Often referred to as ‘The Dragons Tail’ trail, vereda da Ponta de Sao Lourenço leads you along a narrow stretch of rugged coastline along the far eastern tip of Madeira with beautiful views of dramatic cliffs and ocean vistas in every direction.
At 7.5 kilometres in and out, this trail begins on a well maintained stone walkway. It is a meandering pathway and from almost every section of the trail, there are viewpoints that offer spectacular views of the cliffs, where you can stop and enjoy the obvious volcanic erosion that has taken place over millions of years. Round trip for us was just about three and a half hours, which included a 15 minute stop at Caso do Sardinha.
At that point, you can choose to add on an extra climb to Ponta do Furado.
This is a relatively easy hike and doable for most people. On our way back, we saw people of all ages just starting along the trail and lots of children.
Whether because of the strong winds in the area or because it is far from the rest of the island, Ponta de São Lourenço has a very dry and desolate character that contrasts sharply with the lush green nature of the rest of the island.
A little under 2.5 kilometres into the hike, you’ll reach a narrowing ridgeline. This section of the trail follows over and along the top, and was the section of the hike I liked the best. Both sides of the trail are accentuated by steep drop offs down to the ocean below, but with the added protection of guard rails, plus the trail is wide enough to comfortably pass other hikers. At the opposite end, the trail widens and opens up to a view of the cliffs.
Just beyond this, the trail splits and you can choose to go in either direction, which both pass through Casa do Sardinha in the distance. It’s roughly the same distance either way. If you go right, you will have a short descent, followed by an uphill walk to the Casa. If you go left, the path is relatively flat and you will eventually walk up the hill in the other direction.
We arrived at the Casa around 10:30 am and there were plenty of hikers resting and having snacks. There is outdoor seating thats open 24/7, which makes a good place to rest your legs if needed.
The optional climb to Ponta do Furado.
Ponta do Furado (the highest point on the peninsula) is behind and above Caso do Sardinha. You cannot miss it – it will be visible for a majority of the hike. Lots of online articles suggested we hike to the top and we considered it.
We are experienced hikers, but we are in our 70’s now, and the trail up is a short, very steep climb, so we thought we would try but we didn’t make it all the way. At about 3/4 of the way, we simply found it too dangerous and decided to turn around. If you do attempt the climb up, there is an old, rusted safety cable that runs along the trail. Don’t use this for support unless absolutely necessary, as a cut could have you questioning the last time you got a tetanus shot (or better yet, pack some gloves). That and the deep water worn pockets of the old steep trail is what made us turn around. We didn’t feel the need to risk a twisted ankle or worse simply to see another short section of the peninsula.
The Return Hike
Basically, simply retrace your steps back to the parking lot.
This trail can get pretty busy in the summer, especially around midday. If you start early in the morning like we did, you should expect to be passing lots of hikers on your way out who are just beginning the hike and on spots, like a few of the narrow ridges, passing can get pretty difficult. We had to step out of the way a few times but nothing that made us feel uncomfortable.
Parking
There is a large parking lot located at the end of ER 109 at the trailhead. Since this hike is popular, spots fill up early. When we hiked in January, half of the 60+ parking spaces were taken by 8:30 am. For a hiking trailhead, that is a lot of parking and it’s not nearly enough. When we were leaving, cars were parked far down both sides of the road and aggressively jockeying for our parking spot as we backed out.
There are also no facilities in the parking lot. No picnic table and no restrooms and there are very few spots along this hike to hide. There are no trees, so keep that in mind when considering that second cup of coffee before starting your hike.
This is a rugged, geologically interesting easy hike.
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