Ribeiro Frio – Portela
One
of the most beautiful walks leads you from Ribeiro Frio to Portela. Most
of the time you walk along the natural channel and discover a number of
trout which have escaped from their basin in Ribeiro Frio and are now
swimming freely in the flowing water. In the alternating light and
shadow of your walk, you are afforded wonderful views and often get to
see the island of Porto Santo. A unique scenery accompanies you during
the entire walk. Towards the end you leave the levada and cross sunny
pastures, bordered by till trees and heather trees. After approx. 3,5
hours walking you reach your destination at Portela.
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Levada
dos Tornos/Monte to Camacha
The
walk starts at a vantage point in Babosas. For those without vertigo,
the first part of the walk to Romeiros is incredibly beautiful. You can
however avoid this part and get onto the Levada dos Tornos just before
Romeiros.
For
at least an hour, you can enjoy fantastic scenery and the beautiful view
down to Funchal. Most of the time you walk in the shade beneath Mimosas
and Eucalyptus trees.
An
800m long tunnel (not without a torch!!) leads to Palheiro Ferreiro,
where you h+ave a wonderful view across to the golf course. After 3,5 to
4 hours you reach Camacha. There you can visit the modern church and the
wickerware exhibition.
Rabaçal
and the 25 springs
In
the bewitching valley of Rabaçal we come across a true fairyland. We
walk along stretches of 3 Levadas, each with its own character, but all
of them with a large number of waterfalls. The mossy wallls of the water
channels let us guess how much time nature took in preparing the fertile
soil for the fantastic vegetation we are admiring around us. The houses
of Rabaçal seem tiny beneath the enormous emerald-green mountains. For
nature lovers it is simply a unique and awe-inspiring paradise. We could
easily stay 4-5 hours in this valley (the largest on the island) and
still not see everything.
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“Akazien-Levada”
from Maroços to the tunnel of Caniçal
This
walk is for everybody. First we stroll through the Cales-Valley, just
above Maroços. Soon the view opens up and we can admire the Ribeira
Seca valley with its pictoresque villages and look down towards Machico.
In
certain seasons we can be overwhelmed by the strong smell of the
blooming Mimosas. For amateur photographers there are many unforgettable
motifs which will keep alive the memories of this scenery for ever.
If
you want to extend your walk you can take the path up to the Boca do
Risco on the north coast which affords you a view across to the island
of Porto Santo.
Rainforest
– Queimadas – Caldeirão Verde
The
walk through the rainforest is a special kind of experience. You can
getreally very wet. Green, green, and more green would be the most
fitting description for this mossy paradise. In the winter this area
gets up to 2000m of rain.
In the “Queimadas-Park” we find 2 charming
Pousadas, a large picnic area and a lot of birds picking crumbs out of
our hands. Who wants to continue follows the Levada do Caldeirão Verde
to the west until the path eventually becomes too slippery or narrow. It
is not worth talking a risk, so you should turn back if you start to
feel unsafe. It is a waste of time having an accident – and you need
time to appreciate the very many sights of the island!
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