Levada Walks in Madeira: The Classified Routes

The rule comes from IFCN itself and is narrow. Fees apply only to classified trails that IFCN manages. On those trails the visitor ticket is $5.17 (€4.50) per person, bought in advance on the SIMplifica portal, and every walker needs a booking, including children 12 and under and residents, who pay nothing but still reserve.

Entry is by timed slot with about 15 minutes of tolerance. Refunds are given only if IFCN closes the trail, not for rain or changed plans. A guide is not mandatory on any classified trail, so paying the fee is the only compulsory cost.

For the full booking walkthrough, slot mechanics and the multi-day rates, see Madeira trail fees.

Levada Paths Outside the Register

Not every channel path on Madeira is a classified trail, and among the classified ones not all belong to IFCN. Two levadas sit outside the SIMplifica system. PR4 Levada do Barreiro, 6.7 km from Poço da Neve to Casa do Barreiro and currently listed as partially passable, is managed by the Funchal council.

PR23 Levada da Azenha, a 1.3 km path in Caniço, is managed by the parish council. Neither appears in the booking list, so no visitor fee applies. There is a catch worth knowing: IFCN states it cannot recommend unclassified trails because it does not maintain or monitor them, and the same logic applies to routes outside its own management.

If you walk one, conditions are on you. You are also personally responsible for any damage under the regional trail law quoted in the booking form.

The three levada headlines here are Levada das 25 Fontes at 4.3 km each way with its one-way rule, Levada do Risco at 3 km each way to the Risco cascade, and Levada do Alecrim at 3.5 km each way up to the levada's source. The register distances are one-way figures, so a return walk doubles them. If you want the waterfalls without the driving, the Rabaçal 25 Fontes and Risco levada hiking transfer handles the road for you.

Getting Down to Casa do Rabaçal

The last road section down to Casa do Rabaçal is closed to private cars. That means every walk on this page's table starts with getting to the trailhead another way: on foot down the closed road, or with a transfer. The shuttle van that serves the road exists, but its fare is not published on any official page we checked, so no figure is given here.

Practical options are the Rabaçal 25 Fontes and Risco levada hiking transfer, which is self-guided and includes a route map, or a guided Rabaçal levada walk if you want a guide with the transport. Whichever way you arrive, the walk down and back up the closed road is part of your day, and the register distances above do not include it.

The north side holds three of the register's big names. PR9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde runs 8.7 km each way from Queimadas in Santana parish to the green caldera and on to Caldeirão do Inferno, the longest out-and-back on this list. The Levada do Caldeirão Verde page goes through the route in detail, and the guided Caldeirão Verde levada walk covers it with hotel pickup.

That listing mentions unlit tunnels and tells independent walkers to bring a torch. PR18 Levada do Rei runs 5.3 km each way from Quebradas to Ribeiro Bonito and the Levada do Rei page has the specifics. PR16 Levada Fajã do Rodrigues, 3.9 km each way from Fajã da Ama near São Vicente to Ribeira do Inferno, is open and bookable like the others.

Santana itself is worth pairing with a walk, and our Santana page covers the area. Close by, PR10 Levada do Furado, 11 km from Ribeiro Frio to Portela, reopened after repair works by the water company ARM, and IFCN asks walkers for particular caution because of erosion on the path. If you would rather see this corner of the island on a day tour, the east tour with the Balcões walk and the east guided tour with a Laurissilva walk cover this side of the island, the first stopping at Ribeiro Frio and the Balcões walk.

PR6.8 and PR9.1 are the two Um Caminho para Todos routes, a name that means a path for everyone. The register gives the name but no accessibility specification, so nothing is claimed here about wheelchairs or pushchairs, and you should check current surface conditions with IFCN before relying on either path. The shortest of all, at 1.2 km, sits at Rabaçal.

Three levadas on the register are fully closed and one is partly passable. SIMplifica sells no slot for a closed IFCN trail. If a trail you have already booked closes on your date, that is the one case where IFCN reschedules or refunds, on request within 10 working days.

• PR7 Levada do Moinho, 10.5 km from Ribeira da Cruz to Lamaceiros: closed.
• PR28 Levada da Rocha Vermelha, 10.7 km from Fanal to Lombo da Atouguia: closed.
• PR3 Levada do Pico Castelo, 4.1 km on Porto Santo: closed.
• PR4 Levada do Barreiro, 6.7 km from Poço da Neve to Casa do Barreiro: partially passable, managed by the Funchal council and not on SIMplifica, so check conditions locally before setting out.

IFCN's own FAQ says a guide is not mandatory on any classified trail, so self-guided levada walks in Madeira are fully legitimate. You need the booking and the fee, nothing else. What a tour buys you is transport and interpretation.

The guided Rabaçal levada walk runs 8 hours on the listing, is rated moderate in the listing's own words, and includes hotel pickup, which matters a lot at Rabaçal given the closed road. The Rabaçal 25 Fontes and Risco transfer is the self-guided version, 8 hours on the listing, with a route map instead of a guide. For the north side, the Caldeirão Verde guided walk is a guided walk to the Caldeirão Verde waterfall with pickup from listed hotels. If you drive yourself, car hire in Madeira explains the roads, and getting around Madeira compares buses, transfers and tours.

None of these tour listings states that the IFCN trail fee is included in the price, so check with the operator and book your own $5.17 (€4.50) slot where a fee applies. Read safety and health in Madeira before you go, and remember that the Caldeirão Verde listing tells independent walkers to bring a torch for the unlit tunnels.