OpenMadeira
Tell me about the Seixal- Vereda da Terra Chã - Vereda do Fanal hike in Madeira
💭 Thinking
The user is asking about a specific hike in Madeira - "Seixal - Vereda da Terra Chã - Vereda do Fanal". Let me search for this trail using the find_hikestool.The find_hikes tool returned no results for this combined trail name. Let me try searching for the individual trails separately — "Vereda da Terra Chã" and "Vereda do Fanal" — as they might be separatePR trails.The user asked about "Seixal - Vereda da Terra Chã - Vereda do Fanal" hike. Let me break this down: Looking at the results, I found PR 13 "Vereda do Fanal" as an official trail. But the user also mentioned "Vereda da Terra Chã" and "Seixal". These might be separate trails or a combined route. Let me search for "Terra Chã" specifically, and also "Seixal" trails.Now I have a clearer picture. The user is asking about "Seixal - Vereda da Terra Chã - Vereda do Fanal" which seems to be a combined/linked hike name. Let me analyze what I've found: 1. **PR 13 – Vereda do Fanal** — This is an OFFICIAL IFCN trail (moderate, 10.8 km, 4 hours, Paul da Serra – Fanal, managed by IFCN). It has access fee of €4.50 via SIMplifica. 2. **"Vereda da Terra Chã"** — This appears in the community trails as "PR1 PS- Terra Chã e Vereda do Pico Branco" which is on **Porto Santo**, NOT on Madeira island. This is a different trail entirely. 3. There's no official IFCN trail called "Vereda da Terra Chã" on Madeira island specifically. The Terra Chã that appears is on Porto Santo. 4. The Seixal area trails that appeared are community/unofficial trails near Seixal on the north coast of Madeira. It seems like the user might be referring to a route that combines starting from Seixal and going up through Terra Chã to connect with Vereda do Fanal. This could be a community-mapped route on AllTrails. Let me check if there's a specific community trail with this combined name. Looking at the results, I didn't find an exact match for "Seixal - Vereda da Terra Chã - Vereda do Fanal" as a single trail name. However, the user could be referring to a route that: - Starts in Seixal (on the north coast) - Goes through an area called Terra Chã - Connects to or includes PR 13 Vereda do Fanal There's a "Terra Chã" area near Seixal/Paul da Serra that hikers reference, but it's not an official PR trail name on Madeira island. The official PR 13 Vereda do Fanal starts at E.R. 209 Assobiadores and ends at E.R. 209 Fanal. Let me also look more carefully - the community trail "PR14 – Levada dos Cedros - PR13 Vereda do Fanal" was found, but there's no exact match for what the user asked. I should inform the user that: 1. "Vereda do Fanal" is an official PR 13 trail 2. "Vereda da Terra Chã" as a separate trail near Seixal doesn't exist in the official IFCN register or in our community trail data for Madeira island 3. The "Terra Chã" trail in our data is on Porto Santo (PR 1 PS) 4. There's no combined trail route called "Seixal - Vereda da Terra Chã - Vereda do Fanal" in our records But wait - maybe there's a route where hikers start in Seixal, walk up through Chão da Ribeira / Terra Chã area, and connect to Fanal. This is a known hiking route combination that some people do. The "Terra Chã" area refers to the high plateau between Seixal and Paul da Serra. Let me look at what I have. The official PR 13 Vereda do Fanal is the only official trail in this area. The community trails near Seixal don't include a "Terra Chã" route specifically. I should be honest about what I found and what I didn't find, and provide information about the official PR 13 Vereda do Fanal and the Seixal-area community trails.
How this was derived · 4 steps
TrailsMap & photos
Official PR trail (IFCN) Community route (AllTrails — not official)
  • PR1 PS- Terra Chã e Vereda do Pico Branco 4.8 Directions
Photos: walkmeguide.com · green = official IFCN PR trail · amber = community route (AllTrails)

Based on my search, I want to be upfront: I couldn't find an official or community trail that exactly matches the combined name "Seixal – Vereda da Terra Chã – Vereda do Fanal" as a single route. However, I can tell you about the two parts this likely refers to — and the official trail you'll actually be hiking:


🥾 PR 13 – Vereda do Fanal (the official trail)

This is the official IFCN trail in the area you're asking about:

TrailPR 13 – Vereda do Fanal
RoutePaul da Serra (E.R. 209 Assobiadores) → Fanal (E.R. 209)
Distance10.8 km
DifficultyModerate
Duration~4 hours
Altitude1,130 m – 1,420 m
Managed byIFCN
Access fee€4.50 (via SIMplifica — visitors > 12 years; ≤ 12 years free)

The trail crosses the Fanal area — a classified Reserva de Silêncio e Repouso (Rest and Silence Reserve) within the Madeira Nature Park, famous for its ancient laurissilva forest, twisting laurel trees often draped in fog, and stunning Atlantic views. It's one of Madeira's most atmospheric walks.

4.4 from 556 hiker reviews on AllTrails

Be sure to check the current trail status before setting out, as conditions can change.


About "Vereda da Terra Chã"

There is no official PR trail called "Vereda da Terra Chã" on Madeira island. The name "Terra Chã" in our trail data belongs to a different trail entirely:

  • PR 1 PS – Terra Chã e Vereda do Pico Branco is on Porto Santo island (not Madeira), rated 4.8★ on AllTrails — a family-friendly out-and-back to Porto Santo's second-highest peak.

What hikers sometimes call "Terra Chã" near Seixal refers to the high plateau area between Seixal on the north coast and Paul da Serra, which can be accessed via unofficial community routes. These are not part of Madeira's official PR trail network managed by IFCN, so they carry no official open/closed status and no maintenance or signage guarantee.


Community trails near Seixal (unofficial)

A few AllTrails community routes start from Seixal and explore the Chão da Ribeira valley toward the high ground — these are not official IFCN PR trails:

RouteDifficultyLengthRatingAllTrails
Seixal – Chão da Ribeira – Ribeira do SeixalModerate10.8 km4.3★ (56 reviews)Link ↗
Lombo Barbinhas – Levada do Seixal – Vereda das FeitasHard7.4 km4.1★ (156 reviews)Link ↗

⚠️ Community routes mapped on AllTrails — not part of the official PR trail network managed by IFCN. They have no official open/closed status; check access and conditions locally before going.


The bottom line

If you're planning to hike in the Seixal → Fanal area:

  • The official, marked and maintained trail is PR 13 Vereda do Fanal — start at E.R. 209 (Assobiadores, Paul da Serra side) and walk to Fanal.
  • A Seixal → Terra Chã → Fanal link-up is an unofficial combination that some hikers piece together, but it's not an official PR trail and isn't signed or maintained as a single route. If you go this way, carry GPS/AllTrails, be prepared for sections without signage, and check locally for current conditions.

Would you like me to check the mountain weather forecast and IPMA warnings for the day you're planning to go — that's the key safety call before any hike in this area?

OpenMadeira can make mistakes — check the sources.