Levada · Irrigation channel through UNESCO laurel forest
Levada das 25 Fontes (PR6)
Updated 2026·Checked on foot·Rabaçal, above Calheta on the Paul da Serra plateau
Madeira's most walked levada, and it starts inside the municipality of Calheta. The path follows an irrigation channel through laurisilva forest to an amphitheatre of rock where a scatter of springs runs down the wall into a green pool. It is beautiful and it is busy. The two facts are inseparable.
Levada das 25 Fontes (PR6) · Irrigation channel through UNESCO laurel forestBjørn Christian Tørrissen / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Period
Irrigation channel through UNESCO laurel forest
Location
About 25 km by road, roughly 35–40 minutes' drive
Entry
Trail fee payable per person via the SIMplifica booking system
Hours
Daylight hours; check the official trail status before setting out
Time Needed
3–4 hours for the full there-and-back
Hours and prices last checked 2026, they change, so confirm on the day.
History
How it came to be
Levadas are the island's hand-cut irrigation channels, built to move water from the wet north and the high interior to the dry, cultivated south. The forest they run through, the Madeiran laurisilva, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since December 1999 and is part of the Natura 2000 network.
What You'll See
On a visit
The 25 Fontes amphitheatre and pool at the end; the laurel forest along the channel; and the short PR6.1 branch to the Risco waterfall, a roughly 100 m fall of separate water threads down the mountainside.
How to Visit
Drive to Rabaçal off the ER105 across Paul da Serra, then walk or take the shuttle down to the forestry house. The trail is booked and paid for in advance through the regional SIMplifica system, and summer morning slots go days ahead. Bring a rain layer. The plateau makes its own weather.
Best Time
Early morning, before the coach groups reach Rabaçal
Getting There
Location
About 25 km by road, roughly 35–40 minutes' drive · Rabaçal, above Calheta on the Paul da Serra plateau
Yes. Madeira's marked PR trails, including PR6, are booked and paid for in advance through the regional SIMplifica system. Book early for July and August mornings.
About 11 km there and back from the road, with roughly 320 m of ascent, and most walkers take three to four hours.
No. Swimming in the pool is not permitted, and the site sits inside protected UNESCO laurisilva.
