Do I need to book hiking trails in Madeira?

For some, yes. The listings say booking and an entry fee are mandatory for the São Lourenço PR8 trail, and PR9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde requires online payment, both through the SIMplifica portal. PR1 Vereda do Areeiro charges €4.50 for visitors over 12, and Pico Ruivo lists an access fee for its trail.

Which Madeira hikes are less crowded?

The hiking guide singles out Ponta do Clérigo, a steep 6 km return with almost no crowds, Levada do Moinho, a quieter 10 km loop, and Caminho do Pináculo e Folhadal for fewer people. It warns that PR1 is very busy and that PR9 fills up if you start late.

What is there to see in the Azores, according to these videos?

On São Miguel, creators post the Miradouro da Boca do Inferno over the Sete Cidades crater lakes, Parque Terra Nostra's thermal pool in Furnas, the Ponta do Sossego garden viewpoint and the plane tree walk of Alameda dos Plátanos. On Corvo, they post the Caldeirão, a crater with lakes on its floor.

Nature in Portugal From TikTok: Madeira Hikes and Azores Viewpoints

Half of this page comes from Madeira, and much of that from a single creator's hiking guide that lists distance and difficulty for every trail. That is why you get exact numbers here: the 8 km return of the Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço, the 15 km return of the Caldeirão Verde levada, the unmarked 6 km of Ponta do Clérigo. Madeira also has the most posted place, the misty laurel woods of Fanal Forest.

Porto Santo, Madeira's small neighbor, adds five places from a separate island guide, mostly viewpoints and short hikes. The Azores contribute four spots on São Miguel and the volcanic crater of Corvo, and mainland Portugal appears only once, with the Jardins do Palácio de Cristal in Porto. Most places are free; several Madeira trails charge an access fee, some of it paid online in advance.

Written from public posts on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Updated Oct 2026.

Where creators go

Fanal ForestForest · São Vicente
A remnant of ancient laurel forest on Madeira's Paul da Serra plateau, with gnarled trees the listing puts at over 1,000 years old, cows wandering between them and fog rolling through. It is the most posted nature spot in Portugal on this page, with four mentions, and turns up in creators' Madeira itineraries and an interactive map of the island. Free to visit.
Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço (PR8)Hiking Trail · Machico
Madeira's dragon tail hike, as one creator calls it: an easy to moderate 8 km return out along a dry volcanic peninsula of basalt cliffs. It is very different from the green interior. Booking and an entry fee are mandatory via SIMplifica, and there is no shade, so bring sun protection and water. Cais do Sardinha is the rest and swim stop.
PR1 Vereda do AreeiroHiking Trail · Corujeira de Dentro
The high mountain trail between Pico do Areeiro and Pico Ruivo, through tunnels cut into volcanic rock and up steep carved stairs around Pico das Torres. The hiking guide rates it moderate plus to difficult, 7 km one way or 13 km return, and warns it gets very busy. Visitors over 12 pay a €4.50 fee, and part of the route is one-way only.
Vereda do Pico Branco e Terra ChãHiking Trail · Vila Baleira
The top hike on Porto Santo for one creator, who comes for the rugged coastline views, and an easy to moderate 5 km return for another, who mentions two good viewpoints and a completely different mood from Madeira. The listing adds the prismatic rocks of Rocha Quebrada and says the trail suits families and children. Listed as cheap.
PR9 Levada do Caldeirão VerdeHiking Trail · Santana
A classic Madeira levada walk through laurel forest to a 100-meter waterfall dropping into a dark pool. The guide rates it easy to moderate, 15 km return, and notes that it gets busy if you start late. Bring a torch for the four rock tunnels and pay online through SIMplifica before you go. A shorter section, PR9.1, is an option.
Miradouro da Boca do InfernoMountain Viewpoint · Sete Cidades
A viewpoint above the Sete Cidades caldera on São Miguel, looking down on Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde. It is an easy 15-minute walk from the Lagoa do Canário parking, and the listing's advice is to go before 9 am, before clouds cover the view. It appears in a São Miguel post captioned as a place to visit once in your life.
Ana Ferreira CaveNatural Landmark · Camacha
A cave inside the basalt organ-pipe columns of Pico de Ana Ferreira on Porto Santo, with 360-degree views over the island and a reputation as a sunrise spot. The creator who posted it warns that the hike to the cave is adventurous and unmarked. A local legend about the daughter of King João II is attached to it.
Caldeirão do CorvoNatural Landmark · Vila do Corvo
The giant volcanic crater that defines Corvo island in the Azores, with lakes and small cones on its floor. It comes from a post that calls the Azores Europe's true Hawaii. The listing mentions hiking trails inside the crater and birdwatching, and the island is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Expect wind.

More nature and viewpoints in Portugal

Alameda dos PlátanosCity Park · Vila Franca do Campo Calhau da SerraNatural Landmark · Camacha Caminho do Pináculo e FolhadalHiking Trail · São Vicente Jardins do Palácio de CristalCity Park · Porto Levada do MoinhoHiking Trail · Ponta do Sol Miradouro da Ponta do SossegoMountain Viewpoint · Nordeste Miradouro das FloresMountain Viewpoint · Camacha Miradouro do GuindasteMountain Viewpoint · Santana Parque Terra NostraBotanical Garden · Furnas Pico RuivoMountain · Santana Ponta do ClérigoHiking Trail · Santana Porto dos FradesMountain Viewpoint · Vila Baleira Vereda do FanalHiking Trail · Ribeira da Janela Vereda do LaranoHiking Trail · Machico

More Madeira trails, by difficulty

The same hiking guide covers five more routes, each with its own stats. Pico Ruivo, Madeira's highest peak at 1,861 meters, is where another creator says to watch the sunrise.

Levada do Moinho: easy to easy plus, 10 km loop, quieter, with a waterfall you can walk behind and a short tunnel that needs a light.
Vereda do Fanal: moderate, 11 km one way through misty laurel forest, ending at the Fanal crater.
Ponta do Clérigo: moderate, 6 km return on an unmarked trail, short but steep with big views of Penha d'Águia and almost no crowds.
Vereda do Larano: moderate, 14 km point to point on the cliffs between Machico and Porto da Cruz, with narrow edge sections.
Caminho do Pináculo e Folhadal: moderate to difficult, 12.5 km partial or 18 km full loop, for tunnels, waterfalls and ridge views with fewer people.

Porto Santo viewpoints

Besides Pico Branco and Ana Ferreira, the Porto Santo guide includes Miradouro das Flores, which looks over the island's 9 km golden beach and the islets of Baixo and Cal; the creator recommends it at sunset. Calhau da Serra is a stretch of cliffs and old cobbled paths for hikers, and Porto dos Frades is a viewpoint with a tiled fountain, though the creator's note about it suggests going at low tide for calm, clear water.

São Miguel gardens and Madeira's glass skywalk

The São Miguel post also covers Parque Terra Nostra in Furnas, an 18th-century botanical garden with a large geothermal pool and the only paid entry in this section, listed as moderate. Miradouro da Ponta do Sossego is a terraced garden viewpoint over the north coast with thatched picnic shelters, and Alameda dos Plátanos is a walk under some 600 plane trees. Back on Madeira, Miradouro do Guindaste in Santana has two glass walkways over the ocean facing Penha d'Águia.

Good to know

On this page, the Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço (PR8) has the most posts among trails, with four, followed by PR1 Vereda do Areeiro with two. Fanal Forest also has four posts. A creator's Madeira hiking guide adds PR9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde, Levada do Moinho, Vereda do Fanal, Ponta do Clérigo, Vereda do Larano and the Pináculo e Folhadal route.