PR22 Vereda do Chão dos Louros: the laurel-floor walk above the north coast

PR22 is the trail we send guests on when they want a laurel forest walk without losing a day to it. Forty-five minutes of soft path under til trees and laurels, a viewpoint over the São Vicente valley, a picnic ground at the trailhead, and a drive back that takes longer than the hike itself. We’ve done this one with grandparents, with three-year-olds in carriers, and once at the end of a long PR1 day when our legs were finished and we still wanted to be in the forest.

The official numbers: 1.9km, circular, 60m of elevation, easy. The Lauraceae family does most of the work. You’re inside the same UNESCO laurissilva that draws people to PR6 and PR13, just on a path that asks nothing of you.

The trail in three sentences

PR22 Vereda do Chão dos Louros is a 1.9km circular walk through laurel forest at 830-890m altitude, starting and ending at the Chão dos Louros forest park between Encumeada and São Vicente. Around 45 minutes of easy walking on a soft forest floor of leaf-litter, with one viewpoint over the São Vicente valley and a junction that links onto PR21 (Caminho do Norte) for anyone who wants to keep going. No tunnels, no exposed sections, no cables, no scrambling.

Where it starts: the Chão dos Louros forest park

The trailhead is the Chão dos Louros forest park on the ER-228, about 4km north of the Encumeada pass on the way down to São Vicente. From Ponta do Sol it’s around 45 minutes by car: south coast on the VR1 to Ribeira Brava, then the climb up the ER-228 through Serra de Água to Encumeada, then five minutes of descent. The park itself is a proper parque florestal with picnic tables, fire pits, toilets, and a thatched shelter. Free to enter. Free to park.

You can also reach it from São Vicente in 15 minutes, climbing south on the ER-228. If you’re driving up from the south, the Encumeada pass is worth a stop for the viewpoint (the south coast on one side, the north on the other, the whole spine of the island visible if the cloud cooperates).

The trail signage is the green-and-yellow PR22 marker, posted on a wooden board at the edge of the picnic ground. Circular means you can walk it in either direction. We go clockwise because the viewpoint hits at the right moment that way.

What you actually walk through

Til trees, laurels, and the smell of wet leaves.

The Chão dos Louros plateau sits in the middle of the island’s wettest belt. The Atlantic weather lands on the north coast, climbs the wall behind São Vicente, and dumps moisture on this exact stretch of forest. The result is a laurissilva that feels older than the rest of the island. Til (Ocotea foetens) is the giant here, tall and straight with bark that looks lichen-bleached. Stinkwood, the English call it, because the wood smells like cabbage when freshly cut. The laurel (Laurus novocanariensis) is the smaller cousin, the one whose leaves you can crack between your fingers and smell bay.

The path is wide and soft. Beech mast in winter, leaf-litter year-round, the occasional muddy patch where the trail dips. No real climbing. The 60m of elevation is spread across the loop in a way you barely register. Halfway round, the trees thin and the trail opens onto a viewpoint over the São Vicente valley. North coast green on green, the wall behind the village, sometimes a cloud sea sitting at exactly the altitude you’re standing at. We’ve sat at this viewpoint for half an hour on quiet weekdays.

The other thing PR22 has is history. The first Sunday of September, pilgrims walk through here from Ponta Delgada on the north coast as part of the Nossa Senhora da Piedade festivities. The forest park fills with families, fires, espetada on bay laurel skewers, and the smell of grilled meat for the rest of the day. If you happen to be on the island that weekend, it’s worth the drive up to watch the picnic area do what it was designed for.

Combining with PR17 or PR12 for a full Encumeada day

PR22 on its own is a short morning. Where it earns its place is as the warm-up or the wind-down for a full Encumeada day.

The Encumeada pass is the gateway to two of the island’s serious traverses. PR17 Caminho do Pináculo e Folhadal is the vertigo ridge: 11km of exposed cliff path with views down to both coasts. PR12 Caminho Real da Encumeada is the high traverse over the spine, weather-dependent, with the same trailhead area. Both start within 10 minutes of Chão dos Louros.

What we do most often: drive up early, park at the Encumeada pass, hit PR17 for the morning (4-5 hours), drop down to Chão dos Louros for a picnic at the park, then walk the PR22 loop after lunch as a digestive. The PR22 path with food in your belly and tired legs is a different trail to PR22 first thing in the morning. The forest is louder in the afternoon, the light is angled, and the viewpoint catches the sun.

The alternative: PR22 in the morning with kids or older guests, drop them at the picnic ground for the rest of the day, and the fit hikers do PR12 from the same trailhead and meet back at the park for espetada at 4pm. Two groups, one car park, one day, everyone gets the hike they wanted.

If you only have time for the loop itself, that’s fine too. We’ve done plenty of “drive up, walk PR22, drive down, swim at the pier in Ponta do Sol by 3pm” days. The full island view we cover in the Madeira hiking pillar.

When to go

Most months work. The trail sits at 830-890m, which is the cloud-forest altitude, so expect mist and damp regardless of the south-coast weather.

• January, February: wet, atmospheric, almost empty. The laurissilva does its best work in winter. Pack a rain shell. The path drains well and rarely closes.
• March to May: prime. Flowers in the understory, dry-enough trail, temperatures around 12-16°C at altitude.
• June to September: while the south coast is in the high 20s, Chão dos Louros stays around 16-20°C with cloud cover most days. This is when the trail earns its keep as the cool-down option.
• October, November: our favourite. Crowds gone, forest at full green, the picnic ground empty on weekdays.
• December: check the IFCN page the morning of. North-side storms occasionally close the road.

The first Sunday of September is the pilgrimage. The park is busy from sunrise. The trail is still walkable but the picnic ground is shoulder-to-shoulder. Go anyway and join in, or pick another day that week. Full seasonal breakdown is in our best time to visit Madeira post.

PR22 requires a permit through the simplifica.madeira.gov.pt portal (€4.50 adults, free under 12). The booking flow is the same broken government one we cover in the permits guide. We’ve never seen PR22 hit its cap. Book the night before and you’re in.

FAQ

How long does PR22 take? Around 45 minutes for the full 1.9km loop at an easy pace. Add 15-20 minutes if you sit at the viewpoint, which most people do. Realistically budget an hour at the trail and another hour at the picnic ground.

Is PR22 family-friendly? Yes. This is one of the most kid-friendly trails on the island. Soft path, no drops, no tunnels, no scrambling, short distance. We’ve seen it walked with toddlers in carriers and with grandparents holding hands. The picnic ground at the trailhead has tables, toilets, and shelter.

Can I bring a dog? Yes, on a lead. PR22 is a good Madeira trail for dogs: no tunnels, no cable sections, soft surface, water at the picnic ground. Bring a bowl.

Do I need a permit? Yes, €4.50 via simplifica.madeira.gov.pt. We’ve never seen PR22 hit its daily cap, so booking 24 hours ahead is plenty. Madeira.fun/hiking works better than the official portal if the latter rejects your card.

Is the trail circular? Yes, 1.9km loop. You start and finish at the Chão dos Louros forest park. Walk it in either direction.

Can I combine PR22 with another trail? PR22 connects to PR21 (Caminho do Norte) at one of the trail junctions, which heads down toward Ribeira Grande for a long-distance option. For the more popular pairing, drive 10 minutes back to Encumeada for PR17 or PR12.

Is it worth driving from Funchal? Honestly, only if you’re combining it with something. PR22 alone is too short to justify the 1-hour drive. From Funchal, pair it with PR17 or PR12, or with a north-coast lunch in São Vicente.

Stay a month and walk the easy ones too

The hiking week-long visitor pattern is PR1 permit, PR6 attempt, weather panic, flight home. The month-long pattern is PR1 on the clear morning you waited for, PR6 in cloud and again in sun, PR22 on a Wednesday with the dog because the writing day got cancelled and the forest park was empty.

We run Banana House year-round, one-month minimum, in Ponta do Sol on the south coast. Forty-five minutes from the Chão dos Louros trailhead, 25 minutes from Rabaçal, and the kind of base where you actually walk the quiet trails instead of just bookmarking them.

Pick a month. We’ll see you at the viewpoint.