Levada dos Cedros: PR14 route, distance and one-way transport
Plan PR14 from Fanal to Curral Falso: 7.2 km one way, separate road endpoints, current official access and 2026 reservations. Do not mistake it for a Fanal circuit.
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PR14 is a one-way forest walk, not a Fanal loop
Levada dos Cedros is PR14, a 7.2 km marked route from ER209 at Fanal to ER209 at Curral Falso. Visit Madeira rates it moderate and gives three hours. The start and finish lie on the same regional road but are different places: the published distance does not bring you back to a car left at Fanal.
Choose it for a longer Laurissilva forest walk with a planned finish pickup. If your main interest is the old trees around Fanal Forestry Station, a short forest visit is a different outing and needs much less commitment. Do not book the full PR14 solely because a photograph of Fanal looks like an easy stroll.
Visit Madeira: PR14 route, duration and road endpointsDistances and the return problem
- Marked route
- 7.2 km one way, Fanal to Curral Falso.
- Official duration
- 3 hours for that one-way route, not a round trip or the transfer from Funchal.
- Altitude range
- 840–1,090 m. These extremes are not a calculation of total ascent or the height difference between the road endpoints.
- Returning on the trail
- Walking the full 7.2 km route back would make 14.4 km, before any extra access walking. Do not assume twice the official time accurately predicts your return.
- Vehicle plan
- Arrange pickup at ER209 Curral Falso after a Fanal drop-off, or organise a vehicle shuttle before the walk.
Is Levada dos Cedros open?
Checked on 26 October 2026, IFCN’s current classified-route table lists PR14 Fanal–Curral Falso as ABERTO, its notices list it as passable, and the individual Visit Madeira route page says OPEN. A separate Visit Madeira downloadable open/closed list remains searchable with PR14 marked closed. That PDF conflicts with the currently retrieved live authority table and individual route page; it is not the basis for the access statement here.
Recheck the live IFCN information before setting out and follow later on-site restrictions. An open status does not promise good weather, unobstructed ground throughout the day or permission to create a detour around a barrier. This check establishes the named route’s published status, not the opening of every nearby trail.
IFCN: live PR14 status tableWhat the route follows
The route starts in the Fanal area and follows Levada dos Cedros through Laurissilva forest towards Curral Falso, passing the steep right-bank slope of the Ribeira da Janela stream. Visit Madeira describes a levada cut into the hillside soil, paved only where the ground is more friable. Treat this as a forest trail, not a paved promenade.
Footwear with grip and clothing for wet ground and changing upland conditions matter more than the fact that it follows a water channel. The moderate label does not certify step-free access, continuous railings or suitability for a pushchair. If those are requirements, compare a specifically described inclusive route rather than assuming PR14 meets them.
Visit Madeira: levada surface and forest geographyHow to arrange the one-way transport
The simplest walking programme is a Fanal trailhead drop-off followed by collection at ER209 Curral Falso. Give the driver both endpoint names and agree the collection time and contact arrangement before starting. A transfer advertised as a Fanal sightseeing stop is not automatically a PR14 hiking transfer.
If you have one hire car, solve the shuttle before you leave it: arrange transport between the actual endpoints, or choose a shorter forest visit instead. Do not improvise a road walk back along ER209 as though it were a signed pedestrian loop. No scheduled trailhead bus, road-return distance or on-demand taxi availability has been established for this guide. A driver’s confirmed endpoint service is a different claim from a route map showing nearby coastal towns.
Visit Madeira: Fanal and Curral Falso endpointsPR14 reservations and 2026 fees
For an independent visitor, the published 2026 fee for this individual IFCN trail is €4.50 if you are over 12; visitors aged 12 and under are exempt from payment. Registration is still required for exempt walkers. Reserve the named trail, date and available entry slot online through SIMplifica before travelling. IFCN does not take bookings or trail-fee payments at its physical offices.
A combined daily or multi-day tariff does not let you walk into any route without its own reservation. A transfer or guided-walk price does not automatically prove the route booking is included: establish whether you or the provider is making it. These are the published 2026 terms, not a confirmed 2027 tariff.
IFCN: 2026 route fees and mandatory online bookingFanal, Porto Moniz or a full hiking day?
For PR14, give the walk and its transfers priority; treat a coast stop afterwards as optional. For a short Fanal visit, Porto Moniz or Seixal can be the other main destination. Neither coastal settlement is the trailhead, so booking a room there does not remove the upland transport leg. PR13 Vereda do Fanal, from Assobiadores to Fanal, is another distinct route rather than a return section of PR14.
Carry spare food and water, a charged phone and suitable rain protection, tell someone your route and expected finish, and allow enough daylight for delays. IFCN advises against walking in strong rain, wind, hail or snow and asks visitors to check fire risk. If visibility or weather makes the plan unsuitable, leave the long trail out rather than relying on a hoped-for fog photograph to justify it.
IFCN: walking precautions and weather restrictions