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📡 Today's status

The IFCN's official status, read every day. Green only when the IFCN writes « aberto » with no reserve.

● Open · ABERTO

The classic crossing of the north-east Laurissilva: 11 km from Ribeiro Frio (ER 103) to Portela (ER 102), about 5 h, moderate, between 645 and 880 m, along one of the island's oldest public levadas. Every shade of green of the native forest passes by, dominated by the laurel family, with the Ribeiro Frio valley as the horizon; further on appear the patterned farmland of Faial, São Roque do Faial and Porto da Cruz and the huge rock of Penha d'Águia. The Levada do Furado leads to the divider where the waters split and the Levada da Serra do Faial ends; you then descend to Portela, in the municipality of Machico, through the Lamaceiros forest area and its forestry post, then along the Levada da Portela around Lombo das Faias to the road. The Portela viewpoint closes the day. Almost continuous shade, narrow exposed passages in places; no fountain mentioned. Plan the logistics: start and finish are far apart by road.

Highlights

  • Ribeiro Frio
  • One of the oldest public levadas
  • Penha d'Águia
  • Lamaceiros
  • Portela viewpoint
Difficulty
Moderate
Length
11 km
Elevation gain
235 m
Duration
5 h
Price
€4.50 (over 12) · SIMplifica booking · free for residents and under-13s
Municipality
Santana
🎟️ Book on SIMplifica🗺️ See the route on the map📍 Start🏁 End

Track for guidance only.

Places within 2 km of the route

  • 🌿 Nature

    Parque Florestal do Ribeiro Frio (Posto Aquícola)

    The Ribeiro Frio forest park, in Santana, shows the flora of Madeira's original forest: laurel, folhado, til, vinhático and endemics such as isoplexis, massaroco, estreleiras and the mountain orchid; the firecrest, chaffinch and trocaz pigeon, all endemic, can be seen. The Posto Aquícola has bred rainbow trout since 1960 to restock the island's streams — renovated in 2019, it receives thousands of visitors a year; entry costs €3 for those over 12. Start of PR 10 Levada do Furado and PR 11 Vereda dos Balcões; frequent fog.

    Park free · trout farm €3 over 12
    🗺️ See it on the map
  • 🌿 Nature

    Pico do Suna

    A summit in the parish of Porto da Cruz, near the boundary with Santo António da Serra, edged by the Laurissilva listed as World Heritage since 1999. The paths that cross its steep slopes climb to 1,200 m. From there the view runs from the parish of Santana to Ponta de São Lourenço, taking in the island's highest peaks, Pico Ruivo included, with the Atlantic behind. People come on foot or on horseback.

    🗺️ See it on the map
  • 🌿 Nature

    Parque da Ribeira Primeira (Santo António da Serra)

    A leisure park in the parish of Santo António da Serra, in the middle of dense Laurissilva — the humid subtropical forest some twenty million years old, made mostly of species endemic to Macaronesia. A path serves eleven lagoons where trout are fished; you can then cook them at an open-air picnic area. The park has a tea house, and the visit can include a poncha welcome and a home-made meal.

    🗺️ See it on the map
  • 📍 Sítio

    Santo António da Serra (Santo da Serra)

    On a high plateau at 700 m overlooking Machico and Santa Cruz, the small romantic parish shared between the two municipalities (8.65 km² on the Machico side): mountains, abundant exotic vegetation and private quintas give it a rural, intimate atmosphere. At the centre, the Quinta do Santo da Serra — built in the late 19th century by the Blandys, known as Quinta da Junta — is a public park with fallow deer, peacocks, Garrano horses, mini-golf, tennis, a picnic area and a lookout as far as Porto Santo. Next door, the Santo da Serra golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones Senior, home of the Madeira Island Open.

    🗺️ See it on the map