Trail closed on your booked day? How to get a refund or a new date in Madeira

After heavy rain or strong wind the IFCN, the forest service that runs Madeira’s classified trails, sometimes closes every trail on the island for a day. It happened on 11 November 2026, when two storms hit in one week. If you had a paid SIMplifica booking for that day, you are entitled to a new date or your money back. You have to ask for it yourself, by email, and within a deadline.

Today’s situation for every trail is on our live trail status page.

When you get a refund or a new date

Only when the trail was officially closed or restricted by the IFCN or another authority on the date of your booking.

You don’t get anything back if you decide not to go, even for a good reason:

it rains, but the trail stays open;
you booked the wrong date, trail or time slot;
your flight was cancelled, you were ill or you missed your transport.

In those cases the fee is lost. A weather warning on its own does not close the trails either. The IFCN decides trail by trail, so check the status the evening before and again in the morning.

What to send

Write to [email protected]. Bookings and payments are not handled at IFCN offices.

For a new date, attach:

your tickets;
the invoice;
the new date and time slot you would like.

For a refund, attach:

your tickets;
the invoice;
a bank document showing your IBAN and SWIFT/BIC;
the full name of the account holder;
your address.

Refunds are paid only by bank transfer, never back to your card.

The deadline: 10 working days

You have 10 working days from the booking date to send your request. Weekends and Portuguese public holidays don’t count. After that the IFCN can’t process it, so send the email on the day of the closure or the day after.

Rules worth knowing

Same trail only. A new date is for the trail you booked. If a trail stays closed for a long time, the IFCN may agree to move you to another one, if there is space.
Same group size. A group booking moves as it is. If fewer people come on the new date, the unused tickets are not refunded. If more come, the extra people pay, subject to availability.
Passes too. Day passes and 3 or 7-day passes are only a cheaper price for several bookings. Each trail still has its own booking, and each closed booking is handled the same way.

An email you can copy

Write in English or Portuguese and keep it short.

Subject: Closed trail – request for a refund (or new date) – booking [reference]

Hello,

I had a booking for [PR number and trail name] on [date], time slot [time], for [number] people. The trail was closed by the IFCN on that day.

I would like a refund. / I would like to move the booking to [new date], time slot [time].

Attached: tickets, invoice [and, for a refund, a bank document with IBAN and SWIFT/BIC]. Account holder: [full name]. Address: [address].

Thank you, [name]

Problems with SIMplifica itself

If the portal shows an error, your card is declined or a trail is missing, that is a question for the SIMplifica Contact Center, not the IFCN: +351 800 29 90 90, WhatsApp +351 926 155 465, [email protected], on working days from 9:00 to 18:00.

A common scare is an email saying your booking was cancelled for inactivity or non-payment, although you already have tickets. Usually it refers to an earlier attempt you didn’t finish. Compare the reference numbers: if they differ, ignore it. If they are the same, forward the email to the IFCN.

Before you book again

Check the trail status and the IPMA weather warnings the evening before.
Prices, passes and who doesn’t pay are in our trail fees guide.
After a storm, mountain trails often reopen a day or two later than the coast. The webcams at Pico do Arieiro and Achada do Teixeira show you the conditions up there.