PR 8 - Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço

Elevation: 500 m / Lenght: 8 km / Time: 4 hrs
Visit rate: 5/5 / Rating: 5/5

Ponta de São Lourenço is one of those places on Madeira that feels completely different from everything else. No jungle, no levadas, no waterfalls, just cliffs, wind, the ocean, and views that stay with you long after. Plus, it's a place you can visit in any weather.

We visited Ponta de São Lourenço twice. The first time, we were caught off guard by rain and worsening weather halfway through, so we turned back toward the car. But that wasn't enough for us, we wanted to make it all the way to the end, so we returned the next day. Both times, we arrived in the afternoon as some of the last visitors, and on the way back the peninsula was practically empty. Those who arrived around midday might have ended up walking up to a kilometer along the road past rows of parked cars. When we arrived, the parking lot was still fairly full, but we managed to find a few spots near the beginning, closest to the trail entrance. The trail is paid, but in both cases, no one checked our QR code in the afternoon.

In summer, on a sunny day, this place is said to resemble the surface of Mars dry, barren, and tinted in shades of red. For us, it felt more like the cliffs along the English coastline, with grey skies and wind. Jana clearly loves exactly this kind of place, and a 10/10 rating was obvious after just a few minutes on the trail. No matter the weather you arrive in, the views waiting here are something you simply won't find anywhere else on Madeira.

The most beautiful views were around the middle of the trail at coordinates 32.7484583N, 16.6936006W, where the cliffs drop dramatically into the ocean and the perspective both downward and into the distance feels on another level. A bit further on, there is Casa do Sardinha, where you can stop for refreshments, though by around 6 p.m. it was already closed. From Casa do Sardinha, the final section of the trail toward a place called Furado begins, which is officially marked as closed according to the signage. However, this restriction didn't seem to discourage anyone, and people were still walking there freely, we weren't an exception.

The climb to Furado wasn't exactly a walk in the park, as the path wasn't maintained. During our ascent and descent, several people slipped along the way. Jana, wearing running shoes, definitely had her work cut out for her, but in the end she made it without any bruises, which we considered a success. You won't fall off a cliff, but a scraped backside is definitely not guaranteed. Watch every step.

Week on Madeira for 2 (7 nights)                                                                                                 Flights (Smartwings): 820,-                                                                                                                 Car rental (Sixt): 370,-                                                                                                   Accommodation (Booking): 570,-                                                                                           Spending: 610,-                                                                                                                                Total: 2 370,- EUR