PR 6 · Madeira
Levada das 25 Fontes
A levada path through laurel forest to a green amphitheatre where two dozen springs come out of the rock at once.
- Distance 4.3 km
- Walking time 3 h
- Highest point 1,288 m
- Difficulty Moderate
- Route There and back
Official figures. Walking times are moving times: they assume you never stop.
The route
The walk
Levadas are irrigation channels. Madeira has roughly two thousand kilometres of them, hand-cut, carrying water from the wet north side to the farms in the dry south. The paths beside them were made for the men who keep the water running, which is why they are flat and narrow and go through places no road ever reached.
This one runs through laurisilva, the laurel forest that covered southern Europe before the ice ages. What is left of it is mostly here, and it has been on the UNESCO list since 1999. It is wet, dense and very green, which catches out people who packed for a beach holiday.
At the end the path opens into a rock amphitheatre with water coming out of the face in a lot of separate springs, falling into a shallow pool. The name claims twenty-five. Counts vary.
Fair warning: this is one of the two or three busiest walks on the island. At eleven in the morning in July you are in a queue. At half eight you are almost alone.
Narrow in places with a drop on the levada side, and one low tunnel. In 2026 part of the route is one way: out along the levada, back on a separate bypass path, so follow the signs. The pool at the end is cold and deep, and there is no lifeguard.
Before you go
Where to park
Car park on the ER 105 above Rabaçal. You cannot drive the paved road down: walk the 2 km, or take the Calheta council shuttle, which runs through the day; no timetable is published. The council's PR 6 page gives €5 one way and €8 return; two of its older trail pages still say €3 and €5. Take cash either way. Coming from Funchal, the ER 105 from Encumeada has been closed since 2024, so go via the VR1, the VE3 towards Calheta, and up from Arco da Calheta.
Getting back
Back the way you came, and the last stretch is uphill unless you take the shuttle.
By bus
No practical bus. This one needs a car or an organised transfer.
What to bring
A torch, and a jacket. The forest stays damp even when the coast is hot.
When to go
Three hours, 8.6 km there and back. Before nine or after three, if you can.
Toilets, water and food
Toilets and a small café at the Rabaçal forestry house, at the bottom of the paved road. Nothing on the trail itself.
In the app
Everything for the day you walk PR 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 open today?
Yes. The IFCN lists PR 6 (Levada das 25 Fontes) as open.
Do I need a licence for PR 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 take?
The official walking time is 3 h for 4.3 km. 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?
Car park on the ER 105 above Rabaçal. You cannot drive the paved road down: walk the 2 km, or take the Calheta council shuttle, which runs through the day; no timetable is published. The council's PR 6 page gives €5 one way and €8 return; two of its older trail pages still say €3 and €5. Take cash either way. Coming from Funchal, the ER 105 from Encumeada has been closed since 2024, so go via the VR1, the VE3 towards Calheta, and up from Arco da Calheta.
How do I get back after PR 6?
Back the way you came, and the last stretch is uphill unless you take the shuttle.
Can I get to PR 6 by bus?
No practical bus. This one needs a car or an organised transfer.
Checked against
- Visit Madeira, official trail sheet PR 6 (4.3 km each way, 3 h, moderate, 964–1288 m)
- Câmara Municipal da Calheta, PR 6 page (shuttle €5 one way / €8 return; ER 105 Encumeada–Rabaçal closed; driving route)
- Note: Calheta grades this walk easy and gives 9 km round trip, against Visit Madeira's moderate and 8.6 km. The tourism board's figures are the ones shown here.
- IFCN / SIMplifica (licence and fee)
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 trails
PR 6.1 Open Levada do Risco
The short one at Rabaçal: half an hour of forest to a waterfall that drops in a single white line down a black wall.
- 3 km
- 2 h
- Easy
- There and back
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
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