The Rabaçal trail network: PR6 and its 7 sister trails, explained

Rabaçal is the densest hiking area on Madeira. Eight numbered trails leave from the same forestry house, branching through the same patch of UNESCO laurel forest. Most visitors only ever walk one of them (PR6 to 25 Fontes), then drive away thinking they’ve done Rabaçal. They’ve done about an eighth of it.

Four years living 25 minutes from the trailhead, we’ve walked every spoke of the network. A spring-fed lagoon, two waterfalls, a hidden mountain pool, a 700m unlit tunnel, a steep summit, and a wheelchair-accessible levada that’s almost unheard of on this island. You can spend a week walking from the same car park and not repeat yourself. Here’s the map, trail by trail.

Getting there: the access road and the 4×4 shuttle

Every trail in this guide starts from the same place: the Rabaçal forestry house (Casa de Abrigo do Rabaçal) at the end of a 2 km paved access road that drops 200m off the ER-105 ridge road on Paul da Serra.

Private cars aren’t allowed down the access road. You park at the upper car park on ER-105 (signed “Rabaçal Parking”), then either walk the 2 km down (30 to 40 min, manageable) and back up (50 to 60 min on tired legs, brutal), or take the 4×4 shuttle. The shuttle is a fleet of beat-up Land Rovers running every 15 to 20 minutes from roughly 8am to 6pm. €3 one-way, €5 return. Cash preferred.

We always take the shuttle. €5 buys back 90 minutes of road-walking. That’s most of an extra trail.

The drive from Ponta do Sol to the upper car park is 25 minutes via ER-101 and ER-105. From Funchal it’s 50 minutes, from Calheta 30. One café at the top (Rabaçal Nature Spot), zero food or water down at the forestry house. Stock up before you commit.

The map of trails

Picture the Rabaçal forestry house as a hub with spokes radiating out. PR6 runs west to 25 Fontes. Levada do Risco (PR6.1) splits off PR6 at the 800m mark. Levada do Alecrim (PR6.2) climbs south back toward the ER-105, and PR6.3 branches off Alecrim to Lagoa do Vento. PR6.4 (Levada Velha) runs parallel to PR6 on the older maintenance line. PR6.5 climbs Pico Fernandes off the access road. PR6.6 connects the network through the long Túnel do Cavalo. PR6.8 (Paul II accessible) sits up on Paul da Serra with its own car park, separate from the main Rabaçal lot.

Eight trails, one car park, one ecosystem.

PR6 · Levada das 25 Fontes

The famous one. 4.3 km each way to a spring-fed lagoon, around 3 hours of walking, moderate difficulty. The trail drops about 300m off the forestry house into the heart of the laurissilva, levels out along the levada, and ends at a lagoon fed by 25 separate springs bubbling through moss-covered rock. The water sits at 10°C year-round and tastes mineral.

Permit required in high season (April to October). €4.50 per person via simplifica.madeira.gov.pt (or madeira.fun/hiking if the official site refuses to load for you, which it usually does). The narrow stretch by the lagoon has stairs and drops on one side, so it’s not the easiest pick for first-time hikers, but it’s the iconic Rabaçal walk for a reason.

We’ve written the full breakdown for this one: PR6 Levada das 25 Fontes, walked properly covers the shuttle, the photo spots, the weather windows, and how to combine it with PR9.

PR6.1 · Levada do Risco (the short waterfall walk)

1.5 km one-way, around 1 hour return, easy. Shares the first 800m with PR6, then branches right toward the Risco viewpoint where a 100m waterfall drops vertically against dark basalt. The trail is flat, wide, and family-friendly all the way to the viewpoint. Permit costs €4.50 (free for under-12s).

We send people here when they have an hour or when their knees aren’t up to the 25 Fontes descent. The viewpoint is genuinely impressive when the waterfall is running full (after rain or in the wetter months from October through April). In a dry August it can be a trickle.

The smart play is to do Risco and 25 Fontes together. They share the first 800m, you hit the junction, walk Risco first (short, flat, easy), come back, and continue to 25 Fontes. Most people pick one or the other and miss half the network.

PR6.2 · Levada do Alecrim (the easy flat recovery walk)

3.5 km one-way, around 2.5 hours return, easy. Starts up on the ER-105 (so you skip the access road descent entirely) and runs along the Levada do Alecrim at roughly 1,300m, ending at the Dona Beja spring. The whole walk sits within 80m of elevation change, which makes it the flattest trail in the network.

This one runs through heather tunnels and opens onto wide valley views over Ribeira da Janela. It’s also the trail that connects to PR6.3 (Lagoa do Vento) about 1.6 km in, which makes it the natural way to loop together a longer Rabaçal day.

We rate Alecrim as a recovery walk the day after PR1. Flat, atmospheric, no stairs, no exposure, and the heather tunnels look unlike anywhere else on the island.

PR6.3 · Vereda da Lagoa do Vento (the hidden lagoon)

1.8 km one-way, around 1.5 hours return for the trail itself but plan 3 to 4 hours from the car park because you reach the trailhead via PR6.2. Officially rated easy but harder than 25 Fontes in our experience: the descent to the lagoon is steep, scrambly in places, and slippery in wet weather.

The destination is a natural amphitheatre where the Ribeira do Lajeado drops over an escarpment into a basin most visitors never see. It’s quieter than 25 Fontes by a long way. We’ve been there on a Saturday in July and shared the lagoon with three other hikers.

The route splits about 1.6 km along Alecrim. Right branch loops back to the levada, left branch drops to the lagoon. Pay attention at the junction. The sign is small and the wind eats the paint.

This is the Rabaçal hike for people who’ve already done 25 Fontes and want to see the deeper backcountry. Permit €4.50.

PR6.4 · Levada Velha do Rabaçal (the old maintenance levada)

The “old” Rabaçal levada, predating the modern one that feeds PR6. Narrower, more atmospheric, with sections cut directly into the cliff face and drops to one side that the modern levada doesn’t have. Around 5 km return depending on which spur you take, moderate difficulty, allow 3 hours.

The path runs above PR6 at a slightly higher contour, so you get the same laurel forest from a different angle plus glimpses down into the canyon. We bring guests here when 25 Fontes is jammed with bus tours and the silence on the Levada Velha is the contrast they didn’t know they wanted.

A couple of spots have narrow drops without railings. Nothing technical, but vertigo-prone hikers should skip it. Wet weather makes the cliff sections slick, so we do this one in shoulder season after a dry stretch.

PR6.5 · Vereda do Pico Fernandes (the steep summit)

The summit option. Climbs off the Rabaçal access road up to Pico Fernandes at around 1,450m. Roughly 3 km return, steep both ways, moderate difficulty. Allow 2 to 2.5 hours.

This is the trail people skip because it doesn’t end at water. It ends at a view. The summit looks east across Paul da Serra, west toward the Atlantic, and on a clear day you can pick out the ridge from Encumeada all the way to Pico Ruivo. On a cloudy day you see ten metres of grass.

We hike Pico Fernandes when the laurel forest below is socked in and we want altitude to break above the cloud. About one day in three it works. The other two you’re climbing through fog. Worth the gamble.

PR6.6 · Vereda do Túnel do Cavalo (the long tunnel route)

The character trail. PR6.6 connects parts of the Rabaçal network through the Túnel do Cavalo, a long unlit tunnel cut for the levada workers. Around 4 km return depending on which end you start, moderate, allow 2.5 to 3 hours.

The tunnel itself is the experience. Roughly 700m end-to-end, no light at all in the middle stretch, water dripping from the ceiling, the levada running beside you. A phone torch is barely enough. We carry a proper headlamp every time. Some sections require ducking.

Skip this one if you have claustrophobia. It’s the “you’ve already walked four Rabaçal hikes and want the weird one” trail. The moment you turn around mid-tunnel and see daylight as a pinprick behind you is the kind of memory that lands.

PR6.8 · Levada do Paul II (the wheelchair-accessible section)

The rare one. PR6.8 is a 1.5 km accessible stretch of the Levada do Paul up on Paul da Serra, with its own parking off the ER-209. Boardwalked surface, no steps, wheelchair-passable. Around 1 to 1.5 hours return at walking pace.

Madeira has almost no wheelchair-accessible hiking infrastructure. PR9.1 (the accessible bit of Caldeirão Verde) is the other one we know of. PR6.8 is the western equivalent. The setting is the Paul da Serra plateau: open moorland, wind-bent heather, livestock, and views across to Pico Ruivo on a clear day. A different Madeira that feels nothing like the rest of the island.

We’ve sent guests with mobility limitations here multiple times. The car park to trail transition works, the surface holds up in wet weather, and the feeling of being on top of the island without having to climb to it is the point.

How to combine multiple trails in one Rabaçal day

The whole reason this network is worth knowing is that you can stack trails. Three combos we actually use:

Light day (3 to 4 hours of walking). PR6.1 Risco + the first 1.5 km of PR6.2 Alecrim. Both flat, both gorgeous, total around 5 km. Good for guests in their first 48 hours on the island, or for a half-day with kids over 8. Café at the top before driving back.

Moderate day (5 to 6 hours). PR6 25 Fontes + PR6.1 Risco. They share the first 800m so you tack Risco on at the junction. Total around 10 km, the classic Rabaçal combo, and the one we recommend if you only have one day. Start with the 8am shuttle.

Hard day (7 to 9 hours). PR6.2 Alecrim into PR6.3 Lagoa do Vento, then loop back via PR6 25 Fontes on a longer connector. Around 14 to 16 km, real elevation, three destinations. Pack lunch. Carry 2L of water. Bring a torch in case you finish on dusk.

No tourist has ever done all eight in one trip. Month-stay guests at Banana House knock out six in a fortnight. That’s the speed Rabaçal opens up at.

FAQ

Which Rabaçal trail is easiest? PR6.8 (Paul II accessible) is the easiest by design: flat, boardwalked, short. PR6.2 (Alecrim) is the easiest of the “real” hikes: 3.5 km of flat levada through heather tunnels with no scrambly sections. PR6.1 (Risco) is the easiest if you want to see a waterfall.

Which Rabaçal trail has the hidden lagoon? PR6.3, Vereda da Lagoa do Vento. The lagoon sits at the base of an escarpment off the Levada do Alecrim and sees a fraction of the foot traffic that 25 Fontes gets.

Can kids hike at Rabaçal? PR6.1 (Risco) and PR6.2 (Alecrim) from around age 6 with confident walking. PR6.8 (Paul II) from any age, including buggies. PR6 (25 Fontes) from around age 8 with a careful adult, because of the narrow descent to the lagoon. PR6.4, PR6.6 (the tunnel one), and PR6.5 (steep summit) are not kid trails.

Can dogs come on the Rabaçal trails? Dogs on leads are technically allowed on the open trails, but the permit system doesn’t formally cover them, the shuttle drivers vary on whether they’ll take a dog, and the laurel forest at the lagoon end of PR6 isn’t dog-friendly (narrow stairs, crowds). PR6.8 is the most dog-friendly stretch in the network.

Are permits the same as PR6 for all the sister trails? Permits cost €4.50 per adult on the trails that need them (PR6, PR6.1, PR6.2, PR6.3). PR6.4, PR6.5, PR6.6, and PR6.8 are currently free to walk but the regional government has flagged that this may change in 2027. Book through simplifica.madeira.gov.pt or, when that fails, the third-party tool at madeira.fun/hiking. Full walkthrough: Madeira hiking permits 2026.

Is Rabaçal worth a full day if I only have a week on Madeira? Yes. Drive up at 7:30am, catch the first shuttle, do PR6 + PR6.1 together, café lunch, drive back via Paul da Serra for the views. That’s a full Madeira hiking experience in one day and uses the network properly.

What’s the best weather window for Rabaçal? Mornings, year-round. The laurel forest cooks its own weather and trade winds push cloud up the north-facing slopes from late morning onward. We aim to be at the lagoon by 10am and back at the café by 1pm. After that the trail turns into walk-in cloud, which is atmospheric but not the photos most people fly here for. See our best time to visit Madeira guide for the seasonal breakdown.

Where should I stay to hike Rabaçal? The closest comfortable bases are Calheta (15 minutes to the upper car park) and Ponta do Sol (25 minutes). We sit in Ponta do Sol at Banana House, where the rhythm of “drive up, hike, swim at the pier, dinner, repeat” is the actual point of staying a month.

Stay a month and walk all eight

One day at Rabaçal gets you PR6. Two days gets you PR6 plus Risco. A week gets you the full network with weather windows to spare. That’s the difference between flying in for a Madeira hiking trip and basing here for a month.

We run Banana House year-round from €997 a month including bills. Seven private rooms in Ponta do Sol, 25 minutes from the Rabaçal upper car park, on the dry sunny coast where you can wait for the right weather window instead of forcing the wrong one.

For the full picture, start with our Madeira hiking pillar. The parent trail breakdown is the PR6 Levada das 25 Fontes guide. Planning the rest of your stay around hiking weather? The best time to visit Madeira post covers the monthly rhythm.

Pick a month. We’ll see you at the café. 🌿