Vereda do Burro (PR 3): from Pico do Areeiro

Edited by Roman Antonov · route details as of 20 September 2026

Vereda do Burro is a footpath from Pico do Areeiro to Ribeira das Cales. The IFCN table gives this PR 3 route as 6.7 km. Câmara Municipal do Funchal manages it, so the IFCN fee and booking do not apply.

Status
OpenOpen. IFCN table dated 2 October 2026 · checked by islandmadeira.com 13 October 2026 at 16:54, Madeira time.Fetch the current trail status from the IFCN page; one live request per 30 minutes for the whole site, otherwise the last check is shown.
Length
6.7 kmIFCN table, Pico do Areeiro to Ribeira das Cales.The board at the start gives 7.2 km, Pico do Areeiro to Ribeira das Cales Receção Parque Ecológico do Funchal.
Time on the board
2h 40mAs printed on the panel at the start. The IFCN table lists the return separately where a route is walked both ways.
Highest and lowest point
1,805 m and 1,130 m
Start and finish
Pico do Areeiro to Ribeira das Cales Receção Parque Ecológico do FunchalFrom the route board at the start.
Fee
No IFCN feeThe fee and booking system covers only the classified routes IFCN manages itself. This one is managed by Câmara Municipal do Funchal, so there is nothing to pay IFCN and nothing to book on SIMplifica. IFCN, fees and bookings FAQ, read 14 September 2026.
At the start
information board, viewpoint, toilets, parking, café at Pico do Areeiro
Coordinates
Start 32.73494, -16.92878
Finish 32.70131, -16.90311From the IFCN route board, decimal degrees
Weather now
11.0 °C at Pico do Areeiro, 1,799 mThe IPMA station we show for this route, observed 13 October 2026 at 15:00, Madeira time
Conditions on the high ground todayIPMA warnings issued 13 October 2026 at 11:35, Madeira time
Official warnings, mountains
no warnings in force

Warnings come from IPMA by zone, not by trail. A yellow warning for fog, wind or thunderstorms is a reason to check the route status and the sky before you set off, and the forest service closes paths on its own schedule. Station readings.

Vereda do Burro's two distances

The table's 6.7 km ends at Ribeira das Cales. The route board gives 7.2 km from Pico do Areeiro to the Funchal Ecological Park Welcome Centre at Ribeira das Cales. Its time is 2 h 40 min one way.

If you're planning around the welcome centre, I'd use the board's distance and time. Its route has 745 m of cumulative descent and 70 m of ascent. The highest point is 1,805 m. The lowest is 1,130 m.

Past Poço da Neve to the valley

The first stretch looks across the Ribeira do Cidrão valley towards Madeira's western mountains. Poço da Neve is about 1.7 km from the start. Built in 1813, this reservoir stored snow and sleet. The ice supplied hospitals and hotels. It was also used to make ice cream.

Further along you'll pass high-altitude plants such as Madeira mountain ash and heaths. The path follows the left bank of Ribeira das Cales first. It later switches to the right bank towards the welcome centre. The valley has small waterfalls and pools.

Where the path needs care

Take care on irregular ground, especially between Pico do Areeiro and the Ribeira das Cales valley. Stream crossings need care in rainy weather. Avoid crossing streams with a high flow. Seek another way to leave the route.

Fog can make it harder to find your way at higher altitudes. Check the weather panel before setting off. The reading shown here comes from the Pico do Areeiro station at 1,799 m.

Facilities marked at each end

At Pico do Areeiro the board marks an information board and a viewpoint. It also marks toilets and parking. A café has a symbol too.

At the welcome centre end it marks an information board. Toilets and parking also have symbols. Check opening arrangements before relying on these facilities.

Who looks after PR 3

Câmara Municipal do Funchal manages PR 3, not IFCN. The IFCN fee and booking system covers only the routes it runs itself, so there is nothing to pay and nothing to reserve here.

The route still sits in the IFCN table of classified routes, and that is where its status comes from. Read the status before you drive up to Pico do Areeiro. Treat the weather as you would on any high route.

What the route board asks

  • Length 7.2 km
  • Cumulative elevation descent 745 metres and 70m of cumulative elevation gain.
  • Irregular surface in various portions of the route, especially in the early part between Pico do Areeiro and the valley of Ribeira das Cales and when crossing watercourses in rainy weather, users must take caution, always avoiding the crossing of high-flowing streams, seeking an alternative itinerary to leave the route.
  • The possibility of fog, which in the higher altitudes may make orientation more difficult along the way.

From the IFCN board at the start of the route. Taxis listed on the board: Táxis Funchal +351 291 764 476.

Transfers for this route

Prices and ratings as of 21 September 2026. All sunrise tours and guided hikes at Pico do Arieiro → · All hiking transfers in Madeira →

Routes next door

Vereda do Areeiro PR 1

open

6.1 km, Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo

Vereda da Ilha PR 1.1

open

8.2 km, Pico Ruivo to Ilha

Vereda do Pico Ruivo PR 1.2

open

2.8 km (+ 2.8 km back), Achada do Teixeira to Pico Ruivo

Status from the IFCN table, re-read at every build and again in your browser.

Questions before you go

Is Vereda do Burro open?

Look at the status panel on this page and use ‘Check the status now’ before you leave. IFCN's route status decides access. A weather warning does not automatically close the route. Read any restrictions shown alongside the status.

Do I pay to walk PR 3?

No. IFCN charges and takes bookings only for the routes it manages, and PR 3 belongs to Câmara Municipal do Funchal. You will not find it on SIMplifica. Read its status in the IFCN table before you go.

Do I need a guide for PR 3?

A guide is optional on PR 3. Before setting off, read the board's cautions about irregular ground and stream crossings. Check the live status panel for any access restrictions.

Sources

  • IFCN, table of classified routes: status and length. IFCN table dated · checked by islandmadeira.com ; re-read every few hours.
  • IFCN, route board PR 3 at the start of the route: distance, time, heights, description and cautions, read 20 September 2026.
  • IFCN, fees and bookings FAQ, updated 2 June 2026, read 14 September 2026.
  • Viator, tour prices, ratings and programmes, as of 21 September 2026.

Who checked this

Roman Antonov, editor. The status comes from the forest service table, the figures from the board at the start of the route and the fee rules from the IFCN FAQ, each with its date above. If something on the ground has changed, tell me.

Tour links go to Viator, where we may earn a commission at no cost to you. It does not change which walks are listed. How we earn.