PR15 Vereda da Ribeira da Janela: down to the north coast through a hidden valley

We hike PR15 on the days we drive up to Fanal and want to keep going. Last March we walked from the Curral Falso side down toward Ribeira da Janela on a clear morning, dropped through terraced potato fields above the valley, and finished with the sea wide open below us. Two other hikers the whole way.

PR15 Vereda da Ribeira da Janela is the trail that connects the Fanal plateau to the sea. 2.7km of old footpath that locals used for centuries to move wine barrels and forest wood between the highland and the coast. Half a day, not a full one. It pairs with PR13 Fanal or a Porto Moniz pool swim.

Four years living in Ponta do Sol. Here’s how we do this one.

The trail in three sentences

PR15 runs 2.7km from the ER-209 at Curral Falso (the Fanal access road) down to the village of Ribeira da Janela on the north coast, dropping from 820m to 400m altitude. Around 1 hour 30 of walking, moderate difficulty, almost entirely downhill on an old paved-and-cobbled footpath. No tunnels, no exposed cliff sections, no cables. The trail follows the side of the longest watercourse on the island, the Ribeira da Janela river, down to where it meets the sea.

Where it starts: Lamaceiros and the Fanal side

The trailhead sits on the ER-209, the road that climbs from Porto Moniz up to the Fanal plateau. From Ponta do Sol it’s around 1 hour by car: VR1 west to Calheta, north over the spine via Paul da Serra, then down the ER-209. The Curral Falso parking area is on the right, signed PR15, just below the Fanal turn-off. Space for around 10 cars.

You can start the other way, walking up from the village. We don’t recommend it. 420m of climb on stone steps and steep cobble turns a 90-minute hike into a 3-hour grind. Start at Curral Falso, walk down, arrange a shuttle or taxi back. We drop one car at the bottom and one at the top before we start.

Phone signal cuts in and out along the valley walls. Tell someone where you’re going. Permit payment goes through the SIMplifica portal (€4.50 adults, free under 12), same broken flow we walk through in our Madeira hiking permits 2026 guide.

What you actually walk

PR15 isn’t a levada. No channel beside you, no flat contour. This is a vereda: an old footpath, paved in stone, that the people of Ribeira da Janela used to climb up to the highland for firewood, vine cultivation, and to move wine barrels south toward Calheta and Ponta do Sol. The path is older than the road above it.

The first kilometre drops through pine and laurel, switchback after switchback. Then the trail opens onto terraced fields: stone walls holding tiny plots of potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, maize. Scattered houses cling to the slope, some lived in, some abandoned. We’ve seen old men working these terraces in February with hands that look like the stones they’re stacking.

Halfway down the valley reveals itself. The Ribeira da Janela cuts a deep V into the north coast, the longest river on the island, cliffs on both sides covered in laurel and heather. The path traces the eastern wall about halfway up.

Then the sea. About 500m before the village the trail rounds a shoulder and the Atlantic opens below you. On a clear day you see the Ilhéus da Ribeira da Janela, the three rock stacks just offshore that the village is named for (one has a natural arch, a “window,” which is what janela means). The trail finishes on the road at the edge of Ribeira da Janela, near the church and the bus stop.

The whole descent is on stone and cobble. Wear shoes with grip. Wet cobbles in February are slick.

Combining with Porto Moniz natural pools

The trail finishes 6km from the Porto Moniz natural pools, which are the best post-hike swim on the island.

What we do most often: start PR15 at 10am, finish around 11:30, drive 15 minutes west to Porto Moniz. The natural pools are volcanic rock basins right on the Atlantic, filled by the tide. Entry is €1.50, swim for an hour, lunch at Cachalote on the cliff above. Back through São Vicente to Ponta do Sol by 5pm.

The obvious pairing for a bigger day is PR13. Walk Vereda do Fanal through the thousand-year laurels in the morning, drive 10 minutes down to the PR15 trailhead, walk to Ribeira da Janela by mid-afternoon. The other variant connects via Levada dos Cedros higher up.

For the rest of the north coast around here, our things to do in Madeira post has the Porto Moniz, Seixal and São Vicente picks we cycle through.

After-hike

Ribeira da Janela village is small (300 people-ish), a church, a school, a couple of houses. Closest food is Porto Moniz, 15 minutes west, or Seixal, 10 minutes east. We default to Cachalote in Porto Moniz (cliff above the natural pools, lapas and fresh fish) or Brisamar in Seixal on the black-sand beach.

If you finish early enough, the drive back via the ER-101 takes you under the Cascata dos Anjos, the waterfall that pours onto the road. Windows down through it.

When to go

PR15 works year-round. It’s lower than the ridge trails and more sheltered than the levadas at 1,000m+, but the north coast does what the north coast does.

• January, February: wet. The trail drains well but the cobbles are slippery. Pack a proper shell. The valley is at its greenest.
• March to May: prime. Wildflowers on the terraces, dry-ish path, comfortable 14-18°C on the descent.
• June to September: hot at the bottom (the village sits at 400m and catches sun by mid-morning). Start early. The top stays cool.
• October, November: our favourite. Crowds (such as there are on PR15) thin to nothing, the laurissilva looks heavy and green, the drive is empty.
• December: check the IFCN page the morning of. North-coast storms occasionally close sections after rockfall in the valley.

The trail is open as of writing (June 2026). Current status lives on the IFCN Madeira trail status page, and our Madeira hiking guide tracks the full PR catalogue. We check both the night before any north-coast plan.

FAQ

How does PR15 compare to PR13 Fanal? PR13 is a flat circuit through the mythical laurel trees on the Fanal plateau. PR15 is a downhill traverse from that same plateau to the sea. Different trails, same access road. Most hikers do PR13 and skip PR15 because PR15 needs a car shuttle. If you can solve the shuttle, PR15 gives you the descent PR13 doesn’t.

Can I walk PR15 uphill instead? You can. We don’t. 420m of stone steps on a warm afternoon is a grind. If you have to walk up (no shuttle, no taxi), start at 7am and take twice the water.

How do I arrange a car shuttle? Easiest: drive two cars. Drop one at the bottom (Ribeira da Janela village, beside the church), drive the second up to Curral Falso, walk down, drive the bottom car up to collect the top one. Costs you 20 minutes of driving. Alternative: taxi from Porto Moniz to the Curral Falso trailhead is around €15. Book ahead.

Is PR15 family-friendly? From around age 10, yes. The path is wide enough and the gradient is steady, but the cobbles are slick when wet and the 2.7km descent works the knees. No exposed cliff sections though. No tunnels. No cables. Easier than PR1, more demanding underfoot than PR18.

Do I need a permit? Yes. €4.50 adults, free under 12, through simplifica.madeira.gov.pt. Our permits guide covers the working booking flow.

Is there parking? At the top: a small dirt strip at Curral Falso on the ER-209, around 10 cars. At the bottom: street parking in Ribeira da Janela village, plenty of space outside summer weekends.

Stay a month and walk the quiet north coast

PR15 sits in the shadow of PR13 (the photogenic one) and PR6 (the famous one). Most visitors never hear of it. Living here means you can drive an hour for a 90-minute hike and call that a great morning.

A week in Madeira is PR1, a PR6 attempt, and a flight home. A month is PR15 on a Tuesday in October because the south coast was raining and the north was clear, the natural pools at Porto Moniz with nobody there, a drive home through São Vicente. For the full picture, start with the Madeira hiking pillar.

We run Banana House year-round, one-month minimum. Seven private rooms in Ponta do Sol on the dry south coast, one hour from the PR15 trailhead.

Pick a month. We’ll see you at the bottom of the valley.