Rabaçal - Madeira Islands

When we talk about walking in Madeira, Rabacal can not be ignored. It is one of the most famous and popular walking area on the island. This amazing place is located on a head of the Ribeira da Janela valley beside the Paúl da Serra plateau. There is actually four levadas to bollow by here: Levada da Ribeira Grande, Levada do Risco, Levada das 25 Fontes and Levada Rocha Vermelha. On Rabacal most of the landscape is coverred by treeheather. If we go to Ribeira da Janela valley there is more leafy laurasilva forrest.
The Four levadas of Rabacal flow in different levels on the hillsides of the valley collecting the drowning waters of Paul da serra plateau. All of these levadas are connected by paths so it is possible to adventure between these levadas within one walk. After seen The Risco waterfall you will find the path down to the 25 fontes levada. After seen the 25 Fontes waterfall there is the path down to the lowest levada Rocha Vermelha and back up again. Rabacal is a real place of adventures and exploring. When you get the whole picture of the network of Levadas here, you are amazed by the architecture of this network of aqueducts. Waters of Rabacal feed the Calheta waterplant to make electricity and after that water continue its journey west and east along Levada Nova which feeds the acricultural lands of south coast all the way from Ponta do Sol to Ponta do Pargo.

Levada da Ribeira Grande (about 1300 meters above sealevel) is the highest of the Rabacal levadas. After ER-110 it is named as Levada do Paul and continues eastwards along the southside of the plateau Paúl da Serra. From the carpark you can see the Levada da Ribeira Grande following the Rabacal road higher on the hillside. The source of the levada is on upper reaches of the Ribeira da Janela on the head of the Ribeira Grande valley.

Levada do Risco is about 1000 meters altitude and lower on is the Levada das 25 Fontes, which continues via Calheta tunnel to the waterplant of Calheta.

The lowes one, Levada Rocha Vermelha (850 meters altitude), also flows via tunnel to Calheta side. Down at the valley bottom is the Ribeira da Janela river.
Rabacal is actually quite isolated place, as there is no bus connection to the area. You may rent a car to get to Rabacal or take the taxi and ask the taxi driver to pick you up at the finishing point of your walk. It's very frustrating to try to order the taxi by phone after long day of walking. Many companies make guided levadawalks. Guides are usually very experienced and have big knowledge of the area. Guided tours are also handy because the transportation is arranged to and from the destination.

Many people start their walks to Rabacal from a carpark on road ER-110. There is the asphalt road few kilometers down to Rabacal but it's closed to the trafic, so you must walk. The house at Rabacal is used by local forrest rangers and that's where the actual walks to Risco and 25 Fontes begin.
If you are heading to Lagoa Vento you will find the Levada da Ribeira Grande by following few hundred meters the ER-110 to Paúl da Serra direction. You can also follow the Rabacal road and just before arriving follow the right side of the road and you find small path which runs throught forest of giant heather to Lagoa Vento.

If you don't want a tiring walk down to Rabacal and again up to carpark, there is much more comfortable and interesting way to get to Rabacal allthought the views to Ribeira Janela valley from the Rabacal road are worth seeing. As mentioned earlier levada das 25 fontes is flowing throught tunnel to Calheta waterplant. The tunnel is accessible 800 meters long comfortable walk. You will get to Rabacal in no time. Find the road ER-221 from Calheta and drive up as long as you come to the picnic place beside the road. Park the car there and walk along the small road found on the other side of the road.