PR 6.5 · Madeira
Vereda do Pico Fernandes
The back way into 25 Fontes, dropping off the Paul da Serra plateau instead of coming down from Rabaçal.
- Distance 3.8 km
- Walking time 1 h 30
- Highest point 1,422 m
- Route One way
Official figures. Walking times are moving times: they assume you never stop.
The route
One way. The trail ends somewhere else from where it starts, so plan how you get back before you set off.
The walk
This is the only one of the Rabaçal group that does not start at Rabaçal. It leaves the ER 209 up on the Paul da Serra and descends more than 400 m to join the 25 Fontes trail near the lagoon.
Useful if you want the 25 Fontes without the queue at the usual start, or if you are already up on the plateau.
Worth knowing before you plan a loop: the IFCN runs the 25 Fontes one way in places — out along the levada, back by the bypass — so joining it partway needs a look at which direction you are allowed to walk.
No difficulty grading is published for this trail.
Before you go
Where to park
Roadside on the ER 209 at Paul da Serra.
In the app
Everything for the day you walk PR 6.5
- You, on the line The whole trail on the map with your position on it, from the car park to the end.
- No signal needed Kept on your phone for the valleys and tunnels where the network goes.
- Today's free slots Every half hour of the day, live from SIMplifica, and booking in a tap.
- A timer for the walk Private, it counts from the trailhead and stops by itself at the end.
- To do, and done Mark the walks you want to do and the ones you have walked.
- Open or closed, every morning The IFCN status on every trail, read again each day.
Questions people ask
Is PR 6.5 open today?
Yes. The IFCN lists PR 6.5 (Vereda do Pico Fernandes) as open.
Do I need a licence for PR 6.5?
Yes. Every visitor over twelve books an entry slot on SIMplifica, the regional government's portal, before walking, and pays €4.50. Madeira residents, children aged twelve and under and people with a disability of 60% or more do not pay, but still register.
How long does PR 6.5 take?
The official walking time is 1 h 30 for 3.8 km, one way. It is a moving time that assumes you never stop, so allow more for photographs, food and rests.
Where do I park for PR 6.5?
Roadside on the ER 209 at Paul da Serra.
Checked against
- Visit Madeira, official trail sheet PR 6.5 (3.8 km, 1:30, 990–1422 m; no difficulty published)
- IFCN classified list, page updated 24 July 2026: open, Paul da Serra – 25 Fontes
- IFCN one-way control on the PR 6 levada section
Status as the IFCN publishes it. This page was last rebuilt on 15 October at 07:00, Madeira time. Trails close without warning after storms: check again on the morning you walk.
Trails nearby
All 43 trailsVereda da Palha Carga
A short, steep drop off the ER 209 into the top of the 25 Fontes valley.
- 1.8 km
- 45 min
- One way
PR 6.3 Open Vereda da Lagoa do Vento
Down to a waterfall and lagoon below Rabaçal. Short, and much harder than short suggests.
- 1.8 km
- 1 h 30
- Easy
- There and back
Vereda da Câmara de Carga do Rabaçal
A short link from the Rabaçal loading chamber to the Túnel do Cavalo. The one classified trail with no official description at all.
- 1.8 km
- One way