Route: Levada do Furado – Ribeiro Frio to Portela
Area: Madeira
Date of walk: 28th January 2025
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 8.2 miles
Ascent: -600 feet
Weather: Sunny
The levada system on the island of Madeira is a marvel of human ingenuity. These irrigation channels were built to bring water from the wetter north to the more arid southern areas. Most of them slope gently as they follow the natural contours of the land and where rocks get in the way tunnels have been made. A bonus of the system is that the channels open up an infinite variety of walking routes through otherwise impenetrable terrain in the mountainous interior of the island
Today’s walk would take us along a fine example of the levadas – Levada do Furado. After an ‘interesting’ drive from Funchal, during the course of which we rounded countless hairpin bends and climbed to a height of 3,000 feet, we parked our hire car in one of the roadside spaces in the small settlement of Ribeiro Frio. The village is nestled below high peaks and surrounded by the largest area of forest on Madeira. We followed a fingerpost and crossed a small bridge. The Levada do Furado appeared on our right and would be our constant companion for the next 7 miles or so
The path beside the levada was wide at first, but on many occasions became extremely narrow, with huge drops on our left. Thanks to sturdy safety fencing these sections were only mildly vertiginous. Later on, at Cabeça Furado, there was an exhilarating section as the levada clung to the mountainside and passed through a series of short rock tunnels. We’d brought headtorches, but they weren’t needed as the tunnels were very short. At times there were gaps in the lush vegetation giving us spectacular views to the coastline
Eventually we joined up with a dirt track and bid farewell to the Levada do Furado. We followed the track down into the village of Portela. There’s a lovely belvedere in the village and local taxi drivers wait here hoping for some custom. We were glad to oblige and our friendly driver took us back to Ribeiro Frio and the end of a fabulous walk. Thanks to the easy gradient we still had time and energy for another short walk starting from the same village – Vereda dos Balcões…
Click on the icon below for the route map
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
The start of the walk from Ribeiro Frio as we cross this bridge to join the Levada do Furado. The levada will be our guide for the next 7 miles or so
A small waterfall beside the bridge
The Levada do Furado. The path beside it is wide at times and at other times is very narrow...
A paradise for mosses...
We are walking through sub-tropical forest, but occasional views open up on our left
We pass behind a waterfall
There are steep drops in some places, but these are protected by safety fencing
A sluice gate, which enables the flow of water in the levada to be controlled. The levadeiro, or manager of the levada, controls the gates
We are walking downhill, but the gradient is so gentle that it's not noticeable. In the course of 8 miles, we only descend about 900 feet
The levada weaves in and out of gullies...
We arrive at the first of a series of rock cuttings and tunnels, a wonderful section of the walk
A small shrine at the edge of the levada
Looking across to Pico do Areeiro, the third highest peak on the island
Porto Da Cruz below
A series of tunnels, all of them short and not requiring the use of torches...
Porto Da Cruz again, and a view of one of Madeira's best known mountains, Penha d'Águia (Eagle Rock) standing at approximately 600 metres
We turn left at a sign for our destination, Portela, and head down a forest track
We pass through the attractive grounds of the Lamaceiros Forestry House
Another view of Penha d'Águia (Eagle Rock), with Faial beyond
We follow the path to Portela...
We arrive at the road and follow it for a short distance to a belvedere
View from the belvedere showing the impressive Penha d'Águia flanked by Porto Da Cruz and Faial. There were a few taxis nearby and we took one back to the start at Ribeiro Frio to end a fantastic walk
