Levada das 25 Fontes (PR6), from Rabaçal to the lagoon of the 25 springs. Levada das 25 Fontes (PR6) is OPEN on IFCN's official trail-warnings list. See all Madeira trails or PR1.
PR6 · Quick answers
Is it open today?
Official IFCN list: OPEN
Do I need a ticket?
Yes: €4.50 per person on SIMplifica, online only, for a timed slot. Under-12s and residents are free but must be on the booking.
How long and how hard?
4.3 km each way · ~3 hours · Moderate · Start: Rabaçal (ER105)
How do I get there and back?
No public bus reaches Rabaçal: none of the bus lines on SIGA serves the Paul da Serra plateau or the Fanal. Taxi: Táxis Calheta+351 291 822 129 (official rank); fares are metered at the official tariff.
Where do I park?
Park at the car park on the ER105 above Rabaçal: free, according to 2026 visitor reports (there is no official statement). ›
Vertigo or tunnels?
Exposure: High (vertigo) · Tunnels: None · Torch: Not needed
Weather there now
Status: IFCN's official warnings list · weather: IPMA
Is the Rabaçal car park full? Live webcam
NetMadeira's Rabaçal webcam, on the Paul da Serra plateau, looks over the road and the car park where the 25 Fontes and Risco walks start. Check it before you drive up: you can see how full it is and whether the plateau is in fog.
Webcam: NetMadeira, embedded with its share code. Reload the page for the latest picture; the camera is sometimes offline. Full-size webcam ↗
Book it. How to book PR6 in 2026
Book a slot on SIMplifica: €4.50 per person over 12. Children 12 and under are free but must be on the booking; so must Madeira residents. It is online only; nothing is sold at Rabaçal.
Pick a 30-minute entry window. IFCN allows about 15 minutes' tolerance either side. It's an allowance, not a right. Same-day booking works if slots remain; hiking guides report that morning slots in July and August go days ahead.
Adding Risco (PR6.1) or another Rabaçal trail? Each one is a separate SIMplifica item with its own slot. Put them all in one booking: two or more trails in a day are charged the €9 day rate automatically (€22.50 over 3 days, €52.50 over 7).
Through a tour operator with an IFCN protocol the trail fee is €3.
Walking PR6 without a valid ticket is an administrative offence; the law sets fines for individuals of €250–€2,500. The fee is refunded, or moved to a new date within a year, only if IFCN closes the trail on your date: email helpdesk.ifcn@madeira.gov.pt within 10 working days. Rain or a change of plans doesn't count. All 2026 fees and a cost calculator · Step-by-step SIMplifica booking
One way at the end. Out by the levada, back by the Bypass
Since the works on the Bypass were finished, IFCN runs PR6 with controlled one-way circulation: you walk out from Rabaçal to 25 Fontes along the Levada das 25 Fontes and come back by the alternative section called the Bypass.
The IFCN trailhead panel puts the one-way section between km 3.3 and km 4.1. Follow the signs; everywhere else you walk the same path back.
Visit Madeira's PR6 page still says the one-way section "will operate in both directions". That note dates from the Bypass works. IFCN's list gives the current rule.
IFCN's panel warns: "PR 6 can cause vertigo. Do not put weight on protection barriers." The levada path is narrow in places with drops beside it.
Getting there. Parking and the Rabaçal shuttle
Park at the car park on the ER105 above Rabaçal. It is free, according to 2026 reports. The trail fee does not include parking.
Shuttle: the Calheta council runs a vehicle between the ER105 car park and the Casa Florestal do Rabaçal trailhead, daily 10:00–18:00, €5 one way or €8 return (CM Calheta; driver +351 966 426 851). The payment method isn't stated officially; guides report cash only, so bring some.
Or walk the 2 km tarmac road down to the trailhead. It's easy going down, but you climb it back up at the end, when you're tired.
There's no fuel or shop up at Rabaçal. Bring water, layers and anything you need before you leave the coast.
Where to park for PR6?
Park at the car park on the ER105 above Rabaçal: free, according to 2026 visitor reports (there is no official statement). Private cars can't drive the 2 km road down to the Rabaçal house: walk it, or take the Calheta council shuttle (€5 one way, €8 return, daily 10:00–18:00).
No public bus reaches Rabaçal: none of the bus lines on SIGA serves the Paul da Serra plateau or the Fanal. You need a car, a taxi or a tour transfer. From the Rabaçal car park on the ER105, the Calheta council runs a shuttle down to the Rabaçal house (pay in cash).
Make a day of it: Risco and the tunnel
Levada do Risco (PR6.1) starts at the same place and ends at a tall waterfall. Visit Madeira calls it easy and suitable for the whole family. It is its own booking. Two trails on the same day cost €9, and a third Rabaçal trail that day adds nothing: the €9 day rate covers two or more.
Túnel do Cavalo (PR6.6) is a separate classified trail (2.3 km) from the Caldeira leisure area up to Casa do Rabaçal, through the ~800 m Túnel do Cavalo. IFCN's panel says to carry a torch. If you come up this way, book PR6.6 as well as PR6. The standard PR6 route has no tunnel.
What's the weather at Levada das 25 Fontes (PR6) now?
The status card above shows the latest measured reading from the IPMA Rabaçal station, the regional weather station nearest the trail: temperature, wind and whether it is likely in cloud. Expect the mountains cooler and cloudier than Funchal.
Official weather warnings for the Madeira mountains: IPMA.
Closed or full? Your options
If IFCN closes PR6 on your date, email helpdesk.ifcn@madeira.gov.pt within 10 working days with your tickets and invoice, and ask for a new date within a year or a refund. The SIMplifica contact centre can't change bookings.
The return is uphill. Unless you take the shuttle, the 2 km road you walked down at the start is a real climb at the end.
It's laurel forest at 964–1,288 m. It can be cool, damp or foggy while Funchal is sunny. Bring a layer and grippy shoes.
The drops are real. IFCN rates it a vertigo risk. Keep children close and don't lean on the barriers.
Questions people ask
Do I need to book the 25 Fontes (PR6)?
Yes. PR6 needs a SIMplifica booking for a 30-minute entry slot, €4.50 per person over 12 (€3 through a tour operator with an IFCN protocol). Children 12 and under are free but must be on the booking.
Is the 25 Fontes open today?
Levada das 25 Fontes (PR6) is OPEN on IFCN's official trail-warnings list. Check it before you pay: the fee is refunded only when IFCN closes the trail.
Is the 25 Fontes trail one-way?
At the end, yes. IFCN runs controlled one-way circulation: out to 25 Fontes along the levada, back by the section called the Bypass (between km 3.3 and 4.1). Follow the signs.
How much is the Rabaçal shuttle to the 25 Fontes?
The Calheta council shuttle between the ER105 car park and the Rabaçal trailhead costs €5 one way or €8 return and runs daily from 10:00 to 18:00. Otherwise you walk the 2 km road.
Is parking free at Rabaçal?
Yes, the car park on the ER105 above Rabaçal is free, according to 2026 reports. Parking is not part of the trail fee.
Do I need a torch for the 25 Fontes?
Not on the standard PR6 route, which has no tunnel. You do need one on the Túnel do Cavalo (PR6.6) access from Calheta, which is a separate trail with its own booking.