Rabaçal: Choose 25 Fontes or the Risco Waterfall

Risco suits a day centered on one tall waterfall; 25 Fontes takes you to a spring-fed lagoon deeper in the levada landscape. Both begin at Rabaçal on ER105, and both need a return journey to the road. Choose your main destination before adding the other branch.

Two waterfalls, different walking days

Visit Madeira’s PR6 profile describes 25 Fontes as moderate: 4.3 km each way, 8.6 km out and back, with a published duration of three hours. The lagoon is fed by water emerging from the Paul da Serra plateau. Vegetation and multiple springs are the focus of this walk.

Risco ends at a viewpoint toward a waterfall dropping down a dark rock face. The PR6.1 text profile lists 1.5 km outward, 3 km out and back, and two hours. Its linked official map, however, lists 3 km from Rabaçal on ER105 to Risco, with separate start and finish points. Do not use the text's 3 km return figure as the complete walk from the road.

Before choosing Risco for a short day, ask IFCN which distance and approach apply from your actual starting point. The map and text disagree, so leave the full road-to-waterfall return unresolved until that is clarified. Both walks share their opening section; adding their separate round-trip figures would also double-count part of the route.

Treat Risco as the shorter main outing. If you want both destinations, use the official map and allow for the branch between them, stops and the ascent back to your actual pickup point. Arrange collection at ER105 unless you have confirmed a different service and its last departure. A shuttle should not be assumed to remove the final climb.

Reserve the walk you intend to do

On October 17, 2026, both profiles displayed OPEN. PR6 also carried a temporary notice that its normally one-way section was operating in both directions. Follow current signs rather than an older circulation account.

Madeira’s hiking FAQ requires advance time reservations for all classified PR walks through SIMplifica, including individual visitors. The profiles list €4.50 for visitors over 12 and exemption for children 12 and under. Check your selected routes and applicable exemptions in the portal before paying; payment for one named walk should not be assumed to cover another.

Recheck the IFCN trail table before leaving. Fanal’s old trees offer a different reason to visit Madeira’s uplands, with their own access checks.