The levadas of Madeira are true engineering wonders. Cutting through and across some of the most difficult mountain terrain, they transport water across the entire island - over 2,000 kilometres of water channels in total. Madeira would have developed very differently (and much slower, if at all) without them. They're essential to Madeiran life, and as a Brucie bonus, they provide the most extraordinary walking and hiking opportunities.
The Levada do Furado trail (waymarked as PR10) has everything you'd expect from a Madeiran levada walk. Clinging tight to the steep mountainside, it winds through the forest from the trout-farming hamlet of Ribeiro Frio ("cold river") high in the mountains, eastwards to the pretty village of Portela which has a fantastic view of the north-eastern coast.
There's not much to Ribeiro Frio - a restaurant and a local bar (both recommended) and a couple of gift shops. It does have a not-so-hidden gem though, so before we start PR10 proper, a detour! Ribeiro Frio is the starting point for the short and tourist-friendly PR11 trail, Vereda dos Balcões. It's a wide, flat, easy forest trail running for around 1.5km before reaching the stunning Balcões viewpoint, with probably the best single view of Madeira's highest peaks. You can be out and back in under an hour with ample time to enjoy the view.
The PR10 trail itself descends past the Ribeiro Frio restaurant on the east side of the road, shortly joining up with the levada that will be your trusty companion for almost the whole route to Portela. The trail is a constant double-act of eerie and atmospheric forest walk combined with stunning mountainside views. The trail is easy to follow, with lush mountain forest on your right and plunging cliffs on your left. The scale of the drop is sometimes shielded from view by the foliage, but this isn't a walk for the queasy; the sheer cliff-side is a regular visitor to the path, although there is always a safety fence to keep you away from the edge.
Incidentally, I'd walked the first short section of the PR10 trail before - in the mist. You lose the expansive views but gain an extraordinary sense of walking through an enchanted forest. I'm glad I have had the chance to experience both. The three photographs below were taken in August 2019.
Every few hundred yards along the trail, the forest breaks to your left, revealing either a magnificent vista or a precarious drop - and often both. Initially the views are back towards the high peaks of Pico Ruivo, Pico das Torres, and Pico de Areeiro, and as the walk progresses the vista switches northwards towards the ocean villages on Madeira's northern coast.
There's no great physical challenge here other than the length of the walk, as with the exception of a couple of up-and-down bits as the levadas navigates the hillside, it is flat all the way to the final descent. Past midway however, there are a number of short tunnels and cuttings to navigate - although unlike some other levada walks, none are long enough to require use of a torch.
Eventually the path wends its way to the hillside above the village of Portela, and for the first time since leaving Ribeiro Frio, a little bit of navigation is required. It really is only a "little bit", though, as the trail is always well marked. The path down to Portela seems longer than the 2.7km marked on the initial signpost, and is just steep enough to make you glad you're not heading the other way.
The trail spits you out on regional road ER102 just above the village of Portela, which has one final treat before you hop on the bus back to Funchal. Portela's miradouro has a fantastic view of the north-eastern coast, with Penha d'Aguia (Eagle Rock) unmissable in the centre of the view.
The view from the Miradouro at Portela
Click here to download the PR10 (Levada do Furado) route guide.
Click here to download the PR11 (Vereda dos Balcões) route guide.
Date of walk: Saturday 30th November 2019
Total distance: 11km (PR10, one way) plus 3km (PR11, 1.5km out and back)
Total ascent: negligible if walked west to east. The path is flat for most of the route before descending approximately 300m into Portela. It's a steepish haul out of Portela if you choose to walk the route in reverse.
Getting there
This is a linear walk and it is a long (uphill) trek back to Ribeiro Frio if you park your hire car there!
Fortunately if you avoid Sundays and Public Holidays, this is a really straightforward walk to do by bus from Funchal. Take the Horarios do Funchal bus to Ribeiro Frio and return by SAM bus from Portela. Buses are irregular - make sure you check the timetables - but reliable.
You can also join a tour group, but that's really not necessary for this particular trail - although this is a long and isolated walk with little or no phone signal along much of the route, so do take care if you head out alone. For other trails, such as the jaw-dropping high peaks walk (PR1 Vereda de Areeiro), a tour group and guide is essential as there is no reasonable way to complete them by public transport or hire car.