In 2016, we hiked from Portela to the Boca do Risco path. Already at this time I wanted to see the whole coastal hike. As we had a planned hike schedule in 2016 and had no flexibility to change your given hike, I was curious to find the path and hike it this year.
The hike is a point to point ~10 km hike from Porto da Cruz to Canical (Ponta do Bode), or wise versa. As we had a car we splitted the hike in 2 days. The first day we started the hike from Porto da Cruz, hiking on a flat path for 4 kilometers in and 4 kilometers back. This was a nice evening walk.
The more interesting path is, when starting the hike from Canical (Ponta do Bode). We parked our car at a cemetery near the city of Canical. The street was the closed to get to the trail head. Starting from there the entry to the trail was not easy to be found. At the end we walked off-road up to the cliff, where the trail appeared then.
If you want to be on the clear side start the hike in Porto da Cruz. Because from there the entry in the trail is clear and starts easy. Starting the trail at Ponta do Bode give step rocky climbing sections as an entry in the trail.
For me this trail was one of the most beautiful in Madeira, as the path runs the whole time along the cliffs, gives amazing views at the ocean and the island itself. It should not be missed at all. But it is not an easy flat levada hike, be aware of steep rocky passages.
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