8 hour(s)
English
Included
Beautiful green valley of Rabacal
Two iconic waterfalls and peaceful natural pools
Native plants of the Laurissilva Forest
Scenic levada paths through untouched nature
€ 47.57
This activity is managed by our trusted partner FareHarbor.
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This journey begins on the high plateau of Paul da Serra, where the landscape opens into wide stretches of greenery and rolling mountains. The trail gently descends into the lush Rabacal valley, a place known for its rich vegetation and peaceful atmosphere. As you walk through this serene setting, shades of green surround you from every direction, creating one of the most beautiful natural scenes on the island. The path leads toward the forest shelter of Rabacal and then continues along a tranquil irrigation channel that guides you to a tall and striking waterfall. Here, a natural balcony offers a perfect place to pause and appreciate the cliff face draped in water as it drops into the valley below. The views are impressive and provide a wonderful glimpse into the raw beauty of the Madeira highlands.
The trail then continues deeper into the valley, following another levada that leads toward a second waterfall tucked among large ferns and moss covered rock walls. This magical spot is surrounded by cool air and the sound of flowing water. It is one of the most iconic places on the island, where countless springs create a peaceful pool at the base of the rock. Throughout the walk, you will pass through areas filled with native plants such as mountain heather, berry shrubs, and old laurel species that form part of the Laurissilva Forest, a protected natural treasure. With luck, you may also see one of the island’s unique mountain birds gliding through the trees. At the end of the hike, the route either continues through a long tunnel leading back toward the road or returns along the same peaceful path, allowing you to enjoy the scenery once more.
Guided hiking experience
Support and orientation from a knowledgeable guide
Transportation to and from the trail when part of the service
Gratuities
Comfortable shoes
Weather appropriate clothing
Camera
A flashlight and Cane
Snacks and Bottle of water
Participants must be at least 18 years or older
Public transportation nearby
Wheelchair not accessible
Keep personal essentials
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
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Nice hike, not long and relatively easy. Must see! A few tips: * Beware that path back is mostly upstrairs. * Be careful of the tree branches so you don’t hit your head, many peoply were hitted when go upstrairs. * Start earlier to avoid crowd * Pay 3 eur state fee for the path to get your QR pass.
It is of course beautiful. However, there are truly a lot of people on this track and it’s quite steep. So if you have difficulty going on uneven ground, this might not be the idea hike for you. Also, you must be able to go up at least a kilometer of stairs.
Two key tips: 1️⃣ Check the mountain weather forecast / webcam before going up. 2️⃣ Get there early (around 8am). Both the track and the parking get insanely busy. ✨️ Bonus points: If you're up early anyway, squeeze in sunrise from the Pico Ruivo do Paul. It is stunning and just 5 min down the road. The hike 🚶♀️ : Pretty walk that starts on the asphalt. There's a minibus service to and from the halfway point (€5), where you'll also find the café and bathrooms. After that the walk continues next to a levada. It's out and back with quite some steps, but super easy to navigate. Be aware that the way in is downhill... soooo you need to go up to get back out. Worth it for the gorgeous waterfalls, views and forest.
Nice walk although personally I found it a bit too crowded, even when it was October and outside of the regular holidays. Still, the walk is beautiful at times and not scary since those places have well maintained fences. We went just after lunch, it seemed after that things got more crowded. I'd recommend to start with 25 Fontes and then switch to the Risco path on the way back (small detour). 3 stars since it's quite touristy.
Absolutely stunning hike ending in a beautiful waterfall. Definitely recommend getting there early as the trails get busy very quickly. There's a wonderful cafe Rabacal that's worth at stop off when you return back to the car park.
