Chão dos Louros Trail (PR22) is a circular walk through laurisilva forest in the interior of Madeira, Portugal, laid out around the Chão dos Louros picnic and barbecue ground. It is short and easy — one of the easiest walking routes on the island — on a forest track, half of it running alongside a water stream, with a number of short steep sections. It begins and ends in the same place, which is why it pairs naturally with an afternoon at the barbecue points by the car park.
Chão dos Louros Trail (PR22)
Local name: PR22 Vereda do Chão dos Louros
Half the circuit walks beside a water stream, and it finishes at the same barbecue table it started from.
- Entrance
- A €4.50 charge for the trail was in place in May 2026.
- Accessibility
- Not wheelchair accessible: no step-free entrance, and the route is a forest track with short steep sections.
- Parking
- Free. A small upper car park and a large lower one with hard standing; the nearer is about 115 m from the trail, the second about 258 m.
- Difficulty
- Easy — one of the easiest routes on Madeira. Short circular forest track, largely unmarked but simple to follow, with a number of short steep sections; wet and muddy after rain.
- Transport
- Nearest bus stop: Boca da Encumeada, about 690 m away; the lower car park has a stop of its own.
- Hours
- Open 24 hours, every day.
What makes it special
Half the loop runs beside a water stream; the rest is laurisilva canopy overhead and leaf litter underfoot. There is no viewpoint on the route — the forest is the whole show, and the walking is easy and repetitive. That fits what most groups come for: the circuit begins and ends in the picnic and barbecue area at Chão dos Louros, so a group can light the barbecue, walk the woods and come back to the same table. The track itself is a rough forest path with a number of short steep pulls.
Good to know
- Underfoot: a forest track, largely unmarked but easy to follow, with short steep sections; it turns wet and muddy after rain.
- At the start: picnic benches, barbecue points, hard standing and toilets sit beside the car parks.
- Weather escape: the loop runs around the road, so the start is quick to reach again if conditions turn.
- Dogs: allowed on the route.
Getting there
Access is by road, and the driving takes you to the door. Two car parks serve the picnic ground at Chão dos Louros — a small upper one and a larger lower one with hard standing. From either, reaching the trail means walking across the picnic area: the circuit begins and ends in it, so there is no approach walk to speak of.
Best time to visit
Better: a dry spell, and an afternoon if the plan includes the barbecue — the grills and benches at the start are half the reason people come.
Avoid: the days straight after heavy rain, when the track is wet and muddy.
Shade and canopy keep the ground damp, and with no view to wait for there is nothing to gain from timing the light.
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Frequently asked questions
Is the Chão dos Louros trail a loop?
Yes. It is a circular route that starts and finishes in the picnic and barbecue area at Chão dos Louros, so walkers end up back at the same spot.Is the path waymarked?
Only patchily. The route is a track, largely unmarked and not well marked in places, though easy enough to follow; a mapping app such as AllTrails keeps you on line.Is it enough for a full day of hiking?
Not on its own — the circuit is short. Walkers after a proper hike combine it with PR21.Does it work with children?
It is one of the easiest routes on Madeira and loops back to benches and barbecue points, though the track carries short steep sections and gets muddy after rain.