Ponta de São Lourenço Hike

The second of the two hikes I did while on Madeira in Portugal was absolutely mindblowing. While so different from Pico Ruivo, up in the island's mountains, this one instead took us out to very far eastern tip of the island showing off incredible volcanic rock formations and sweeping views. I probably said "wow" at least 2oo times.

I met a few guys at the hostel I was staying in, two from France and one from Russia, and armed with a drone and good spirits, we piled into a rental car (although a bus does run straight to the trailhead!) and spent a wonderful morning hiking the trail, finishing with a jump in the beautifully warm Altantic Ocean at the safe natural little swimming harbour.

Ponta de São Lourenço HIKE DETAILS

When: year-round

Where: Madeira Island

Difficulty: intermediate

Length: 3-4 hours for 6km return trail

Directions: starting at the parking lot, following the very clearly defined dirt/rock path along the cliffs and rocks towards the end of the island. Follow the signs for the detour down to the swimming spot. Return the way you came.

Bathrooms: yes, at the end at the cafe

Public Transit: yes, bus 113 runs regularly from Funchal