Levada do Furado (PR 10)

Mist lifts off the valleys in the morning while the water runs beside you through dense Laurissilva forest, with birdsong overhead and streams to cross at small waterfalls. This is one of the oldest public levadas on Madeira, and it makes a quiet alternative to the island's more famous ones.

The views are the other half of it. The Ribeiro Frio valley dominates the landscape, and the farmland of Faial, São Roque do Faial and Porto da Cruz spreads out around the colossal rock of Penha d'Águia. Sheep graze at a farm area along the way. Then there is the passage where the channel squeezes between rocks, the spot to remember from the whole walk.

At Ribeiro Frio the trail leaves the ER 303 by a map board and a PR 10 guidepost. The path feels a little steep at first, then flattens into a levada walk, well marked and mostly level.

Along the levada the way runs through dense forest, crosses streams with small waterfalls and passes tunnels and a spot where the channel squeezes between rocks. Sheep graze at a farm area, and the views open over the Ribeiro Frio valley and the farmland towards Penha d'Águia.

At the water station, where the waters divide and the Levada da Serra do Faial ends, the route leaves the levada and descends towards Portela. It crosses the Lamaceiros forest area, passes the Forestry Station of Lamaceiros and meets the Levada da Portela, which rounds the left side of Lombo das Faias.

Near the end, the Portela viewpoint comes on the final stretch before the trail joins the ER 102 and finishes. It does not loop back to Ribeiro Frio.

• One way. The trail ends at Portela, 11 km of walking from a car left at Ribeiro Frio, so settle your way back before you set off.
• Turning back. Walking out about 5 km and returning the same way takes around 3 hours.
• Jacket. It is chilly early in the day, so bring one for a morning start.
• Torch. The route passes through tunnels, so carry a torch or head torch.
• Facilities. Ribeiro Frio has paid toilets and a fountain, the Fontanário do Ribeiro Frio.

You arrive at Ribeiro Frio, on the ER 303, by car or by bus. The car park lies about 100 m away in a straight line and the stop about 35 m, so almost nothing remains on foot before the walk begins.

The end is the awkward part. The trail finishes on the ER 102 at Portela, in the municipality of Machico, while a car stays back at Ribeiro Frio. With a car, the simple plan is to walk out to about the middle and return the same way. To walk the whole line, arrange a pick-up or onward transport from Portela before you set out.

Best: Morning, when the mist lifts slowly off the valleys and the views open up.

Avoid: Heavy rain and the hours after it, when mud and rock along the levada turn slippery.

The trail closes at times, so check its status on the official IFCN trails page before you book.

PR 10 is a classified trail managed by IFCN, and every walker must register and book an entry slot online on the SIMplifica portal. Bookings and payment are not handled at IFCN premises. Slots lock automatically once their capacity is reached, and entry is expected within around 15 minutes of the booked time.

The fee is waived for children aged 12 or under, for Madeira residents showing a resident card and citizen card, and for people with a disability of 60% or more with one accompanying legal guardian, on documentary proof. All of them still have to book.

Rescheduling and refunds apply only when the trail is officially closed or restricted on the booked date. Rain or a change of plan loses the amount paid.