at the search results, there's no trail specifically called "Portela - Pico do Maçarico" in either the official PR trails or the community trails. The search near "Portela Madeira" returned trails near Portela, but none is named "Pico do Maçarico."
Let me search specifically for "Pico do Maçarico" to see if it exists as a trail name.Based on the search results, I can see that "Pico do Maçarico" is actually a peak on **Porto Santo island**, not on Madeira island. The user asked about the "Portela - Pico do Maçarico" hike, which starts near the Portela viewpoint on Porto Santo and goes up to Pico do Maçarico (a peak with a white cross at the summit).
From the journeyera.com result, I can see:
- It's on Porto Santo Island
- The hike starts near the Portela Viewpoint on Porto Santo
- Distance: about 2.5 km from the main road
- Duration: about 1 hour
- Difficulty: unofficial trail, steep but short
- Total incline: 237 meters
- The summit has a large white cross with panoramic views of Porto Santo
Let me search more specifically for this trail, including in our hike database forPorto Santo.Based on my research, I can now piece together information about the "Portela - Pico do Maçarico" hike. This is NOT an official PR trail on Madeira island. It's on Porto Santo island, and it's an unofficial/community trail. The web search revealed that "Portela" in this context refers to the Portela Viewpoint on Porto Santo, and Pico do Maçarico is a peak on Porto Santo (not on Madeira).
Key findings from the journeyera.com article:
- Pico do Maçarico is on Porto Santo Island
- It's a short but steep hike to a summit with a large white cross and panoramic views of the entire island
- Distance: ~2.5 km from the main road
- Duration: ~1 hour (not including time at summit)
- Difficulty: unofficial trail, steep but short
- Total incline: 237 meters
- The trail starts near Portela Viewpoint on Porto Santo
- There's no official path, but a worn trail is visible
- Good for sunrise or sunset
Since this is NOT an official IFCN PR trail, I need to make that clear. It doesn't appear in our official trail database, which confirms it's an unofficial route.
Let me also check if there are community trails from AllTrails for Porto Santo that might referencethis.
How this was derived · 3 steps
Trails near Portela MadeiraMap & photos
Official PR trail (IFCN) Community route (AllTrails — not official)
- Vereda das Funduras Directions
- Levada do Caldeirão Verde - Um Caminho para todos Directions
- Levada do Caldeirão Verde Directions
- Vereda dos Balcões Directions
- Levada do Furado Directions
- Vereda do Larano - Boca do Risco Directions
- Porto da Cruz - Boca do Risco via Vereda do Larano Directions
- Vereda do Larano - Boca do Risco - Pico do Furado - Pico da Coroa Directions
- Levada do Castelejo route Directions
- Cable Car Viewpoint - Vereda do Larano - Fontanário do Pastel Directions
- Circuit of Boca do Risco and Pico Furado Directions
- Rota da Levada da Referta Directions
Photos: walkmeguide.com · green = official IFCN PR trail · amber = community route (AllTrails)
Based on my research, here's what I found about the Portela – Pico do Maçarico hike:
Pico do Maçarico — Porto Santo
This hike is on Porto Santo island (not Madeira), starting near the Portela Viewpoint. It's an unofficial trail — not part of Madeira's official PR trail network managed by IFCN, the regional government's forests and nature-conservation authority. It therefore has no official open/closed status and no maintenance or signage guarantee.
Key Details
| Location | Porto Santo island |
| Start | Small dirt road just past Portela Viewpoint |
| Summit | Pico do Maçarico (large white cross at the top) |
| Distance | ~2.5 km (from the main road, out and back) |
| Duration | ~1 hour (not counting time at the summit) |
| Total elevation gain | ~237 m |
| Difficulty | Short but steep — the incline is sharp; no technical scrambling needed |
| Fee | No access fee (not a PR trail) |
What to Expect
- The trail begins on a dirt road about 200 m past the Portela Viewpoint on the main road — look for a white marker on the right and a quarry below on the left.
- The first section climbs a steep, grassy hill that can be overgrown; a faint worn path is visible.
- Higher up, the route follows a rocky ridgeline — you can stay close to the fence line (away from the cliff edge), so it's reasonably safe.
- At the summit, a large white cross marks the peak with 360° panoramic views over all of Porto Santo, the ferry port, and the west coast.
- Popular for sunrise or sunset — the short distance makes timing easy.
Important Caveats
⚠️ This is NOT an official IFCN-recommended PR trail. It lacks:
- Official signage or waymarks
- IFCN maintenance or patrols
- An official open/closed status — check access and conditions locally before going
The rocky sections can be slippery when wet, and the grassy lower part overgrows quickly since it's not maintained.
Getting There
- From Vila Baleira, follow the main road up to Portela Viewpoint (a well-known miradouro on Porto Santo). Continue about 200 m past the viewpoint to find the dirt road turn-off on the right.
Want me to check the Porto Santo weather forecast for the day you plan to go, or look up ferries to Porto Santo?
OpenMadeira can make mistakes — check the sources.