PR6 25 Fontes hike & Levada do Risco

Good walk down from the car park. 500+meters elevation change, the parking is at the high point. There is a mini bus that will drop you down/take you up, a little over half that height to a cafe.
Walk is through the forest with good views, along a lavada to a pool with 25 fountains, one big the rest small. Full of water when I went in January. Can be busy or very busy.

Really nice and easy trail. It can get cold as it is high in the mountains so be prepared. Other than that it is well maintained and rather easy path for everyone.

After yesterday's rain, we thought it would be fun to do the Levada das 25 Fontes. We walked through the Túnel do Rabaçal, hiked down the levada, then cut through to the Levada do Risco. When approaching the tunnel again to go back to the car, we discovered that the tunnel was flooded, with water up to 20 cm deep at some places! Luckily we made it back to the car in one piece, only very wet. Still we had a lot of fun doing this route.

Trail exceeded our expectations.
We arrived just before 10am and the car park was quite busy already.
We walked down to the start of the trail, it took us around 40minutes (around 2km).
At the beginning of the trail there is very nice cafe, highly recommended.
Both trails 25 fontes and Risco with a breakfast break and walking from and to the car park, took us 3.5hours.
It’s definitely not very easy as there is quite a lot of steps but definitely worth it.

A very nice hike. Duration 3-4 hours.
I recommend a raincoat and special hiking shoes, not flip-flops 🔝
Beautiful view and cosy atmosphere in Rabacal Nature Spot Cafe✅
Visited November 2023.

Words do not adequately describe this hike. The hike is easy/lightly moderate and when you finally make it to the waterfall…it’s an unbelievable experience you’ll likely never forget. Call me a sucker for a good waterfall but there was something so incredibly beautiful about the 25 Fontes. It is very popular so if you don’t go early, you can expect to encounter a plethora of people all yearning for the same experience I had.

Bonus was being able to pay the local shuttle to take us back up to the parking lot (1.7km). It saved us 45 min of time so we could go visit several miraduoros nearby.

Nice levada trail with big waterfall at the end.
You can take a bus from parking till rabacal cafe 8euros both ways. From cafe to 25 fontes waterfall 2.5km one way (50-60min). At the beginning a lot of stairs.

They said it was a "very easy" hike, but you have to walk many stone stairs. So i really recommend you to go to the gym first 🤣
I also recommended you to start this hike before 10:00 because after that. All the tourist busses arrive and it gets very crowded. Especially on the small pads...
Oh and there is a bus that comes every 10 minutes for 3 euro that can drive you up and down the road to the parking up the hill. (40 min walk to the parking)

We already been tired so took the 5 Euro (round trip) both way minibus from the parking lot to the start of the track - it saves 1.9km on each way. The waterfall at the end is extremely crowded, we been there at end of the season, but it still was the most crowded place.

One of the best hikes in madeira. It's very organized and it's better to start the hike early in the morning it's less crowded.

7.5 mile walk, mainly downhill from the mountain plateau. Good guide who explained how the laverda system worked and the eco systems of the mountains. . Harder than the shorter laverda walks but ok for anybody used to walking. Toilet facility at the start ( needs a 50 c coin )

Probably one of the 2 most scenic hikes in Madeira’s rainforests. The way to the waterfall is pretty easy, but the way back is a bit exhausting. You may need few breaks, luckily there is a facility. Amazing scenes along the route.

Very beautiful valley, good to spend all day walking whole 12km path

One of the most popular trails in Madeira for a reason!! Beautiful hike in the forest along a levada with a lovely finish at the waterfall. Not too challenging.

I must say, this is a number one hiking route of the Madeira island 🏝
Depending the preferences…
Not too hard, many shades, water, waterfalls.
WC - 50 cents;)
Small bus can help you to get there for 5€.
All journey - about 4 hours.
Very beautiful 😍

Easy but quite a long walk, around 3,5h from parking place.

Beautiful scenic trail leading to Risco Falls and 25 springs. It is not too demanding, you can choose an easier route leading from the west. This one, however, is not as spectacular.

Very nice hike. We went down by foot and walked to Risco Waterfall. The trail was not steep, I had some knee problems but the trail was really manageable. We did not go to 25 Fontes as it was very crowded and there were many many stairs to reach there. You can fast-forward your way up with a taxi van, 3€/person which can take up to 9 people. There were only 2 vans so if it is very crowded you may have to wait a while as a up an down trip of a van takes around 30 minutes.

Beautiful walk and great scenery. Nice waterfalls. We did this in February and already quite busy. I guess you don't want to do this in summer. We took the path through the Rabaçal tunnel, parking the car on the 211 road off the main road avoiding the big parking at the top. The tunnel was a fun adventure. Dark but doable with mobile phone flashlight. A little wet in some places.

yes it is crowded depending on when you go (we arrived around 11.30am) but still very enjoyable. So you don’t miss a bit, I would recommend to take the PR6 and go by the additional loop that starts near the coffee’s toilets since it is calmer and beautiful too. After the final waterfall, you can choose to pursue your walk for around 10-15min instead of turning back on the little path after the bridge, you will find another smaller waterfall with caves, be careful because the access is narrow and there is no path (need to walk on the gutter for 2min).