PR10 Levada do Furado - Ribeiro Frio - Portela

Awesome place. Famous tunnels are 2.5 h of walk from Ribeiro! So you got to be patient. Mini-lakes are first, about 1 h of walk from the beginning. Remember to take some food for the birds ;) no toilet anywhere!

Very nice and easy to walk but it gets dangerous in rainy/foggy weather. If this hike is too easy for you, there's a way to spice it up a little. After approximatly one hour you cross a bridge. Look out for the trail running sign on your right and follow it. Cross the levada and follow the path upwards. It's a little muddy and wet so watch your steps. Take a look at my photos if you're not sure where to go. You end up at Feiteiras de Baixo. From there walk towards the farm buildings and go right. You'll see some leftovers of a "street" through the moss. When you reach the point where the way forks go right and you'll end up on Er 103 a few hundred meters south of Ribeiro Frio. We took the wrong turn after the farm houses and had a hard time going down the mountain.

Very nice trail, along forests and nature. If you like contact with nature, it's definitely for you.

Levada do Furado is the most dramatic levada walk that I’ve done in Madeira. I started in Ribeiro Frio and finished in Portela. This walk is for fearless adventurers who don’t mind walking on the edge of the deep valleys of the laurel forest. There are multiple tunnel crossings too. The views are spectacular and I personally didn’t find the walk very strenuous. I highly recommend doing this levada walk when you’re on the island.

Nice walking but nothing special. It is better to start in Riberio Frio (bus from company Horarios dos Funchal) , go to Vereda dos Balcoes, back to Riberio Frio and after to Portela. Levada Portela is not interesting but nice flowers are there. I choose this way because I don't like to go to somewhere and back in same way. Back by bus is also not a problem.