Wander around PR13 - Verada do Fanal in Madeira

PR13 - Verada do Fanal Hike in Madeira

One of the most spectaculair and unique things you can do while being in Madeira, is exploring PR13 – Verada do Fanal, one of Madeiras UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Being high in the mountains and clouds covering your view, it feels like walking in a fairy tale. While being there, wander around the forest and let your feet guide you through the area.

Chapters

Madeira is known for its Levadas and Veradas. Levadas are water irrigation canals that lead from one side of the island to the other side. Along the water canals there is a path that you can follow. Madeira also has a lot of Veradas. This is basically the same without the water irrigation and is a hiking path.

The Levadas and Veradas is what makes Madeira a populair hiking destination. During your time there, you will have so many options on which hike to do. Down below I will tell you more about hiking PR13 – Verada do Fanal hike in Madeira.

How to get there

When hiking the PR13 – Verada do Fanal in Madeira, you need to make sure you get to the right starting point. So how do you get there?

In my opinion, getting yourself a (rental)car is the best option because it gives you the freedom to come and go at your own time. The road to PR13 is well maintained so you will be fine driving yourself. Do know it is high in the mountains so your view can get clouded from time to time.

Park your car at the car park and start exploring the area.

Entrance fee

Hiking PR13 – Verada do Fanal in Madeira is completely free of charge. You just have to get to the starting point, and from there you can follow the path and see everything this Verada has to offer you.

How to get around

So, there are a two things you can do. You can follow the whole hike and make your way back to the starting point. Or, you can hop out of your car and start exploring the area.

Because of the fog it can be hard to see where you are going. So get your Google Maps out and use this as a map to guide you. Google Maps shows you where most trees are, which is a great tool to find the unique trees that belong to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Madeira.

Extra information

How long does the hike take?

If you want to discover PR13 – Verada do Fanal, I recommend you to spend at least two hours there. The clouds come and go and the area is really big. Within two hours you can see some of the most beautiful trees, greet some cows and wander around the unique forest of Verada do Fanal.

Breaks & toilet

At the parking lot you can find a toilet and a few benches to sit on. Here you can take a break before or after exploring PR13.

What to bring to Levada do Caldeirão Verde?

So when you decide to go on this wonderful Verada, I recommend to bring the following stuff:

Some water
(Energie) snacks
Layers of clothes -> (rain)jacket/ sweater/ etc.
Hiking shoes or good shoes you can hike on
Camera

Best time to visit

Madeira is an island with many different types of weather. Sometimes it’s sunny and sometimes it’s cloudy. If you want to visit PR13- Verada do Fanal, I suggest you go on a cloudy day. Because PR13 is located high in the mountains, the clouds lay down on the forest. This gives a layer of fog and makes it really mysterious and fairy-tale-like.

If you are on Madeira and you only get blue skies (lucky you), this place is still worth a visit. The route to the Verada is pretty and gives you a good view of the mountains. And PR13 itself is also beautiful when the sun is shining. The grass is bright green, you will be able to get some better pictures and see the cows in a distance.

Photo inspiration – PR9 – Levada do Caldeirão Verde