Updated 2026·Checked on foot·Rabaçal, Paul da Serra
The short, easy walk at Rabaçal, and the one to do if you have an hour rather than an afternoon. A close-to-level levada path through laurel forest ends at a viewpoint facing the Risco waterfall, around 100 m of separate water threads sliding down a near-vertical wall rather than a single plunge.
Levada do Risco (PR6.1) · NaturalGerritR / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Period
Natural
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
About an hour as an add-on to PR6
Hours and prices last checked 2026, they change, so confirm on the day.
History
How it came to be
The path follows the Levada do Risco, one of the channels that carries water off the Paul da Serra plateau. As with 25 Fontes, the forest around it is protected laurisilva, UNESCO-listed since 1999.
What You'll See
On a visit
The waterfall from the end-of-path viewpoint; the levada channel itself; and the laurel canopy, which is often in cloud even when Calheta below is in full sun.
How to Visit
Same Rabaçal start as PR6, and the same SIMplifica booking requirement. The two trails share their first stretch, so most people walk PR6.1 as an add-on.
Best Time
After rain, when the fall is at full volume
Getting There
Location
About 25 km by road, roughly 35–40 minutes' drive · Rabaçal, Paul da Serra
