On Sunday, we embarked on our last hike in Madeira before moving on to Lisbon: the Caminho Real da Encumeada hike, or the royal path (PR12).


Historically, this route was one of the only options for cutting through the mountains, and was used by royalty, landlords, and other important people. It’s also a fitting nickname because the views are consistently incredible.

We got a bit of a late start to this hike, having gone a bit too hard on the poncha the night prior. Luckily though, it’s one of the less popular hiking routes on the island, and we had it pretty much to ourselves anyhow.


Something I’ll miss about Madeira hiking is the way that all the hikes basically start near a peak. So when you embark on one, you get a big payoff almost immediately.


This route starts at a peak, before wrapping around the mountain and then slowly descending into a valley.


If you keep going, you can take the path all the way to the next town. But, we decided to make this an out-and-back instead to save on cab fare.


The fog started setting in partway through the hike, and just got thicker and thicker until we could barely see the mountains anymore. You really just never know what you’re gonna get with the weather here. Always bring layers!


Cooooool.


