Rabaçal 25 Fontes Guided Hike with Certified Mountain Guide Madeira

The drive to Rabaçal and the Paul da Serra plateau

After pickup the bus heads west along the south coast and then climbs into the mountains to Paul da Serra, the island's largest high plateau, a windswept moorland at around 1,500 metres that feels a world away from the subtropical coast. The drive takes about one and a half hours, with a stop at a local café for coffee and a chance to buy snacks or lunch.

From the edge of the plateau a narrow road descends into the Rabaçal valley, ending at the old forest house at about 1,060 metres, where the trails begin. The road is closed to private cars, which is one reason a Rabaçal guided hike with pickup is the easiest way to reach the trail. Your guide explains the route, the safety rules and the walk permit before you set off.

The levadas of Madeira

Levadas are narrow irrigation channels that carry water from the rainy, forested north and the high mountains to the farmland of the sunny south. The first were built in the fifteenth century, soon after settlement, to water sugar cane, and over the centuries workers carved them along sheer cliffs and through tunnels by hand, creating a network that runs for thousands of kilometres across the island.

Beside each channel runs a maintenance path, and these paths have become the famous levada walks of Madeira. They are mostly level, following the gentle gradient of the water, which makes them accessible to many walkers. On the Rabaçal levada walk you follow the channel through the forest, with the sound of running water as your constant companion and views over a deep green valley.

The Laurisilva forest of Rabaçal

The Rabaçal valley is one of the most beautiful parts of the Laurisilva, the laurel forest listed by UNESCO in 1999. This humid, evergreen forest once covered southern Europe and survives today mainly in Madeira, where it protects the springs that feed the island's water supply. Giant tree heath, til and bay laurel trees are draped in moss and lichen, and ferns line the banks of the levadas.

Your certified mountain guide points out endemic plants and listens for the birds that live only here, such as the Madeira firecrest and the shy Trocaz pigeon. The air is cool and fresh even in summer, and mist often drifts through the trees. It is a perfect example of why Laurisilva forest hikes in Madeira attract walkers from all over the world.

25 Fontes: the twenty-five springs

The trail ends at 25 Fontes, a natural amphitheatre where countless springs and small falls trickle down a vertical wall of moss and ferns into a clear green lagoon. The name means twenty-five springs, and in the wet season the water pours in so many threads that the cliff seems to shimmer. It is one of the most photographed spots on the island and a peaceful place to rest.

The 25 Fontes hike covers about nine to eleven kilometres there and back on mostly level paths with some steps, narrow sections and slippery stones. The trail can be busy at midday, so your guide sets the pace and timing to enjoy the lagoon at its best. The best time to visit 25 Fontes is in spring, when the forest is greenest and the springs are full.