PR 12 - Caminho Real da Encumeada

This trail starts at the Miradouro da Boca da Corrida and runs between 1,323 and 830 metres of altitude, crossing part of the Central Mountain Massif, near the base of the highest peaks of Ilha da Madeira.
Used by landowners on horseback while their wives lay on hammocks carried by men, this “Caminho Real” was one of the main routes for people to move across the island.
There are references to a grocery store that once existed somewhere along this path, likely serving as a trading point in a passage used by walkers crossing the island.
Through the pass you can observe, in the depression, the Curral das Freiras. This small village at the heart of the island, surrounded by huge mountains, became the refuge in 1566 for the nuns of the Convento de Santa Clara during pirate attacks on Funchal.
As the trail skirts Pico Grande, the settlements of Serra d’Água and Encumeada will appear on the landscape, signalling the approach of the end of the route.