Levada do Furado (PR10) — Ribeiro Frio to Portela, one of Madeira's oldest levadas. Levada do Furado (PR10) is CLOSED on IFCN's official trail-warnings list. See all Madeira trails or PR1.
Is it open today?
Official IFCN list: CLOSED
Do I need a ticket?
How long and how hard?
~11 km one way · ~4 hours · Moderate · Ribeiro Frio → Portela (Point-to-point)
How do I get there and back?
By bus: the times are in PR10 by bus (CAM): getting there is easy, getting back isn't below. It is one way: it ends at Portela, so plan how you get back.
Where do I park?
Ribeiro Frio is a village, not a car park. People live here, and the ER103 is their road. ›
Vertigo or tunnels?
Tunnels / headlamp: Yes · bring a torch · Exposure / vertigo: Moderate
Weather there now
Weather near the trail (IPMA Pico do Areeiro station, 09:10): 7 °C, wind 19 km/h.
Status: IFCN's official warnings list · weather: IPMA
The Levada do Furado is one of the island's oldest and most loved levada walks — and also one of the most frequently closed. It runs along steep, wooded ravines that shed rock and mud after heavy rain, so IFCN shuts sections of it more often than the easier trails.
That's exactly why the live badge above matters: don't book, travel out, or plan your day around PR10 until it shows OPEN today. If it's closed, the alternatives below start from the same valley.
Once the trail shows open, booking is the same as any paid PR trail:
The Furado is linear: you start at Ribeiro Frio (on the ER103, ~860 m) and finish about 11 km later at Portela — a different place entirely. Sorting the return before you set off is the single thing people get wrong.
Ribeiro Frio is a village, not a car park. People live here, and the ER103 is their road. Every weekend it's lined with hire cars, most carrying two people, and the police have to direct traffic. You don't need a car for this walk: the bus takes 40 minutes (€2.65). PR10 ends at Portela, so book a taxi to collect you there. Leave the car in Funchal.
Getting there. Ribeiro Frio, the start, is a stop on CAM's Santana-line buses from Funchal. The walk is about 11 km, so take a morning bus. Monday to Friday: 08:10 (route 801, at Ribeiro Frio about 08:50), 09:00 (801, 09:41) and 10:00 (801, 10:41). Saturdays: 07:30 (850, 08:12) and 10:00 (801, 10:42). Sundays and holidays: 07:30 (850, 08:12) and 10:30 (801, 11:15). A single ticket from Funchal to Ribeiro Frio, bought on the bus, costs €2.65.
Getting back. Portela, where the walk ends, is on CAM lines 53 and 78 (new no. 825) back towards Machico and Funchal, but their timetables print no time at Portela. Ask CAM for the time it passes before you set off, or pre-book a taxi to collect you there.
Times as printed on CAM's Santana network timetable; times at intermediate stops are approximate and can change with traffic or bad weather. No buses on 25 December. Check before you travel with CAM: info@cam-madeira.pt, +351 291 201 151 (weekdays 08:30–17:30).
Ribeiro Frio is a trailhead hub, so a closed Furado doesn't waste the trip:
The status card above shows the latest measured reading from the IPMA Pico do Areeiro 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.
Weather near the trail (IPMA Pico do Areeiro station, 09:10): 7 °C, wind 19 km/h.
Official weather warnings for the Madeira mountains: IPMA.
Levada do Furado (PR10) is CLOSED on IFCN's official trail-warnings list. It is one of the more frequently closed PR trails after storms and landslips, so always check the live badge before you travel. Access is €4.50 through the SIMplifica portal.
Yes. PR10 requires an advance booking and €4.50 payment through SIMplifica. Children under 12 and residents are free but must still be on the booking. Only book once you have confirmed the trail is open — it closes often.
The Levada do Furado is a linear (point-to-point) walk that finishes at Portela, not where you started at Ribeiro Frio. Take the bus up to Ribeiro Frio and pre-book a taxi from Portela, or join a guided walk with transfers. Public buses from Portela are infrequent, so plan the return before you set off.
About 11 km one way from Ribeiro Frio to Portela, roughly 4 hours, graded moderate. There are narrow, exposed sections with drops and a couple of low rock passages, so it needs a head for heights and sure footing.