u/avondale17

My husband and I are visiting Madeira June 19 - 20 (traveling day before/after, so no real time for hiking then). I'm looking at these three hikes, but we'll only have time to do two of them. What do folks think about these hikes? Other suggestions?

We are experienced and fit hikers, with numerous hikes in the US and Canadian Rockies and Hawaii, along with elsewhere. We know our own capabilities well, and will not hesitate to abort a hike or turn back if the trail conditions or weather conditions indicate it's not safe to continue. We're not looking for "easy" hikes, so to speak, but would like to see two different sorts of regions in Madeira. (Would people recommend poles for any of these hikes?)

• Coastline hike from Porto da Cruz to Canical. The consensus is that PR 8 on Sao Laurenco is way too overrun with tourists, so I've seen this recommended as an option for views of the coastline and cliffs. This baseline hike seems to be only about 5 miles or so - is there a good way to extend it? From what I can see, it's not a PR route.
• Mountain hike from Boca da Encumeada to Curral das Freiras, which is along PR 12. Since PR 1.3 is closed, this seems like a good way to get some views of the big mountains. Is it relatively scenic? Or is it enclosed by too much trees/brush for views?
• Loop from Ponta do Sol, up and back on Levada Nova and Levada do Moinho. In my hiking book, this caught my eye as an unusual hike, going up one side of a deep gorge and back down the other side. But maybe it's not that interesting? From what I can see, neither levada is a PR route.

Thanks for any feedback!

Looking at the Madeira PR Navigator, PR 1.3 is currently closed. Does anyone know for how long? And is it all sections?

My husband and I are visiting June 18 - 20 and may be interested in PR 1.3 from Boca da Encumeada to Achada do Teixeira. Or alternatively, Boca da Encumeada to Colmeal, which is PR 1.3 and PR 2.