PR 6.1 Levada do Risco

PR 6.1 Levada do Risco is on the IFCN classified-trail table updated on 2 October 2026 and read here on 12 October 2026. The official distance on that table is 3 km each way (6 km there and back). The places named there are Rabaçal and Risco. The status on that table is: open. Route Summary: 3 km each way (6 km there and back) · 1 h 30 min – 2 h 00 min · +50 m / -50 m (1,000 m flat levada) · Easy · Out-and-back returns to car. Sharing the Rabaçal trailhead with PR 6 Levada das 25 Fontes, PR 6.1 follows the upper level of the Rabaçal valley to a railed rock balcony directly in front of the tall vertical drop of Cascata do Risco, where water from the Paul da Serra plateau plunges down a sheer basalt rock face.

Two-way return on PR 6.1 vs. the one-way rule on PR 6

As explained in PR 6 Levada das 25 Fontes is one-way, hikers at Rabaçal often confuse the traffic rules of the two sister routes:

• PR 6.1 Levada do Risco is open in both directions: You walk from the Rabaçal forestry house area along the wide, level Levada do Risco path to the Risco waterfall viewpoint and return along the exact same path back to Rabaçal (3 km each way, 6 km total).
• PR 6.1 is not the PR 6 bypass: The one-way rule on the 2 October 2026 IFCN table applies to PR 6 Levada das 25 Fontes (which goes out on the lower levada to the 25 Fontes lagoon and returns via the bypass).
• Separate routes on the IFCN table: Even though many hikers walk to the Risco waterfall spur before descending the steps to join PR 6 toward 25 Fontes, the IFCN table lists PR 6 and PR 6.1 on separate rows with separate PR numbers. Two other classified routes — PR 6.2 Levada do Alecrim (3.5 km each way) and PR 6.3 Vereda da Lagoa do Vento (1.8 km each way) — also start from the Rabaçal car park.

Parking on the ER 105 plateau and the forestry road

All private vehicles visiting Rabaçal park at the upper roadside car park on the ER 105 regional road across Paul da Serra:

• Closed forestry road to private cars: Motorists cannot drive down the 2 km tarmac forestry road to the Rabaçal forestry house (Casa do Rabaçal). You either walk down and up that road or pay locally for the optional shuttle minibus that ferries walkers between the ER 105 barrier and the forestry house during daytime hours.
• No public bus: No scheduled public bus serves the ER 105 Rabaçal car park; arrive by rental car, taxi from Calheta / Ponta do Sol, or organized transfer.

Terrain, accessibility, and before you go

When combining the Risco waterfall balcony with neighbouring Rabaçal paths, factor in the extra climb back to the ER 105 car park and bring a waterproof shell for wind-driven spray at the plunge pool. Compared with the narrower stone steps of lower PR 6, the levada corridor on PR 6.1 is wide, well-railed, and gently graded under mature Laurissilva and tree-heath canopy, with no unlit tunnels. Spray from the waterfall and plateau mist keep the viewing gallery damp; wear grippy closed shoes and carry a waterproof layer as noted in What to carry on a levada. The IFCN fee FAQ lists €4.50 per person for one classified route other than PR 1. Residents of the region, children aged 12 or under, and covered disability cases do not pay the fee and still need a reservation; see PR trail fees and reservation rules on Madeira. This site does not publish a live forecast. Source: Percursos pedestres classificados, table updated 2 October 2026, read here on 12 October 2026. The fee figures are from the IFCN fee FAQ.

Channel history and waterworks notes

• Water intake (Madre): Fontes do Risco (1050 m)
• Terminus (Fim): Lombo da Raposeira, Fajã da Ovelha (900 m)
• Total hydraulic channel length: 24 km (historical full channel)
• Traditional and local names: Levada Velha do Rabaçal · Levada do Furado Velho
• Engineering and basin context: Upper Rabaçal headwaters channel begun in 1835, piercing the central divide via the historic Túnel das Estrebarias (Furado Velho) in 1855 and completed across 24 km in 1860.

First surveyed in 1768 by engineer Francisco de Alencourt on instructions from the Governor of Madeira, state construction of Levada Velha do Rabaçal—also called Levada do Risco or Levada do Furado Velho—began in 1835 as the higher of the two Rabaçal channels. In 1855, workers completed the historic Túnel das Estrebarias (Furado Velho), bringing surplus northern water through the central mountain divide to the dry south coast for the first time in Madeiran history. Completed in 1860 across a 24 km course from Fontes do Risco (1050 m) to Lombo da Raposeira (900 m) to irrigate Prazeres, Fajã da Ovelha, Ponta do Pargo, and Paul do Mar, the channel is today actively operated along its upper headwaters section between the Risco waterfall and the Rabaçal forestry house, where its waters are directed into Levada das 25 Fontes to feed the Calheta Hydroelectric Power Station.