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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

From the plateau to the enchanted forest: 10.8 km from Assobiadores, on Paul da Serra (ER 209), to Fanal, about 4 h, moderate, between 1,130 and 1,420 m. The trail crosses a vast stretch of Laurissilva in an exemplary state of conservation — the endemic forest listed as World Heritage by UNESCO in 1999, which has existed for some 20 million years and holds more than 80% of the region's endemic species. At the place called Sítio do Fio you discover the ingenious cable installation once used to send wood and brush down from Fanal to Chão da Ribeira and Seixal for farming. The finish is at Fanal, a small volcanic crater classified as a Rest and Quiet Reserve by the Parque Natural da Madeira: natural viewpoints and groves of centuries-old tils, some of which were already there before the island was discovered. Frequent fog, which is the whole charm of the place and means staying on the path; little shade on the plateau at the start.

Highlights

  • Fanal
  • Centuries-old tils
  • Rest and Quiet Reserve
  • Sítio do Fio
  • Paul da Serra
Difficulty
Moderate
Length
10.8 km
Elevation gain
290 m
Duration
4 h
Price
€4.50 (over 12) · SIMplifica booking · free for residents and under-13s
Municipality
Calheta
🎟️ Book on SIMplifica🗺️ See the route on the map📍 Start🏁 End

Track for guidance only.

Places within 2 km of the route

  • 🌿 Nature

    Chão da Ribeira (Seixal)

    A green valley above Seixal, one of the five gateways into the Laurissilva. The valley floor is farmed: terraces and tool sheds line the stream bed. A small picnic park has a barbecue, tables and benches; this is where the Festa do Panelo is held in January, when that stew of vegetables and cured meats is cooked and shared. The place also serves as the starting point for walks and for canyoning outings.

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  • 🌿 Nature

    Fanal

    One of the places where the Laurissilva, a World Heritage site since December 1999, is most alive: between Ribeira da Janela and the Paul da Serra plateau, the Fanal forestry post is famous for its centuries-old tils, some of them already standing before the island was discovered, and for the mystical atmosphere of its fogs. A small volcanic crater classified as a Rest and Quiet Reserve by the Parque Natural da Madeira and a Natura 2000 site, it is a place of contemplation as much as a trail junction: PR 13 Vereda do Fanal arrives here from Paul da Serra, PR 14 Levada dos Cedros leaves towards Curral Falso, PR 28 (closed) drops to Rocha Vermelha. On the ER 209; free access, trails charged.

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  • 🌿 Nature

    Cascata do Risco

    At the end of Levada do Risco, at Rabaçal: a fall that drops vertically and draws a white line on the dark rock. It is reached by PR 6.1, an easy 1.5 km path one way from the ER 105, about two hours there and back, at some 1,000 m of altitude. The path shares its start with Levada das 25 Fontes (PR 6). The Risco viewpoint closes the route.

    €4.50 per visitor over 12, SIMplifica booking (PR 6.1)
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  • 🌿 Nature

    Lagoa das 25 Fontes

    A pool at the foot of a wall from which the waters coming down off Paul da Serra emerge: the official page counts twenty-five springs, hence the name. The site is classified geosite C01 – 25 Fontes for its scientific value, and it is this underground circulation that made the building of the levadas possible. It is reached by PR 6, 4.3 km one way from the ER 105 at Rabaçal, about three hours, moderate, between 964 and 1,288 m.

    €4.50 per visitor over 12, SIMplifica booking (PR 6)
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