PR 6.6 · Madeira
Vereda do Túnel do Cavalo
Into Rabaçal through an 800-metre tunnel cut between 1863 and 1877, from the Caldeira side.
- Distance 2.3 km
- Walking time 45 min
- Highest point 1,055 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
The other way in. Eight hundred metres of forest path, then eight hundred metres of tunnel, then a staircase up to Casa do Rabaçal where everything else starts.
The tunnel — Furado Novo, cut between 1863 and 1877 to carry the new Rabaçal levada — is the whole point of the walk and the whole difficulty of it. The official sheet describes it and says nothing about lighting or what to bring. Independent guides say a headlamp is needed. We would take one and not think about it further.
The Calheta council recommends the ER 105 side instead, for parking rather than for the walking.
An 800-metre tunnel. Take a proper light, and expect wet feet.
Before you go
What to bring
A headlamp rather than a phone. Eight hundred metres is a long way to hold a phone up.
In the app
Everything for the day you walk PR 6.6
- 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 6.6 open today?
Yes. The IFCN lists PR 6.6 (Vereda do Túnel do Cavalo) as open.
Do I need a licence for PR 6.6?
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 6.6 take?
The official walking time is 45 min for 2.3 km, one way. It is a moving time that assumes you never stop, so allow more for photographs, food and rests.
Checked against
- Visit Madeira, official trail sheet PR 6.6 (2.3 km, 45 min, 988–1055 m; no difficulty published; tunnel around 800 m, Furado Novo, 1863–1877)
- IFCN classified list, page updated 24 July 2026: open
- Torch requirement is not stated by any official source; two independent guides say a headlamp is needed
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.
Guides that mention this trail
Trails nearby
All 43 trailsLevada da Rocha Vermelha
A long levada route down from Fanal towards Lombo da Atouguia, with tunnels and a steep stairway. Classified in 2024, closed at the moment.
- 10.8 km
- 4 h
- One way
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
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Levada do Paul II
Um Caminho para Todos
A level 1.2 km beside the levada at Rabaçal, built so that people with limited mobility can get into this landscape too.
- 1.2 km
- 30 min
- There and back