Madeira · Trail guide
PR1 Vereda do Areeiro: Madeira's most popular trail and SIMplifica booking
PR1 is the island's headline ridge walk and its most weather-exposed. Cloud can swallow the whole traverse an hour after a clear start, and the good days book out early. Driving up on the wrong morning wastes the day and the reservation.
PR1 runs the high ridge between Madeira's two tallest peaks, Pico do Arieiro and Pico Ruivo. It is the island's busiest mountain walk, and it needs an advance reservation through SIMplifica before you set out.
Trail overview
Distance
Difficulty
Ascent
Time one way
The route
The walk starts at Pico do Arieiro, Madeira's third highest peak at 1818 m and the only one of the three high summits you can reach by road. From the car park the path climbs and drops along the ridge toward Pico Ruivo, the island's highest point at 1862 m.
Expect cut stone steps, a few short tunnels through the rock, and stretches with steep drops on one or both sides. Carry a head torch for the tunnels and a windproof layer for the exposed sections. On a clear morning the views reach across both coasts, and after a temperature inversion the ridge sits above a sea of cloud.
The rules IFCN sets for PR1
PR1 fully reopened on 1 May 2026. It runs in both directions only between Pico do Areeiro and the Pedra Rija viewpoint. Past Pedra Rija the trail is one way, Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo, so you cannot walk back the way you came.
PR1 ends at Pico Ruivo, and you leave it on PR1.1 Vereda da Ilha, which drops to Ilha, or PR1.2 Vereda do Pico Ruivo, which drops to Achada do Teixeira. PR1.3 Vereda da Encumeada becomes a third exit when it reopens. IFCN does not bring you back to Pico do Areeiro: the return is your own logistics, so settle the taxi, the transfer or the second driver before you book, not after you finish.
Request a shuttle back to your car
The full PR1 ticket, EUR 10.50, covers the whole route plus PR1.1, PR1.2 and PR1.3, so walking off the mountain needs no second ticket. The cheaper EUR 4.50 ticket buys the Pedra Rija section and the walk back to Pico do Areeiro and nothing else: it does not upgrade partway, and an old Pedra Rija booking is not converted into a full-route one.
No guide is required. IFCN makes a guide mandatory on none of its classified trails, PR1 included, so walking it self-guided is allowed; hiring one is a choice about the experience, not a rule.
IFCN has announced PR1 will be closed on August 19 - August 20, September 14 - September 17, and September 21 - September 22 for boardwalk works, with no reservations honoured on those days. Check the current status: which Madeira trails are open or closed today
Source: the official IFCN fee and booking FAQ. It is published in Portuguese and English only, and IFCN dates it, so what it says about temporary works can be older than the situation on the mountain. For what is actually open on the day you walk, see which Madeira trails are open or closed today, which reads IFCN's status table, the surface IFCN updates most often.
Booking through SIMplifica
Step 1: reserve your timed slot on SIMplifica
PR1 is a regulated trail with a daily visitor cap, so you reserve a timed slot before you go. Booking runs through SIMplifica, the official system run by IFCN, Madeira's forest and nature authority. Capacity per slot is limited, and the booking window is short, roughly the next six days, so book close to your hike date.
Step 2: follow the full booking walkthrough
For the full how-to, see the SIMplifica booking guide. Levadas does not sell tickets and does not make the reservation for you.
Live conditions for PR1
Levadas scores PR1 from 0 to 100 using live weather and wind, which matter a lot on an exposed ridge at altitude. The score is an algorithmic suggestion to help you pick a day and a time, not a safety clearance. It is free right now. Check the live PR1 conditions before you commit to a slot.
Best time to hike PR1
Most people aim for sunrise, when the light is best and a cloud inversion can fill the valleys below the ridge. It is cold and often windy up there before dawn, so pack warm layers. Weather turns quickly at altitude, so check the forecast the day before and again the morning you go, and be ready to change your plan.
Common questions about booking PR1
Do I need to book PR1 in advance?
Yes. PR1 has a daily cap and runs on timed entry slots, so the reservation is made on SIMplifica before you travel, never at the trailhead. The booking window is short, about the next six days, so the slots on a morning that looks promising go early. Levadas does not sell the ticket and does not make the reservation for you.
Does one PR1 ticket also cover PR1.1, PR1.2 and PR1.3?
Yes. The full PR1 ticket, EUR 10.50, covers the whole crossing from Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo plus PR1.1 Vereda da Ilha, PR1.2 Vereda do Pico Ruivo and PR1.3 Vereda da Encumeada once it reopens, so walking off the mountain needs no second ticket. The cheaper EUR 4.50 ticket is a different product: it buys the Pedra Rija section and the walk back to Pico do Areeiro, and nothing else. It does not upgrade partway, and an existing Pedra Rija booking is not converted into a full-route one.
Do children need their own PR1 slot?
Yes. Children aged 12 and under pay nothing, and they still need their own registration and their own booked slot. The slot is a headcount before it is a payment, so an unbooked child is an unbooked walker. The same holds for every other exemption, Madeira residents included.
What happens if PR1 is closed on the day I booked?
A ticket does not override a closure, and IFCN can close PR1 or restrict part of it at short notice. That is also the only case in which the money comes back: a refund or a reschedule is granted when IFCN or the authorities officially closed or restricted the trail on your date, and the request goes to IFCN itself within 10 working days of the booking. A missed slot, a change of plan or a bad forecast is not refunded, so what to check the morning you drive up to Areeiro is which trails are actually open.
What if my PR1 slot is sold out?
The cap is set per slot and not only per day, so a full morning does not mean a full day: try a later slot before you give up on the date. Waiting rarely helps either, because the booking window only opens about six days ahead.
Booking rules, slot tolerances and refund conditions come from IFCN's own fee and booking FAQ. Fees are set by Portaria 801/2025 of 10 December, as republished by Portaria 48/2026 of 13 February. Checked August 2026.