Dropped at the start, collected at the end

Hiking in Madeira without a car is easy to plan once you know which trails finish where they start.

On an out-and-back trail you turn round at the end and walk back to where you started. PR6 to 25 Fontes, PR8 at Ponta de São Lourenço and PR9 to Caldeirão Verde work like this. One car park is both your drop-off and your pickup.

On a one-way trail you finish somewhere else. PR1 with PR1.2 runs from Pico do Arieiro to Achada do Teixeira, almost an hour away by road (its one-way section was closed at the last check). The IFCN trail fees FAQ is plain about PR1: IFCN does not provide a return to Pico do Arieiro; hikers arrange their own transport. If you drive, your car waits at the wrong end, and the list above shows every trail that works this way.

For PR8, a public bus runs out to Ponta de São Lourenço, and it costs less than the car. Check the time of the last bus back before you set off.

A Horários do Funchal bus goes up to Pico do Arieiro in the morning and early afternoon. If its times fit your slot, it works for the walk to Pedra Rija and back. It doesn't go to Achada do Teixeira, where PR1 with PR1.2 ends.

Rabaçal, Queimadas and Fanal are up in the mountains too. If you plan on a bus there, check for one that arrives before your slot and one that leaves after your finish.

When no timetable fits your slot, or the trail ends somewhere else, the prices for the car are in the table above.

Rabaçal and 25 Fontes

PR6, the levada walk to the 25 Fontes springs, starts from the Rabaçal car park on the ER110. That is the road across the Paul da Serra plateau. It is out-and-back, so your driver drops you and collects you at the same car park. The drive from Funchal takes about an hour.

Two one-way variants start elsewhere on the plateau. PR6.4, Levada Velha do Rabaçal, runs from Pico Gordo to Casa do Rabaçal. PR6.5, Vereda do Pico Fernandes, runs from Paul da Serra to 25 Fontes. For either, send us your slot and we reply with the drop point and the price.

The drop and collect for PR6 costs €160 for the car, 1 to 6 hikers, from your hotel and back. If you're staying in Calheta, Ponta do Sol or São Vicente, the pickup there adds nothing to this run.

Ponta de São Lourenço

PR8 starts at the Baía d'Abra car park at the eastern tip of the island. It is about 15 minutes from the airport and 35 from Funchal. The walk goes out along the headland and comes back the same way to the car park.

The bus is cheaper (see above). With us, the drop and collect costs €100 for the car for 1 to 4 people, €120 for 5 or 6. The drop is timed to your slot, and the pickup takes you back to your hotel. You don't need a parking space at Baía d'Abra.

Caldeirão Verde

PR9 starts at Queimadas, in the forest above Santana, about an hour from Funchal. It follows a levada out to the Caldeirão Verde waterfall and comes back the same way. Your driver drops you at Queimadas and collects you there at the end, so you don't need to find parking.

The Santana hills drop and collect costs €160 for the car for 1 to 4 people, €170 for 5 or 6. The same price covers PR1.2 from Achada do Teixeira up to Pico Ruivo and back, and PR18, Levada do Rei. If you're staying in Santana, Porto da Cruz or Faial, the pickup there adds nothing to this run.

Fanal

The Fanal forest is a stand of old til trees on the plateau above Seixal. Fog often drifts through it. PR13, Vereda do Fanal, runs one way from Paul da Serra to Fanal, about an hour from Funchal. You won't need to park at Fanal or on the plateau, because we drop you at one end and collect you at the other. The price is the same as for Rabaçal, €160 for the car, 1 to 6 hikers.

From Fanal, PR14, Levada dos Cedros, carries on one way to Curral Falso. For a drop at Fanal and a pickup at the end, send us your slot and we reply with the price. Bring a warm layer in any month, because the plateau is colder and wetter than the coast.

To see the Fanal forest without a long walk, the west island day stops there.

A hiking transfer with us is an organised self-guided walk. We plan the logistics with you: a trail that suits your level and the day's weather, the drop timed to your SIMplifica slot, the pickup window at the finish and the ride back to your hotel. You walk at your own pace, with your own map or app.

For a hiking tour in Madeira with someone who walks beside you and knows the route, book a hiking company. Ask whether the day includes a ride from your hotel. If it does, you won't need us as well.

A driver suits you if you've walked mountain paths before and would rather choose the trail and the start time yourselves. The price is for the whole car, shared by up to 6 of you.