Classified walking trails managed by the Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation (IFCN) use a booking and fee system that has been in force since 1 January 2026. Registration is mandatory for everyone who uses those trails, including people who pay nothing. Bookings are online only, on the SIMplifica portal.
Fees checked on 17 October 2026 against the IFCN English FAQ, Frequently asked questions — fees for classified walking routes (page last updated 2 June 2026), and the classified trails list (updated 2 October 2026). The booking service linked from that list is Pagamento de Taxas para acesso aos Percursos Pedestres Classificados on SIMplifica. If the FAQ changes, the FAQ wins.
The legal names on the FAQ are Portaria n.º 801/2025 of 10 December, as amended by Portaria n.º 48/2026 of 13 February. This guide does not restate the portaria. It restates the FAQ.
What the booking actually is
Each day is split into entry windows, called slots. You book the slot in which you will enter. After you are in, you may finish the trail in a reasonable time.
Slots have separate capacity for visitors, residents, and economic operators. A place in one category cannot be moved to another. When a slot is full, it is blocked.
Entry is not to the minute. The FAQ says IFCN generally allows a tolerance of about 15 minutes before or after the slot, and a little more if you are walking several trails in sequence. It also says they will not allow a wider window, because the point of the system is to spread people through the day.
You can book the next day, or the same day, on SIMplifica, if a place is still free when you try. IFCN does not take bookings or payments at its offices.
How to book
- Open the trail-fee service on SIMplifica. The FAQ says this portal is the only place to book.
- Book a slot for the trail and the day you want. If the trail is not listed, it is either not an IFCN classified trail, or it is closed. The trails list names the manager and the status.
- Pay on the portal as part of that booking. There is no separate button for the 1-day, 3-day, or 7-day price. You select the trails you intend to walk, and the system applies the cheaper of the per-trail price or the combined price.
- A combined price is not a pass. You still reserve every trail, and each reservation depends on space that day.
- Keep the tickets and the invoice. Refunds, when they exist, ask for both.
IFCN does not plan your route and does not book it for you.
If the portal errors or a card payment fails, that is a SIMplifica problem, not an IFCN desk. The FAQ’s contact centre, which matches the phones printed on the booking page:
- Working days, 9:00–18:00
- Telephone +351 800 29 90 90
- WhatsApp +351 926 155 465
- Email 800299090@madeira.gov.pt
2026 fees for visitors
These are the visitor prices in the FAQ (no protocol with IFCN). Combined prices exclude PR1.
| What you book | 2026 fee |
|---|---|
| One classified trail, except PR1 | €4.50 |
| PR1, Vereda do Areeiro, only to the Pedra Rija viewpoint and back | €4.50 |
| PR1 full trail (includes PR1.1 Vereda da Ilha, PR1.2 Vereda do Pico Ruivo, and PR1.3 Vereda da Encumeada when that one is open) | €10.50 |
| Two or more trails in one day, excluding PR1 | €9.00 |
| Two or more trails across 3 days, excluding PR1 | €22.50 |
| Two or more trails across 7 days, excluding PR1 | €52.50 |
The 1-day, 3-day, and 7-day amounts do not include PR1, including the Pedra Rija-only section. A €4.50 Pedra Rija ticket does not convert into a full-trail ticket. The FAQ says there is no conversion. Buy the €10.50 ticket if you want the full route.
Economic operators with an IFCN protocol pay different amounts, set in the portaria, not in this table. Operators without a protocol follow the visitor rules.
Who pays nothing, and who still books
From the FAQ, and repeated on the trails list:
- Residents of the Autonomous Region of Madeira pay nothing if they show a resident card (the FAQ says it can be obtained on SIMplifica) and a citizen card. They still book a slot.
- Children aged 12 or under, resident or not, pay nothing. They still have to be registered and booked.
- A person with a disability of 60% or more, and one legal guardian accompanying them, pay nothing, with documentary proof. They still book.
Some people do not book at all: owners and other holders of rights over land the trail crosses or borders, when they are using those rights, plus people using the trails to provide essential public services. That exemption is narrow. A visitor on holiday is not in it.
Not every path is on SIMplifica
The fee applies only to classified trails managed by IFCN and covered by this system. The trails list, updated 2 October 2026, names other managers. PR3 Vereda do Burro and PR3.1 Caminho Real do Monte are down as Câmara Municipal do Funchal, not IFCN. The FAQ says a classified trail run by someone else is not bookable on the portal.
Two walks our other guides mention are IFCN trails on that list: Levada do Caldeirão Verde is PR9, and Levada das 25 Fontes is PR6. PR6 was listed open with one-way control: Rabaçal to 25 Fontes on the levada, and back on the bypass. “Open” is not the same as “walk it in either direction.” Read the status cell on the morning you go.
For a first levada, the booking question sits alongside the usual safety one. See beginner levada walks and levada safety tips. Closures are also on the Visit Madeira notice to walkers.
PR1, Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo
The FAQ, last updated 2 June 2026, says the full PR1 reopened on 1 May 2026. It also says:
- The path is bidirectional only between Pico do Areeiro and the Pedra Rija viewpoint. From Pedra Rija to Pico Ruivo it is one-way, Areeiro toward Ruivo.
- You start at Pico do Areeiro, on the first slot of the day, not at the Pedra Rija gate.
- You leave Pico Ruivo on PR1.1 (Ilha), PR1.2 (Achada do Teixeira), or, when it is open, PR1.3 (Encumeada).
- IFCN does not bring you back to Pico do Areeiro. Your return transport is your problem. Our Arieiro–Ruivo guide is the packing and turn-back note; it is not a shuttle.
The June FAQ also said the Pedra Rija–Pico Ruivo section was under maintenance until 26 June 2026 and, until then, open only on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Do not treat that weekday limit as current. The trails list updated 2 October 2026 does not repeat it. On that later list, PR1 is marked open, bidirectional between Pico do Areeiro and the Pedra Rija viewpoint, and the eastern variant via Pico das Torres is marked closed. PR1.1 and PR1.2 are marked open. PR1.3 is listed as open, with IFCN's note that the Boca das Torrinhas–Encumeada section stays closed ("entre a Boca das Torrinhas e a Encumeada, manter-se-á encerrado"). Read the live wording on PR 1.3 before you book. Book against the live list, not against the June paragraph.
A weather warning does not, by itself, close every trail. The FAQ says a closure is a decision for that trail, published on the IFCN trails page.
Refunds and changes
Rescheduling or a refund exists only when the competent authority or IFCN has officially closed or restricted the trail. The FAQ says you then have 10 working days from the booking date to ask. After that, they will not process it.
These are not reasons for a refund, in the FAQ’s words: you changed your mind, you picked the wrong date or the wrong PR, it is raining, your flight was cancelled, you are ill, or you missed the bus. The fee is lost.
Email the request to helpdesk.ifcn@madeira.gov.pt. Send the tickets and the invoice. For a new date, also name the date and the slot. For a refund, also send a bank document with IBAN and SWIFT/BIC, the account holder’s full name, and the address. The FAQ says refunds are paid only by bank transfer.
A reschedule stays on the same trail and the same group size. A smaller group can use the tickets, with no refund for the people who drop out. A larger group pays for the extra people, if space exists. Moving the booking to a different PR is normally refused. The FAQ says IFCN may look at it only for a prolonged closure, and only if space exists.
If SIMplifica emails you that a booking was cancelled for non-payment, but you already have tickets and an invoice, compare the reference numbers. A different number is an earlier attempt the system cancelled. The same number should be forwarded to IFCN.
A guide is not required on any classified trail. The FAQ says that choice is yours.
For anything the FAQ does not cover, IFCN’s own line is (+351) 291 145 590, or helpdesk.ifcn@madeira.gov.pt, on working days between 09:00–12:30 and 14:00–17:30. The office address on the FAQ is Quinta Vila Passos, Rua Alferes Veiga Pestana 15, 9054-505 Funchal. Bookings are still not taken there.
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Written with AI assistance from official and cited sources. Report an error: hello@madeirajournal.com.
