Cais do Sardinha sits right at the tip of Madeira, where the island’s green interior gives way to the dry, dramatic ridges of Ponta de São Lourenço. It’s one of those places that rewards the effort of getting there, whether you walk in on foot or arrive by sea.
This guide covers every way to reach it: the hiking trail, the boat options, kayaking the bay, and the snorkeling spots nearby, so you can pick the version of the trip that fits your plans.
Where is Cais do Sardinha
Cais do Sardinha is the small pier and landing area at Ponta de São Lourenço, Madeira’s easternmost point, not far from Machico. It sits right at the end of the peninsula, where the landscape shifts from the island’s usual green to a starker mix of red and ochre cliffs dropping into the Atlantic.
Because it’s tucked at the very tip, there are only two practical ways in: walking the PR8 trail, or arriving by boat from the marina at Quinta do Lorde.
Hiking there: the PR8 trail
The PR8 trail is the classic way to reach Ponta de São Lourenço on foot, and it’s one of the most photographed hikes on the island. It’s a self-guided route, well marked and easy to follow, that takes you along the ridge to the far end of the peninsula, finishing close to Cais do Sardinha and the pier below.
It’s an exposed walk with very little shade, so bring water, sun protection, and something for wind, since this stretch of coast tends to catch a lot of it.
Eversoul doesn’t currently offer a guided version of this hike, so if you’d rather have transport handled for you, or the weather isn’t cooperating, boat access is the easier alternative, and you can even combine the two by walking one way and returning by sea.
If it is guided walking you are after rather than this particular trail, our guided levada walks in Madeira cover the island’s other classic routes with a local guide, from easy half-day strolls to full-day mountain trails.
Reaching it by boat
If you’d rather skip the hike, or just want a different angle on the coastline, independent boat operators run transfers between the marina at Quinta do Lorde and Cais do Sardinha. Eversoul connects you with several options depending on how you want to structure the trip.
For a straightforward round trip, there’s the return boat transfer from Quinta do Lorde to Cais do Sardinha. If you’re hiking the PR8 trail one way and want a boat back (or the other way around), the one-way transfer from Cais do Sardinha to Quinta do Lorde is built exactly for that.
A few tours push further and take in the Ponta de São Lourenço lighthouse too. The lighthouse view boat tour departing from Cais do Sardinha and the lighthouse view tour from Cais do Sardinha back to Quinta do Lorde marina both let you see the pier from the water before continuing on to the lighthouse itself.
If you’re starting from the marina instead, the lighthouse view tour departing Quinta do Lorde passes right by Cais do Sardinha on its way out to the point.
If you want to compare everything on offer along this stretch of coast, you can browse the full boat tours category, and our roundup of the best boat trips in Madeira is worth a read if you’re deciding between this route and others around the island.
Praia do Cais do Sardinha: the rocky beach beside the pier
The beach at the end of the walk is Praia do Cais do Sardinha, the small rocky beach immediately beside the boat pier it is named after. You will also see it shortened to Praia do Sardinha. If you have met that shorter name somewhere else, note it is also used for a beach outside Madeira: the one described here is at Ponta de São Lourenço, at the island’s eastern tip.
It is rock rather than sand, and small. The kayak and snorkelling trips spend their water time in this same sheltered bay, which is a useful tell: if conditions suit them, they suit swimming. Pack swim gear and take the dip before you start the walk back.
Kayaking at Ponta de São Lourenço
For a slower, more hands-on way to explore the bay, kayaking gets you right down to sea level along the cliffs and coves near Cais do Sardinha.
The kayaking experience at Ponta de São Lourenço combines a water-taxi ride out with time paddling around the point, which is a good option if you want to see the coastline up close without committing to the full hike.
It’s a nice middle ground between the hike and a standard boat tour, since you’re moving under your own power but still supported by the water taxi for the transfer. You’ll find more options like it in the kayaking category if you want to compare routes elsewhere on the island too.
Snorkeling nearby
The waters around Ponta de São Lourenço are also a popular spot for snorkeling, usually paired with kayaking or a boat trip so you get a fuller day out of it. The boat, kayak and snorkeling 4-hour day pack is the shorter of the combined options, while the kayak, snorkeling and whale watching full-day pack stretches the same idea across a full day and adds a chance to spot whales and dolphins further offshore.
There’s also the kayak, snorkeling and whale and dolphin watching day pack at Ponta de São Lourenço, which covers similar ground with its own mix of activities.
If snorkeling only gets you halfway and you’d rather go properly underwater, it’s worth reading our guide to scuba diving in Madeira for a sense of what diving around the island looks like. Otherwise, you can browse the full snorkelling category to compare spots beyond Cais do Sardinha as well.
Planning your visit
Right beside the pier is Casa do Sardinha, a house with historic roots that today operates as a small café, so there is somewhere to sit down and get a drink or a bite once you’ve made it out to the point. It’s only reachable if you’ve hiked in or arrived by boat, which makes it a genuinely nice payoff for the effort rather than something you’d stumble across on a regular sightseeing day.
The main decision to make before you go is hike or boat. Walking the PR8 trail gives you the full ridge views and now costs €4.50 per visitor over 12, booked in advance through the SIMplifica portal (fee last verified August 2026), while the boat options from Quinta do Lorde marina are the easier, faster way in, especially if you’re short on time or want to combine the transfer with a lighthouse view, kayaking, or snorkeling.
Either way, Quinta do Lorde is the departure point to know for anything boat-related, so it’s worth building your day around getting there first.
