Madeira Levada Walk - Rabacal Lakes and Fountains
Badge of Excellence
Madeira, Portugal
- 7 to 9 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Get acquainted with the verdant natural splendor of Madeira on a full-day tour of North West Madeira from Funchal. Alongside a knowledgeable guide, discover the secreted treasures of the Laurisilva Forest and enjoy the tranquility exuded by its abundance of flora and fauna. Continue to the spectral Rabacal Lake, home to 25 fountains and beautiful cascading waterfalls, and spend some relaxed free time enjoying the area of outstanding natural beauty. Enjoy the convenience of round-trip transportation from your Funchal hotel on this enriching excursion.
- Full-day tour to Laurisilva Forest and Rabacal Lake from Funchal
- Hike through the beautiful flora and fauna of Larisilva Forest with your expert guide
- Marvel at the sight of 25 fountains and cascading waterfalls at Rabacal Lake
- Enjoy the convenience of round-trip transportation from your Funchal hotel
What's Included
- Driver/guide
- Professional guide
- Hotel/port pickup and drop-off
- Pickup and drop-off from designated meeting points
- Gratuities
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Operating hours.8:30 am
Itinerary
1
25 Fontes and Cascada da Risco
4 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Service animals allowed
- At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
- Near public transportation
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Infant seats available
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 17 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Anton_L
The trail itself was stunning and honestly very accessible. There are quite a lot of stairs but that's about the only difficulty there is. The waterfalls are gorgeous and the views are spectacular. Our tour guide Bruno was lovely and informative as well. Not a bad price for this trip.
Reviews
4.4
based on 51 reviews
2kcy8fnbc4, Jan 2025
Our tour guide was great. We really enjoyed the walk and the information provided…it is very busy and the waterfall is hard to get to when busy. The paths are thin at points especially for 2 way walking. We did however really enjoy the trip especially the 800 ft tunnel!
Brigitte_L, Dec 2024
Fabulous views, exhilarating walk. Very knowledgeable guide. Steady paced walk with some steep climbs and descents and at times narrow passing places. A very popular area for walkers, hence quite busy at times. The waterfalls were amazing. 700 meter tunnel towards the end of the walk, which was quite wet and muddy, but an enjoyable experience. Make sure you have appropriate footwear and waterproof jacket. The only downside to the trip was that there are no toilet facilities, and 4 hours is a long time to wait!
Response from Host, Dec 2024
thanks for your feedback and great that you enjoyed the walk, views, guide and transport.
December is the season for rain and "wet underfoot".
Rabaçal, as many of the walks in Madeira beautiful forests don´t have facilities on the trail, but there are usually coffee/toilet stops on the way to the walk and on the way back.
Joy_S, Oct 2024
Professionally organised with excellent Guide Elton, knowledgeable, fun and inclusive.
Walking Shoes ideal, take picnic lunch.
Lacey_B, Feb 2024
Great views. Walking paths give you amazing access to the cliffs and waterfalls of the island. A lot of steep downhill. So bring good shoes.
Anton_L, Feb 2024
The trail itself was stunning and honestly very accessible. There are quite a lot of stairs but that's about the only difficulty there is. The waterfalls are gorgeous and the views are spectacular. Our tour guide Bruno was lovely and informative as well. Not a bad price for this trip.
A_B, Nov 2023
Great guide and lovely mux of walking companions from all over europe. Exceeded our expectiations in terms of scenery and guide was a mine of information. Great day.
Stefanie_W, Sep 2023
Great Guide, Elena was fantastic! Unfortunatly the paths and spots are heavily crowded. Its too much tourism at this place. But for what it is, the trip was very well organized and if you want to go there, this tour is a good way to get there and you will be very well guided along the levadas and one-way-foodpths. Elena will explain a little inside to the local botany as well.
Liz_L, Feb 2023
All very good. Great guide who accounted for all walking speeds. Beautiful scenery with breath taking views.
Sara, Dec 2022
Wonderful experience. The rain made it even nicer because it gave the whole nature a different Color. The air is so clean that you feel it with every breath. Also your skin plumps up a lot.
The guide was so nice and helpful. I felt very dizzy and shivered a lot which took my energy and he helped me all the way back, and stayed with me all the time.
He didn’t make me feel that I am a burden but he always reassured me. If you book any tours than please only work this company.
You are in safe hands.
Ged S, Nov 2017
Only 3 stars because the pre tour communication was so poor. The telephone number on the voucher was not in use and emails received no response. The tour company finally made contact at 6pm the night before to provide pick up details.
Picked up at 8.40am.. walk started at 10.40am. Not surprisingly wed been delayed because of a pick up mix up.
Its a nice waik and the tour guide, Gloria, was excellent. Got off to a slow start due to two unfit americans who only just about managed the first 2 kms on a paved path before giving up and getting in the rescue van. Main problem with the walk is that its overcrowded...its way too busy. Also helps if youre okay going close to 6 hours without atoilet.
jieh37, Nov 2017
to be honest, this walk can be done by yourself with the necessary research and willingness to drive around the island to get to the walk. this tour is good for pple who don't drive, don't do much researching and solo pplein a way. it's nice to the someone pick you up and just guide you along the paths so you don't have to worry if you get lost, etc. if you are fast and adventurous, you may feel held back and you generally have to go at the pace of the slowest member in the group. also the first walk idea is not exclusive to any tour company as i found out. there were already a lot of other tour groups and independant trekkers there already. it all boils down to who has less and easier members to pick up and of course, who has the faster vehicle. the guide did give certain information during the walk but i felt that more information could have be shared. the infos given were basic and could be read up on your own in the internet if you want.
Christine M, Sep 2017
This was our first trip to Madeira so we thought it would be a good plan to go on a guided walk or two rather than set off independently straight away. The added bonus of a guided trip is also the transport being laid on, avoiding the need to negotiate the winding roads and enabling drop off and pick up at different locations at the beginning and end of the walk. When we booked this one, we didn't quite appreciate that it was one of the most popular of the guided levada walks and that it would be quite as busy as it was. Our day began when we were picked up by the minibus at a pre-arranged spot. Our guide for the day was Rita, who proved to be well-informed, knowledgeable and concerned for our safety, wellbeing and enjoyment. We were a group of 10, mixed in terms of nationality, age and walking experience. It was a good size of group, unlike some of the other guided groups we met. Our first stop was at a small village supermarket, with a cafe and toilet facilities. Rita also took the time to show us our route on the map, which was helpful. Our route from there was up a steep road to the Paul de Sierra. The sun was shining, and it was magnificent. We set off from where the minibus had dropped dropped us off, our driver having ensured we all had torches for later in the day. The first part of the route was down a tarmac road, leaving it to descend on a cobbled path. The native woodland was beautiful, and Rita was great at pointing out flora and fauna. The walk to the waterfall was lovely, and a welcome stop there allowed for a snack, before we headed down to the levada leading to 25 Fontes. This section was quite slow, mainly because of the need for care because of the narrow path, and also because of the number of people coming back from the 25 Fontes. When we got there, we were out of the sun so it was quite cool. Loads of people having lunch. No toilet facilities of course. We stopped for 45 minutes, possibly slightly longer than needed, but not a problem. Setting off again, it didn't seem to take us long to retrace our steps on the levada, before taking a new stretch along to where a very long tunnel cut through the mountain. We were glad of jackets and needed the torches for the 700 metres, moving from the north side of the island to the south. Having been in sun or able to see the sun through the trees for most of the day, we were surprised to come out of the tunnel into cloud and mist. A relatively short walk led us to where the minibus was waiting for us. Down the mountain, a very welcome stop allowed bathroom visits and drinks, some of us sampling the local Ponchas. It was also nice to have time to chat further to others in the group. Back in the minibus, it was about 30 minutes back to the first drop off point on the outskirts of Funchal. All in all, a very good experience. Big thanks to Rita. Also very grateful for the way staff dealt with walking poles left in the minibus - a phone call and clear explanation of when they would be dropped in at the office and could be collected. We have booked another two walks during our stay in Madeira.
ANNE M, Jun 2017
Fantastic day on this Levada walk led by Denis who was very entertaining and informative. Lovely walk to and from dramatic lake with many streams flowing down but very busy area so you need to prepare yourself for that. 4 stars as admin was hopeless. No communication until late afternoon day before.
Debra_K, Apr 2017
We were picked up promptly at our hotel by the mini bus driver and tour guide.
Had a comfortable journey to the start of the walk via a stop for coffee/picnic things/toilet.
Our guide was keen for us to have a great walk but was also to have a safe walk so stressed the right way to walk a levada. Very reassuring. He was very knowledgeable about the area and knew his plants and wildlife. A very enjoyable walk even providing torches when going through a tunnel. Would thoroughly recommend this trip.
Steve_R, Sep 2016
Loved the tour but my wife found it a bit nervey due to some of the drops. Beautiful scenery and a brilliant, multilingual and informative guide in Gabriel.
So if you get the chance, do this tour but not if you're a bit nervous of heights
Mila, Jan 2016
This was a very nice tour. The guide made enough stops to enjoy the views and timed the tour so that we arrived before the other groups and had time to enjoy the fountains by ourselves. During levada walk you have to keep your eyes on the ground to stay safe. So making enough stops is essential. Even though our guide did not have a big script for the tour, but he has good humor and always answered the questions about history and nature.
Lesley P, Jan 2016
Wonderful guide. Superb and worth every penny. Do not hesitate to book this trip.
Ms gm H, Oct 2015
Very good trip,the organisation was fine and bus picked me up exactly when and where agreed.guide was extremely informative about native plants and wildlife and the walk was spectacular through amazing scenery,but mostly pretty flat for actual walking.final part walking through 800 metre tunnel was unique in my experience!altogether a really good day out.
Rudolf_K, Oct 2025
Great experience and good care. I would do it again. Fun and history in the forests of Madeira.
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AnneLise_M, Jun 2025
We were very well taken care of from and back to our hotel.
George is an excellent guide. It is straight and safe but very funny for all that. We had a wonderful time with him. He explained the vegetation and the canal system with great expertise. It was very interesting
The Levada is beautiful. The hike is more interesting than the 25 waterfalls (25 cast irons) which is a bit disappointing and difficult to observe because so many people. The descent and return through the tunnel are already worth the cost!
I highly recommend the activity and our guide! Thank you.
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Antonio_R, Oct 2023
No pudimos hacer el plan establecido por culpa de corte de tráfico por incendio y la ruta que hicimos alternativa fue muy monótona.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
We don’t plan for wild fires … so that is quite exiting! Over 70km2 burnt, forest, pasture, animals and property loss …
Thank you for your understanding….
Julia_D, Sep 2023
Die Wanderung war super! Wunderschöne Aussicht und ein sehr netter und kundiger Reiseführer! Ein tolles Erlebnis und ich möchte die Tour an sich nicht kritisieren;
Anmerken möchte ich jedoch, dass die Wanderung alles in allem meiner Meinung nach zu harmlos beschrieben wurde.
Es handelt sich um ca 12 km Strecke mit teils starkem Gefälle (nichts für vorgeschädigte Knie), Treppen aufwerts (nichts für Leute mit schlechte Konstitution) uns unwegsamen, rutschigen oder sehr schmalen Wegen (nichts für Ältere bzw. Leute die nicht gut zu Fuß sind). Eine ältere Dame musste während der Tour bereits bei der ersten steilen Treppe abwärts aufgeben, weil die Knie das nicht mitgemacht haben.
Shari_T, Mar 2022
Wir waren eine tolle Truppe von ca. 15 Personen. Alle waren super freundlich gut drauf, Bekanntschaften wurde geschlossen. Auch als Alleinreisende ein absolut empfehlenswertes Erlebnis. Ein großes Lob an unseren Fahrer Dias und unseren Guide Rodriguez, die diesen Ausflug perfekt gestaltet haben. Die Tour hat es auf jeden Fall in sich. Es geht bergab und bergauf, viele Treppen, schmale Wege. Jedoch auch als Person mit Höhenangst ist diese Tour zu meistern.
Response from Host, Mar 2022
Thank you for your feedback and I will pass your kind words to Dias and Rodriguez! I hope you will join naturemeetings on our walks and outdoor activities in Madeira
Maria Begoña I, Feb 2016
No es tan espectacular como otras levadas de la isla. Lo que mas no llamo la atencion los pajritos que comian de tu mano. Nuestro guia nuno hablaba un español bastante comprensible pero aunque fue correcto no demasiado amable.
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