Levada do Alecrim (PR 6.2)

The walk ends at the water it has been following. After 3.5 km beside the channel you reach the levada's spring and the Dona Beja lake, where you can cool off before the walk back. The lake feeds the Lagoa do Vento waterfall.

On the way, the Laurissilva forest stands dense and deep green, heather closes into tunnels, and water trickles down the rock walls. Wide views open over the Rabaçal valley and the Ribeira da Janela. The vegetation matches the walk to 25 Fontes, at a higher altitude and with a much thinner crowd. The forest changes little from one end to the other, so the lake is what you walk for.

At the ER 105 at Rabaçal, the trail picks up the Levada do Alecrim at about 1300 m and follows it upstream. A guidepost near the start carries PR 6.8, which is another route: look for PR 6.2.

Along the channel, heather closes into tunnels, branches hang low and the Laurissilva forest stands thick on either side. Wide views open over the Rabaçal valley and the Ribeira da Janela.

At the spring on the Ribeira do Lajeado, the levada ends at the Dona Beja lake, where you can cool off.

On the way back, the standard return is the same path to the ER 105. The alternative is the Vereda da Lagoa do Vento (PR 6.3), which goes down to Lagoa do Vento and on towards the Casa de Abrigo do Rabaçal.

• Book your entry slot before driving up: slots close when full, and rain or a change of plan does not get your fee back.
• No toilets or drinking water near the start, so fill up before you come.
• Anyone over 180 cm ducks under low branches again and again.
• Pack rain gear: the walk runs through cloud forest, which can turn wet.
• The Dona Beja lake is the halfway point: the way back is the same 3.5 km unless you take the PR 6.3.

The trail starts on the regional road ER 105 at Rabaçal. By car, two unsurfaced car parks lie about 80 m and 190 m away. They fill up quickly and the trail fills with them, so arrive early.

A van stop for the run between the ER 105 and the Casa de Abrigo do Rabaçal stands about 40 m away, and a second stop of the same name, about 900 m away, is marked as a shuttle to the ER 110.

The walk is out and back, so the same path returns you to your car. If you take the PR 6.3 towards the Casa de Abrigo do Rabaçal, you finish away from the car park: check that the van is running before you commit to that ending.

Best: the earliest slot you can book.

Avoid: a slot after 10:00, and days of heavy rain.

The car park and the trail fill up quickly and the path gets busy after 10:00, while rain turns the roots and rock of the cloud forest slippery.

PR 6.2 is a classified walking trail managed by IFCN, and every walker needs a timed entry slot booked online through the SIMplifica portal, including those who pay nothing. IFCN offices take neither bookings nor payments, and a slot closes automatically once it reaches capacity. Entry is tolerated around 15 minutes before or after your slot.

Exempt from the fee, with booking still required: children aged 12 or under, Madeira residents with a resident card and citizen card, and people with a disability of 60% or more, plus one accompanying legal guardian, with documentary proof.

Rescheduling or a refund comes only when the authorities or IFCN have officially closed or restricted the trail on your booking date. Trail status is posted on the official IFCN trails page. If you book several trails within 1, 3 or 7 days, SIMplifica applies the cheapest fee automatically, and each trail still needs its own slot.