PR6 25 Fontes hike & Levada do Risco

The falls here are not fed by a stream: water from the upper water table seeps straight out of the layered volcanic rock and runs down the vertical valley walls in dozens of separate jets.

PR6 25 Fontes hike & Levada do Risco is a numbered levada walk in the Rabaçal valley, on the Paul da Serra plateau on Madeira. Two branches share a start at Casa do Rabaçal: the short one follows Levada do Risco to the Risco waterfall, the long one follows Levada das 25 Fontes to a pool fed by cascades. The valley walls are layered volcanic rock, and water seeps out of them along their whole length. It is one of the most visited levadas on the island. The route is steps and narrow channel-side paths from end to end, descending on the way out and climbing on the way back.

Levada

Accessibility: Not wheelchair accessible: no accessible parking, no accessible entrance, and the route is steps and narrow walkways.
Parking: Free car park at Rabaçal, unsurfaced, about 750 m above the trailhead; a second car park lies just beyond it. Roadside parking as well.
Difficulty: 10–12 km there and back. Descent all the way out, climb all the way back, much of it on steps; narrow walkways and low branches in the level stretches.
Transport: Rabaçal Van minibus from the ER105 road down to Casa do Rabaçal, stopping at the trailhead; €5 per person in mid-2026, seven seats per run.
Hours: Open 24 hours, every day.

What makes it special

Two waterfalls on one walk, and in both cases the water comes out of the rock rather than down a stream. The Rabaçal valley has vertical walls of layered volcanic rock, and the upper water table seeps out along them in one jet after another — the fountains the levada is named for.

From Casa do Rabaçal the short branch follows Levada do Risco to the Risco waterfall. The long branch follows Levada das 25 Fontes to the pool below the springs, fed straight by the cascades. Both run through laurel forest beside a working water channel, on steps and walkways cut into the slope. This is one of the most visited levadas on Madeira, and the narrow sections make that plain: when a walking group comes the other way, everyone stops.

Good to know

Cows on the road. On the drive up to Rabaçal, expect to stop for cattle standing on the tarmac.
Water and toilets. Free toilets and a drinking water point stand at Rabaçal, about 50 m from the trailhead.
Take food. The pool below 25 Fontes is the place to stop and eat, so put a snack in your bag.
Crowds. This is one of the busiest routes on the island. Walking groups fill the narrow stretches, and there is no way past them.

Getting there

The approach is by car along ER110 across Paul da Serra, to the car park above Rabaçal. From there a steep tarmac road drops to Casa do Rabaçal, where the trail begins; the Rabaçal Van minibus covers the same stretch and stops at the trailhead. Walking that road back up at the end of the day is the part people underestimate. The other way round it is the Túnel do Cavalo, an 800 m pedestrian tunnel that links the Caldeira rest area with Rabaçal on foot.

Best time to visit

Best: early morning, or from about 4 pm.

Avoid: late morning to mid-afternoon.

In summer the car park can be full by 9 am and still full at half past two, with cars lining the road. Start at four instead and the falls empty out — by six there may be only a handful of people at the water. The climb back is shaded and cooler by then, and the cloud sitting in the valley at sunset is best seen from the car park.

Sun & daylight

Levada

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Levada do Poiso