PS-FONTEAREIA (Fonte da Areia) is a 0.4 km each way (0.8 km round trip), easy, community route. Whether it is worth hiking right now depends on live conditions and today's official status, re-checked every 20 minutes in the live app.
Porto Santo, Madeira
A forecast for the nearest town is not a forecast for this path. That is what the live score is for.
Go or wait today?
You have already picked the walk. The pass answers the one question left, whether today is the morning worth the drive: it reads the live weather on the trail and gives you one honest answer, re-checked every 20 minutes.
Ten seconds, one tap, from €2.99 once. No subscription.
Download GPX: free offline map
Grab the full GPS track and waypoints for Fonte da Areia as a free GPX file, no signup. Load it into Garmin, Komoot, AllTrails, Gaia GPS or OsmAnd and follow the route offline, even where there is no phone signal.
ⓘ Source & safety
Track and waypoints from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Planning aid, not a safety guarantee. Check the official trail status and conditions before you go.About Fonte da Areia
A short terrace walk to Porto Santo's most famous geosite, where wind and rain have carved 31,000-year-old golden sandstone cliffs into strange organ-pipe sculptures above the north coast. A stone stairway drops to the spring and its 1843 fountain, once the island's most reliable water source, and the path west ends at a clifftop viewpoint over the Ilhéu da Fonte da Areia. Legend says washing your face in the spring keeps you young; the eroded cliff edges deserve more respect than the legend.
Fonte da Areia (PS-FONTEAREIA) is a round trip route of about 0.8 km in Porto Santo.
What you'll see
The route takes in coastal cliffs and ocean views, panoramic viewpoints, historic features and gentle, family-friendly walking.
Landmarks on the route include Ilhéu da Fonte da Areia, Plane spotting runway 18 and Fonte da Areia.
Difficulty
Fonte da Areia is officially graded easy by IFCN, based on 0.8 km round trip, 61 m of ascent and low exposure.
How long it takes
Allow about 30m for the round trip (you return the same way).
The app's live 0-100 score also flags the latest safe start time for the day. See it in the app.
Getting there and back
Starts at Fonte da Areia car park (Estrada da Fonte da Areia). Ends at Ilhéu da Fonte da Areia viewpoint terrace. There is a car park at the start, though its size is not recorded on the map.
What to bring
None; keep back from the soft, eroded sandstone cliff edges
Best time to walk it
Year-round; the north-coast terrace is windy, calmest on southerly-wind days
Coastal walks are often at their best in soft late-afternoon light.
A live 0-100 score picks the best 30-minute window for the day. See today's window in the app.
Frequently asked questions
Is Fonte da Areia worth hiking today?
It depends on today's conditions, and that is exactly what Levadas answers. The app reads the current weather at Fonte da Areia, the safe-start window, how busy it is and the official IFCN status, then gives one honest go-or-wait score from 0 to 100, re-checked every 20 minutes. It is decision-support, not a safety clearance: an official IFCN closure always overrides the score, no matter how good the weather looks.
How long is Fonte da Areia?
Fonte da Areia is about 0.8 km round trip.
How difficult is Fonte da Areia?
Fonte da Areia is officially graded easy by IFCN.
How long does Fonte da Areia take to walk?
Allow about 30m for the round trip.
Can I download a GPX track for Fonte da Areia?
Yes. Tap Download GPX on this page: the first download on any device asks for an email so we can also send the free trail pack, then every later trail downloads instantly.
Is Fonte da Areia free to walk?
Yes. Fonte da Areia needs no reservation and has no fee. Only the regulated official PR trails require a paid SIMplifica booking; this one you simply walk.
Where does Fonte da Areia start and finish?
Fonte da Areia starts at Fonte da Areia car park (Estrada da Fonte da Areia) and finishes at Ilhéu da Fonte da Areia viewpoint terrace.
What will I see on Fonte da Areia?
Highlights include coastal cliffs and ocean views, panoramic viewpoints, historic features and gentle, family-friendly walking.
When is the best time to hike Fonte da Areia?
Year-round; the north-coast terrace is windy, calmest on southerly-wind days
How do I check live conditions for Fonte da Areia?
Levadas scores Fonte da Areia from 0 to 100 using live weather, official status and crowd signals, refreshed every 20 minutes. Open the trail in the app to see the live score and the best time to go today.