The Portuguese island of Madeira is rapidly becoming known as a haven for adventure tourism. Its rugged volcanic coastline is pounded by the Atlantic waves, while inland you'll find serrated peaks and lush laurisilva forest. The island is criss-crossed with hiking trails, many of which follow the path of old irrigation channels known as levadas.
There's just one problem: Madeira's recent surge in popularity means that the best-known trails have become congested during peak season.
To combat this, Madeira's government recently introduced new rules for its officially marked PR hiking trails. A system was already in place where hikers needed to buy a €3 ticket to hike on a PR trail, but this has now increased to €4.50 and can only be used to enter the trail during a specific 30 minute window.
There will be a limited number of tickets available for each time period, purchased using the online SIMplifica portal, in order to reduce congestion.
The iconic PR1 trail from Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo—which has been closed due to wildfire damage since 2024, and is now slated to reopen in April 2026—will also be subject to timed entry. Tickets will be more expensive, at €10.50pp.
Jorge Araujo is a local expert, and organises trips for Much Better Adventures on the island of Madeira. He says that it's important to note that - for group adventures - hikers won’t be inconvenienced with extra admin, as tour operators will take on the responsibility of booking these tickets and reservations.
“The new rules don’t have a big effect on me personally, since we already have a very clear idea of what trails we’re going to hike, and how many people might travel,” he says. “We also don’t take groups out on trails during peak times.”
Tour operators, including Jorge, have an agreement with the IFCN (the Institute for Forests and Nature Conservation) allowing the block-booking of times and spaces at the beginning of the year, which can be confirmed a month in advance.
The money from tickets will be spent on staffing trailheads and also improved trail maintenance, which will benefit hikers.
It is crowding during peak times that led to these rules being implemented, and they could prove crucial in ensuring local infrastructure is not overwhelmed.
“There is a numbered network of trails - the PR trails - that are the most popular," Jorge explains. "And they are the ones that needed intervention because they were the most crowded. These crowds are very recent. Adventure tourism started increasing a lot in the last year, and we felt that the situation on the PR trails was just not sustainable anymore.
“The trouble is that these trails are very narrow, and they are exposed in some places. They’re paths alongside levadas, ancient irrigation channels, so they weren’t intended for hikers. If it's a little bit busy you really feel the chaos, because there are people coming one way and others going in the opposite direction. You can't fit two groups passing each other at the same time.”
Staggering entry to the trails will reduce this congestion. Madeira’s IFCN will also pass on responsibility for managing the PR trails to a private company, and the money from tickets will be spent on staffing trailheads and also improved trail maintenance, which will benefit hikers.
Guides talk about how Madeira is so crowded, but our groups spend the week hiking without seeing pretty much anyone.
Jorge steers clear of hiking popular trails during peak times regardless. “It's funny because guides talk about how Madeira is so crowded, but our groups spend the week hiking without seeing anyone. It's because of how we plan it,” he says.
“We hike lots of non-PR trails and we hike the PR1 at around 1pm, once crowds have dispersed, and then we stay there overnight. There’s nobody there then.”
Although there are good reasons for introducing these measures, they haven’t been wholeheartedly welcomed by everyone.
“There are a lot of locals from Madeira that are not happy about it,” Jorge says. “They don't have to pay, but they still have to get the tickets. They feel like now they can’t just wake up and go on a walk, because they need to book it. It might feel a bit weird for some people, but there have to be rules. It's just what it is. Things change and so you just have to deal with it the best way you can.”
Jorge also points out that there’s still an option to hike in Madeira spontaneously, as there are many trails without a PR classification which you don’t need reservations for. “Some of them aren’t maintained or well-adapted for hikers," Jorge says. "They don’t have rails so they can be dangerous. However, there are a few non-PR trails I can recommend.
There’s still an option to hike in Madeira spontaneously, as there are many trails without a PR classification which you don’t need reservations for.
“There’s a trail called Larano, which is not charged, and has really nice coastal views. From a place called Achadas de Cruz you can walk from the clifftop down to the ocean and up the other side of the valley. The good thing is that you hike on these trails and you'll see nobody.”
In short, if you’re in search of spontaneous hikes and uncrowded trails, you’ll still find these in Madeira. And if you have your mind set on tackling Madeira’s most iconic trails, such as the PR1 and the 25 Fountains route, chances are that you’ll experience less crowded conditions than if you’d visited previously.
Independent travellers might need to do more advance planning. But these rules have been put in place to enhance the hiking experience - not to curtail it.
Inspired? For an off-the-beaten track hiking experience, check out our Coast to Coast Traverse of Madeira or our Hiking and Yoga in Madeira adventures.