Queimadas Forest Park

Queimadas sits at around 880 metres in dense laurisilva above Santana, and it is the trailhead for two of Madeira's best-known walks - PR9 to Caldeirão Verde and PR10 to Caldeirão do Inferno - as well as a place to spend an hour in its own right. The forest here is the real thing: laurel, til and vinhático hung with moss and lichen, ferns underfoot, water everywhere, a small stream and a pond with ducks. In the clearing stand houses in the traditional Santana style, A-framed with steep thatch reaching almost to the ground, white walls and red doors, kept as a shelter and as an example of the vernacular building this part of the island is known for. Parking is limited and a shuttle operates at busy times. It rains here often, which is why the forest looks the way it does.

What you actually see

• The thatched houses - A-framed Santana-style buildings in the forest clearing.
• The laurisilva - moss-hung laurel and til forest with ferns and running water.
• The trailheads - the start of PR9 to Caldeirão Verde and PR10 to Caldeirão do Inferno.
• The pond - a small stream and duck pond in the clearing.

When to go

Year-round; it rains frequently in any season. One hour for the park, a full day if walking PR9 or PR10. Go early - parking fills.

Honest expectations

Parking is very limited and a shuttle runs when it fills. Wet and muddy underfoot most of the year. The trails from here are ticketed and can be closed by rockfall. The thatched houses are examples, not a living settlement.

Nearby

Santana and its thatched houses are below; Pico Ruivo's Achada do Teixeira trailhead is west.