SIMplifica Madeira hiking bookings and fees

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The simplifica madeira hiking system is the only way onto Madeira's classified trails: each walk is booked and paid in advance on the SIMplifica portal, for a date and an entry time, and there is no ticket booth at the trailhead. A single trail costs €4.50 for a visitor over 12, and the full PR1, from Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo, costs €10.50.

Every classified trail managed by the IFCN, the regional forest and nature institute, is in the scheme, and several trails over one, three or seven days cost less than paying for each. Children 12 and under walk free but still need a booking.

Which trails need a booking

The usual mistake is to assume every path in Madeira needs a ticket, or that none does. The scheme covers one group of trails.

The madeira hiking permits apply only to the Percursos Pedestres Classificados, the classified trails numbered PR, that are managed by the IFCN. Not every trail on the island is classified, and not every classified trail is managed by the IFCN: some are run by municipalities, and those are outside the scheme. The Levada dos Tornos above Funchal, for example, is not classified and needs no booking.

If a trail does not appear on SIMplifica, there are two possible reasons: it is closed, or it is not in the scheme at all. The IFCN's list of classified trails shows each trail's status and the body that manages it.

The rules come from Portaria 801/2025 of 10 December, amended by Portaria 48/2026 of 13 February. Their purpose is to control how many people are on each trail at once and to spread them across the day, which is why madeira hikes reservation works by time slot rather than by day.

A guide is not compulsory on any classified trail. You can walk every one of them on your own, with a booking.

1. 1
   Pico do Arieiro (PR1 start) PR1, €10.50 in full, €4.50 to Pedra Rija and back32.7357° N, 16.9287° W · Open in Google Maps
2. 2
   Ribeiro Frio (PR10 and PR11) PR10 and PR11, €4.50 each32.7396° N, 16.8869° W · Open in Google Maps
3. 3
   Queimadas (PR9 start) PR9, €4.5032.7828° N, 16.9116° W · Open in Google Maps
4. 4
   Baía d'Abra (PR8 start) PR8, €4.5032.7431° N, 16.7014° W · Open in Google Maps
5. 5
   Rabaçal (PR6 and PR6.1) PR6 and PR6.1, €4.50 each32.7616° N, 17.1344° W · Open in Google Maps
6. 6
   Fanal (PR13 end) PR13 and PR14, €4.50 each32.8094° N, 17.1407° W · Open in Google Maps

Classified trails require advance booking via the SIMplifica portal to control visitor numbers per time slot.

How the booking works

People often plan to pay at the trailhead. There is nowhere to pay: no bookings are taken and no fees are collected at IFCN offices or anywhere else in person.

A madeira hiking reservation is made only online, on the SIMplifica portal. Registration is compulsory for every walker, including those who pay nothing, because the system counts people as well as fees.

Each day on each trail is divided into entry times, called slots. You book the slot in which you will start; once on the trail, you walk at your own pace. Slots have separate capacities for visitors, for residents and for tour operators, and places cannot be moved from one group to another. When a slot is full, it is blocked, and the portal may show an error if you try to book it.

You can book for the next day, or for the same day, as long as a slot is free. Full slots are blocked, so for a set date and hour, book early.

The slot is not a suggestion. The usual tolerance is about 15 minutes either side, a little more for walkers doing several trails in a row; beyond that, the point of the system is lost.

PR1, the special case

The most common mix-up is on PR1. It has two prices, and they are not interchangeable.

A madeira hike reservation for PR1 in full, from Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo, costs €10.50. It includes the ways off the summit, PR1.1, the Vereda da Ilha, down to Ilha, and PR1.2, the Vereda do Pico Ruivo, down to Achada do Teixeira, and PR1.3, the Vereda da Encumeada, once it reopens, with no extra fee.

The cheaper ticket, €4.50, covers only the stretch from Pico do Areeiro to the Pedra Rija viewpoint and back, the part that can be walked in both directions. Beyond Pedra Rija the trail is one way, towards Pico Ruivo, and a Pedra Rija ticket does not let you continue. Old Pedra Rija tickets are not converted: a walker who wants the full route buys the full ticket.

The full PR1 reopened on 1 May 2026, and it has been open every day since 26 June 2026. The full route starts at Pico do Areeiro, at the first slot of the day, not at the gate by Pedra Rija.

The IFCN does not bring walkers back to Pico do Areeiro. The return from Ilha or Achada do Teixeira is yours to arrange, which is where a transfer earns its price.

Who is exempt

Families often assume children need a ticket, and residents that they need nothing at all. Both are partly wrong.

Children 12 and under, residents or not, pay nothing, but they still need a registration and a booking. Residents of Madeira walk every classified trail free, provided they prove it with a resident card, which can be obtained on the SIMplifica portal, and a citizen card; they too must register and book, because the slots are counted.

People with a disability of 60% or more are exempt, with one legal guardian each when accompanying them, on presentation of proof; the booking is still required.

A few are outside the scheme entirely and need neither a booking nor a fee: owners and rights holders of land the trails cross, when using it in the exercise of those rights, and people using the trails to provide essential public services.

Tour operators with a valid agreement with the IFCN book under their own rules and prices. Operators without one follow the same rules as individual visitors, so read what a tour includes: if the fee is not in the price, book it yourself.

Several trails, and the multi-day rates

Walkers planning a hiking week often look for a pass. There is none, only a cheaper price.

Simplifica madeira hikes over several days have three combined rates: €9.00 for two or more trails in one day, €22.50 for two or more in three days, and €52.50 for two or more in seven days. None of them includes PR1, in full or to Pedra Rija.

There is no separate button to buy them. You select the trails you plan to walk and go through the booking; at the end, the portal applies the cheapest option by itself, whether single trails or a combined rate.

The rates are not a free pass. Every trail still needs its own booking for a date and a slot, subject to availability, even when the combined price applies.

Refunds are narrow. A booking is rebooked or refunded only if the trail was officially closed or restricted on that date. Rain, illness, a cancelled flight or a change of plan lose the fee. For a closed trail, you have 10 working days from the booking date to ask the IFCN, with the tickets and the invoice; refunds are made only by bank transfer.

For trouble with the portal itself, the SIMplifica contact centre answers on weekdays from 09:00 to 18:00, on +351 800 29 90 90 or on WhatsApp at +351 926 155 465. The IFCN's FAQ on trail fees has the full rules; the hiking hub lists each trail with its start.

Common questions

Can I pay the trail fee at the trailhead?

No. Classified trails are booked and paid only online, on the SIMplifica portal; nothing is sold in person.

How much does a trail cost?

€4.50 for one trail for a visitor over 12, and €10.50 for PR1 in full to Pico Ruivo. Combined rates are €9.00 a day, €22.50 for 3 days and €52.50 for 7.

Do children need a booking?

Yes. Children 12 and under pay nothing but must be registered and booked.

Can I get a refund if it rains?

No. Refunds and rebookings are given only when the trail was officially closed or restricted on the booked date.

Can I book on the day?

Yes, as long as a slot is still free. A full slot is blocked.