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Vereda do Pico Ruivo vs Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço

Two of Madeira's hiking trails side by side: distance, difficulty, ascent, duration and booking. Live 0 to 100 scores for each are in the app.

Quick take: Vereda do Pico Ruivo is the shorter walk; Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço has less climbing.

Which one is harder?

Both are graded hard, so the grade alone will not separate them. Vereda do Pico Ruivo climbs 91 m more, 456 m against 365 m. Distance pulls the other way: Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço is the longer walk at 8.0 km against 5.6 km.

How long does each take?

Allow about 1h 30m for Vereda do Pico Ruivo and about 2h 30m for Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço, one way and at a walking pace. That is roughly 60 minutes more for Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço, before any stops.

Do you need to book?

Both are regulated IFCN trails, so both need a ticket at EUR 4.50, bought through the SIMplifica portal.

Which one should you pick?

Vereda do Pico Ruivo

Choose Vereda do Pico Ruivo if you are here for Out and back, Viewpoint, Summit, or if you want the shorter day.

Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço

Choose Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço if you are here for Endemic flora, Out and back, Viewpoint, or if you would rather not climb.

Which of the two is better on a given morning is a different question, and the numbers above cannot answer it: cloud, wind and closures change hourly and they change differently on the north and south coasts. Levadas scores both live and tells you which to drive to today.

More comparisons: Levada das 25 Fontes vs Levada do Caldeirão Verde · Vereda do Areeiro vs Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço · Vereda do Areeiro vs Vereda do Pico Ruivo · Levada das 25 Fontes vs Levada do Risco · Vereda do Fanal vs Vereda dos Balcões · Levada do Caldeirão Verde vs Levada do Furado
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