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Tell me about the Santana - Ponta de São Jorge - Ramal do Caminho Real №23 hike in Madeira
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The user is asking about a specific hike - "Santana - Ponta de São Jorge - Ramal do Caminho Real №23" in Madeira. I need to look this up using the find_hikes tool. Let me search for thistrail.The search returned no results. Let me try a broader search with differentterms.The user is asking about the "Santana - Ponta de São Jorge - Ramal do Caminho Real №23" hike. This trail appears in the community trails section of the results as "Ponta de São Jorge via Ramal do Caminho Real 23" — it's NOT an official IFCN PR trail, but a community route mapped on AllTrails. Let me gather the details: **Ponta de São Jorge via Ramal do Caminho Real 23** - Rating: 4.1★ from 123 hiker reviews on AllTrails - Difficulty: moderate - Length: 2.7 km - Route type: out and back - Estimated time: 1–1.5 hr - Coordinates: 32.82857, -16.89798 - Description: "Fantastic hiking trail located in São Jorge, a Portuguese parish in the municipality of Santana, on the island of Madeira, which runs along the Ramal do Caminho Real nº23. The Royal Roads began to be built from the beginning of the settlement of the island of Madeira. They were the main roads of the time and connected the various villages to each other and to the ports, in order to facilitate the transport of people and goods. This Royal Path is used to observe the ruins of St. George as..." - Notice: "Community route mapped on AllTrails — NOT part of Madeira's official PR (Percurso Recomendado) trail network managed by IFCN, the Madeira regional government's forests & nature-conservation authority. It therefore has NO official open/closed status and no maintenance/signage guarantee; check access and conditions locally before going." There's also a related trail "Calhau de São Jorge - Caminho Real nº 23" which is different — it's 9.2 km, hard, rated 4.5★ from 145 reviews. The description mentions it leads to the ruins of São Jorge and has challenging/exposed sections. The user specifically asked about "Santana - Ponta de São Jorge - Ramal do Caminho Real №23", which matches the "Ponta de São Jorge via Ramal do Caminho Real 23" community trail. I should clearly state this is NOT an official PR trail, and provide all available details from the community trail listing. I should also mention the related longer trail "Calhau de São Jorge - Caminho Real nº 23" since it's a related route along the same Caminho Real network. Let me also check for a video of thistrail.The user asked about the "Santana - Ponta de São Jorge - Ramal do Caminho Real №23" hike. This trail appears in the community_trails results as "Ponta de São Jorge via Ramal do Caminho Real 23" and also as "Calhau de São Jorge - Caminho Real nº 23". Let me focus on the one that best matches the user's query. The user's query mentions "Ramal do Caminho Real №23" and "Ponta de São Jorge" — the closest match is "Ponta de São Jorge via Ramal do Caminho Real 23". There's also "Calhau de São Jorge - Caminho Real nº 23" which is a longer, harder version. These are community/unofficial trails (not official IFCN PR trails), so I need to clearly label them as such. Let me give a thorough answer about the trail that matches best, and also mention the related longer trail. Key details for "Ponta de São Jorge via Ramal do Caminho Real 23": - Community route (unofficial) - Rating: 4.1★ from 123 reviews - Difficulty: moderate - Length: 2.7 km - Route type: out and back - Estimated time: 1–1.5 hr - Coordinates: 32.82857, -16.89798 - Description: "Fantastic hiking trail located in São Jorge, a Portuguese parish in the municipality of Santana, on the island of Madeira, which runs along the Ramal do Caminho Real nº23. The Royal Roads began to be built from the beginning of the settlement of the island of Madeira. They were the main roads of the time and connected the various villages to each other and to the ports, in order to facilitate the transport of people and goods. This Royal Path is used to observe the ruins of St. George as..." And the related longer trail "Calhau de São Jorge - Caminho Real nº 23": - Community route (unofficial) - Rating: 4.5★ from 145 reviews - Difficulty: hard - Length: 9.2 km - Route type: out and back - Estimated time: 4–4.5 hr - Coordinates: 32.82284, -16.8856 - Description mentions challenging and exposed sections, ruins of São Jorge, coastal paths, viewpoints, typical houses of Santana, and Lagoa do Calhau de São Jorge. Both are community routes, not official IFCN PR trails, so I need to clearly state this. Let me craft a helpfulanswer.
How this was derived · 2 steps
Trails near SantanaMap & photos
6 photos
Levada do Caldeirão VerdeLevada do Caldeirão VerdeLevada do Caldeirão VerdeLevada do Caldeirão VerdeLevada do Caldeirão VerdeLevada do Caldeirão Verde
Official PR trail (IFCN) Community route (AllTrails — not official)
Photos: walkmeguide.com · green = official IFCN PR trail · amber = community route (AllTrails)
Ponta de São Jorge via Ramal do Caminho Real nº 23

⚠️ Important: This is a community route mapped on AllTrails — not part of Madeira's official PR (Percurso Recomendado) trail network managed by IFCN (the regional government's forests & nature-conservation authority). It therefore has no official open/closed status and no maintenance or signage guarantee. Check access and conditions locally before setting out.


At a glance
LocationSão Jorge, municipality of Santana
DifficultyModerate
Length2.7 km (out and back)
Estimated time1 – 1.5 hours
Route typeOut and back
Community rating4.1★ from 123 hiker reviews on AllTrails
The trail

This route follows the Ramal do Caminho Real nº 23 — a branch of Madeira's historic Royal Road network. The Caminhos Reais (Royal Roads) began to be built soon after the island was settled; they were the main thoroughfares of their time, connecting villages to each other and to the ports for the transport of people and goods.

The trailhead is in São Jorge, on the north coast of Santana municipality. From there the path winds along the coastal slope towards Ponta de São Jorge, offering striking views over the Atlantic and the rugged northern coastline. Along the way you pass viewpoints and can observe the ruins of Forte de São Jorge (the old fortress ruins) perched above the sea.

Related longer route — Calhau de São Jorge – Caminho Real nº 23

A longer and more demanding community route along the same Royal Road system also exists:

Length9.2 km (out and back)
DifficultyHard
Estimated time4 – 4.5 hours
Community rating4.5★ from 145 reviews on AllTrails

This extended version has challenging and exposed sections; attention is needed in areas of higher altitude. It runs along coastal paths past viewpoints, the typical houses of Santana, and the Lagoa do Calhau de São Jorge (the coastal lagoon). The route is aimed at the ruins of São Jorge, though final access may be restricted — respect any signs and barriers.


Getting to the trailhead

Both trailheads are roughly 10–15 minutes by car from the village of Santana.

Nearby official (IFCN) trails

If you'd prefer an official, maintained trail, the Santana area has several well-known ones:

TrailDistance from SantanaDifficultyAccess fee
**PR 9.1** Levada do Caldeirão Verde — *Um Caminho para Todos*4.6 km / 7 min drive— (accessible)€4.50 (adults)
**PR 9** Levada do Caldeirão Verde4.4 km / 10 min driveModerate€4.50 (adults)
**PR 18** Levada do Rei9.5 km / 14 min driveModerate€4.50 (adults)

Before heading out, I can check the mountain weather forecast and IPMA warnings for the Santana / north coast area — want me to do that?

OpenMadeira can make mistakes — check the sources.