🥾 Hiker2 days

Peaks and the Rabaçal levadas

PR 1 · Pico Ruivo · 25 Fontes · Risco · Lagoa do Vento

At a glance

Day one gains height in the Maciço Montanhoso; day two drops into the World Heritage Laurisilva of Rabaçal, with the island's busiest levada and two waterfalls, before Calheta's sandy beach.

Difficulty: Moderate · about 20 km over two days · four bookings
Best season: Trails open all year on SIMplifica booking; PR 1 fully reopened on 1 May 2026, PR 7, 20, 27 and 28 are closed and PR 1.3, 4, 12 and 17 partly — check the official status. Fog, wind and cold possible in the mountains in any season.

🎒 Packing list

Walking shoes
Water, 1.5 L per person per outing
Windbreaker, warm layer, hat for dawn at Areeiro
Head torch (tunnels)
Sunscreen and hat
SIMplifica bookings (€4.50 / PR 1 €10.50)
Swimsuit for the evening swim

Day by day

Day 1 · The three peaks, from sunrise to Pico Ruivo9

📍 Pico do Areeiro → Pico Ruivo → Achada do Teixeira → Santana · ⏰ 05:15 · 🚗 ~1 h 55

06:15 → 07:15Photoby car · 30 min · ~30 min
Pico do Areeiro at sunrise
At 1,818 m, the summit you can drive to: the sunrise show, weather permitting, draws photographers and early risers — the best hour, provided you wrap up. Parking €4 per hour, viewpoint free.
📍 Miradouro do Pico do Areeiro
💡 Insider tip — Horários do Funchal shuttle (times on their site) if you would rather not drive in the dark.
07:15 → 07:30Photoon foot · 2 min · ~2 min
Ninho da Manta, home of the Zino's petrel
A few metres from the start of PR 1: the Fajã da Nogueira valley, rock formations rising from the clouds, and the nesting ground of the Zino's petrel, Europe's most threatened seabird. Free.
📍 Miradouro do Ninho da Manta
07:30 → 10:45Visiton foot
PR 1: Areeiro → Pico Ruivo, the three peaks
6.1 km and about 3 hours from Pico do Areeiro (1,818 m) to Pico Ruivo (1,862 m) through the Pico das Torres tunnels, one-way from Pedra Rija; fully reopened on 1 May 2026. Full ticket €10.50 on SIMplifica, morning slot to walk before the clouds.
💡 Insider tip — No return transport: descend by PR 1.2 to Achada do Teixeira (2.8 km) and arrange a vehicle or taxi.
10:45 → 11:30Photoon foot
Pico Ruivo, 1,862 m
The archipelago's highest point, Portugal's third summit, reachable on foot only: Curral das Freiras, Santana, Ponta de São Lourenço, Paul da Serra and, in good visibility, Porto Santo and the Desertas. Free viewpoint; snack at the top.
📍 Miradouro do Pico Ruivo
11:30 → 12:30Visiton foot
PR 1.2: Achada do Teixeira → Pico Ruivo
The shortest way to the archipelago's roof: 2.8 km (and back) from the Achada do Teixeira car park and its "Homem em Pé", 1.5 hours return, a well-built path with shelters. SIMplifica booking €4.50; early, for the sea of clouds.
13:15 → 14:30Mealby taxi · 20 min · ~20 min
Lunch in Santana, Biosphere Reserve
The north-coast town, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2011: lunch of sopa de trigo or espetada before the coastal viewpoints (Quinta do Furão, Rocha do Navio, Cabo Aéreo).
📍 Santana
15:00 → 16:15Breakby car · 10 min · ~10 min
Queimadas, the thatched house
Santana's busiest forest park: the thatched Casa de Abrigo, now the Casa das Tradições Madeirenses, centuries-old tils and tree heaths, picnic area, café and bird hide; paid parking (€2/h).
📍 Parque Florestal das Queimadas
16:30 → 17:15Visitby car · 10 min · ~10 min
Santana's traditional houses
The Núcleo of triangular wooden houses with thatched roofs and blue-red-white façades in the centre of Santana: free, with one of the 85 official viewpoints — the children's stop after the levada.
📍 Casas Típicas de Santana (Núcleo)
19:30Mealby car · 45 min · ~45 min
Dinner in the Zona Velha: espetada or espada
In the evening Rua de Santa Maria becomes the liveliest quarter in town: tables outside, bay-laurel beef espetada, black-scabbard fillet with banana, bolo do caco, and a poncha to finish.
📍 Zona Velha (Rua de Santa Maria)

💡 PR 1 is one-way from Pedra Rija: you do not come back to Areeiro. Descend by PR 1.2 to Achada do Teixeira and book a taxi (or leave a second car there); full ticket €10.50.

🌧️ Rainy-day alternative — The official advice is to give up the trails in heavy rain, wind or hail: São Vicente caves, Ribeira Brava Ethnographic Museum, Madeira Story Centre, or the more sheltered south-coast viewpoint road.

🎒 What to bring — Walking shoes, 1.5 L of water per person, snacks, windbreaker and a warm layer — the peaks are windy and cold even in fine weather —, sunscreen, head torch for tunnels, SIMplifica booking on your phone.

PR trails: since 1 January 2026 you book a 30-minute slot on SIMplifica — €4.50 per trail (full PR 1 €10.50), free for residents and children up to 12, registration compulsory even when exempt.
Closures are decided officially (weather, safety, works); a weather warning does not close a trail automatically. Check the official status the day before and on the morning itself.
Safety advice: never walk alone, tell someone your route, finish before dark, carry spare water and food, give up in heavy rain, wind or hail. Emergencies 112.
On Paul da Serra and in the Maciço Montanhoso, fog, wind and cold are possible in any season; the peaks often rise above a sea of clouds: dress warmly and start early.
Pico do Areeiro: paid parking, €4 per hour; a shuttle is run by Horários do Funchal (times on their site). PR 1 is one-way from Pedra Rija: no return transport is provided, plan your own logistics.
Water: at least 1.5 L per person — no fountains on most trails, and the official advice is to carry spare water and food.
Narrow, winding mountain roads, tunnels and fog: journey minutes are estimates without traffic or photo stops — allow extra time.

Day 2 · Rabaçal: 25 Fontes, Risco and Lagoa do Vento7

📍 Paul da Serra → Rabaçal → Calheta · ⏰ 06:30 · 🚗 ~1 h 35

07:45 → 08:00Driveby car · 55 min · ~55 min
Across the Paul da Serra plateau
The island's only plateau, at about 1,500 m: in clear weather both coasts are visible at once; fog, wind and cold are possible in any season. The road to Rabaçal, Fanal or Bica da Cana, past wind farms and picnic areas.
📍 Paul da Serra
08:15 → 11:15Visitby car · 15 min · ~15 min
PR 6 Levada das 25 Fontes
Madeira's busiest levada: 4.3 km from the Rabaçal car park (ER 105) to the Lagoa das 25 Fontes and back, about 3 hours, controlled one-way — the initial descent has to be climbed again on the way back. First SIMplifica slot to have the lagoon almost to yourself.
💡 Insider tip — Combine with PR 6.1 Levada do Risco (3 km, 2 h, easy): same start.
11:15 → 12:45Visiton foot
PR 6.1 Levada do Risco, the waterfall
The little sister of the 25 Fontes, graded easy and recommended for families: 3 km to the Risco waterfall and back, about 2 hours, same start at the Rabaçal car park. SIMplifica booking €4.50.
12:45 → 13:30Mealon foot
Picnic at Rabaçal
On the Pico da Urze balcony over the island's largest Laurisilva valley: no restaurant in this rest-and-quiet area, so a packed picnic with bolo do caco and market fruit.
📍 Rabaçal
13:45 → 15:15Visiton foot · 10 min · ~10 min
PR 6.3 Lagoa do Vento, the hidden waterfall
1.8 km (and back, 1.5 hours) from the Casa de Abrigo do Rabaçal to the lagoon below the Ribeira do Lajeado waterfall, between heathers and Laurisilva; graded easy, to follow in the afternoon after the Risco. SIMplifica booking.
16:15 → 18:00Breakby car · 25 min · ~25 min
Calheta sandy beach
100 m of imported golden sand (2004) sheltered by two breakwaters, warm calm water, canoeing and windsurfing. Blue Flag, supervised 29 June – 30 September — the late-afternoon swim after Rabaçal.
📍 Praia da Calheta (areia)
19:00Mealon foot · 1 min · ~1 min
Dinner in Calheta, late sunsets
The municipality with the island's latest sunsets and lowest rainfall: dinner near the marina, espetada or fish, after the beach.
📍 Calheta

💡 Three trails from the same car park: book the first PR 6 slot to avoid the queue at the controlled one-way section, then PR 6.1 and PR 6.3 in the afternoon (one slot per trail).

PR trails: since 1 January 2026 you book a 30-minute slot on SIMplifica — €4.50 per trail (full PR 1 €10.50), free for residents and children up to 12, registration compulsory even when exempt.
Closures are decided officially (weather, safety, works); a weather warning does not close a trail automatically. Check the official status the day before and on the morning itself.
Safety advice: never walk alone, tell someone your route, finish before dark, carry spare water and food, give up in heavy rain, wind or hail. Emergencies 112.
Levadas with tunnels (Caldeirão Verde, Fajã do Rodrigues, Túnel do Cavalo): a head torch is essential, ledges are narrow and wet — not for anyone prone to vertigo.
Water: at least 1.5 L per person — no fountains on most trails, and the official advice is to carry spare water and food.
Narrow, winding mountain roads, tunnels and fog: journey minutes are estimates without traffic or photo stops — allow extra time.
On Paul da Serra and in the Maciço Montanhoso, fog, wind and cold are possible in any season; the peaks often rise above a sea of clouds: dress warmly and start early.

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