Is PR1 open today?

Sold out? PR1 slots gone on SIMplifica

PR1 has capacity limits and 30-minute entry slots. Morning windows go first. In order of what actually works:

1. Try weekday, mid-morning slots. Everyone fights for sunrise. 09:00–10:30 midweek is often available days after dawn slots are gone — and you skip the parking chaos.
2. Re-check the SIMplifica booking page the evening before. Cancellations get released back. Rescheduled bookings free up slots with no notice.
3. Book through an IFCN protocol operator. Licensed guides hold their own allocation and handle the permit for you (their trail fee is discounted to €7 on PR1). Costs more overall, solves transport too.
4. Do the summit anyway — from the other side. PR1.2 from Achada do Teixeira reaches Pico Ruivo (1,862 m, the island's highest point) in about 45–60 min each way. Standard €4.50 fee, its own booking, usually far more availability.

Sunrise? How to do PR1 at dawn

Sunrise above the clouds at Pico do Areeiro is why so many people on Madeira set a 4 a.m. alarm. The rules confuse everyone, so here's the short version:

• Watching sunrise from the viewpoint is free. No booking, no fee — the SIMplifica ticket only covers the PR1 trail beyond the checkpoint. Drive up, watch the sky turn, no paperwork.
• Hiking at first light needs the earliest slot: 07:00–07:30. Added in June 2026 (70 places, plus 70 more at 07:30–08:00) precisely because of sunrise demand — before that, entry started at 08:00. Same fee as any other window; there is no sunrise surcharge.
• Match the slot to the season. Sunrise ranges from about 06:50 in midsummer to 08:05 in midwinter. In summer, watch it from the viewpoint, then start walking at 07:00. In late autumn and winter, the 07:00 slot puts you on the ridge in the dark for sunrise from the trail itself — bring a headlamp.
• Parking is the real bottleneck. Arrive at least an hour before sunrise: the lots fill, cars line the access road, and police sometimes close it when it saturates. And dress warm — it can be single digits °C at 1,818 m before dawn even in August.

The no-car version: sunrise transfer minibuses pick up in Funchal/Caniço around 05:00–05:30, drop you at the summit before dawn and collect you at Achada do Teixeira after the traverse — solving parking and the one-way return in one go. The trail ticket usually isn't included: book it yourself, or go with an IFCN protocol operator (€7).

Closed? Your booking isn't lost

If IFCN officially closes the trail (weather, rockfall, works), you're entitled to change — but there's a procedure:

1. Contact the SIMplifica call centre before your scheduled date. Not IFCN — they don't manage the portal.
2. You can move to a different date or time on the same trail freely.
3. You can switch to a different trail only if yours was officially closed by the authorities. A change of plans on your side doesn't qualify.

Open alternatives that don't feel like a consolation prize:

• PR1.2 Vereda do Pico Ruivo — the summit without the ridge. Moderate, family-doable.
• PR9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde — tunnels, waterfalls, green canyon. Bring a headlamp.
• PR11 Vereda dos Balcões — 3 km, nearly flat, big valley views. The easy win on a foggy summit day.

Three things people find out too late

• PR1 is one-way now (since the April 2026 reopening): Areeiro → Ruivo only. You finish at Achada do Teixeira — plan your ride back before you start.
• No cash, no kiosk for PR1. Booking is online-only. Rangers check tickets; fines run up to €250.
• Summit weather ≠ Funchal weather. It can be 10–15°C colder at 1,800 m, with fog while the coast is sunny. Check the mountain forecast, not the city one.