PR6.4rabacal paul da serra • MODERATE4,50 €
Levada Velha do Rabaçal
Pico Gordo to Casa do Rabaçal: Current Trail Access & Conditions
Historic levada link from Pico Gordo down to the Rabaçal shelter area (5 km).
Distance5 km
Pico Gordo to Casa do Rabaçal: Current Trail Access & Conditions
Historic levada link from Pico Gordo down to the Rabaçal shelter area (5 km).
Path is fully open in the official register. Mountain conditions can change rapidly; carry extra layers and water.
“Aberto segundo registo oficial IFCN.”
Conditions on the ridge and valley are currently clear. Best visibility occurs before 13:00 to 14:00 when Atlantic trade clouds typically gather on northern windward slopes.
Plan to be off exposed ridgelines or unlit levada channels at least 2 hours before dusk.
Hikers without supportive footwear. Uneven stones and mud can be slick.
Not a live timetable. Colors match the map: bus, walk, taxi gap. Clocks appear only from a full PDF or from the Horários do Funchal feed. Where there is no bus: licensed taxi or private transfer. The taxi lines use the 2026 IMT meter on named road kilometres. This site does not book the ride.
Hike
Hike between trailheads, about 2.5 hours. That figure is the trail estimate, not a bus time.
Classified PRs need a Simplifica booking, including RAM residents who pay nothing. A paid booking does not open a closed trail.
Camping only in IFCN zones, licence on Simplifica, €5 per tent per night. Wild camping and fires are not allowed.
Temperatures on Madeira drop by roughly 6.5°C per 1,000 meters of elevation. High ridges are significantly colder and windier than the coast.
Cross-section of the route relative to the trade-wind cloud layer (Mar de Nuvens), tunnel sections, and exposed cliff edges.
PR6.4 rises from 1064m to 1200m over 5 km. Estimated cloud base is about 800m with tops near 1250m. The route lies inside the cloud deck; expect poor visibility and wet rock.
Official gear guidelines, tunnel safety requirements, and conservation fees for this specific route.
European Emergency Number: 112
Regional Civil Protection: +351 291 700 112
Deep canyons and tunnels often have zero mobile signal coverage.
Maintained by local editors in Madeira. Not an official emergency service. Always yield to on-site ranger instructions.
Astronomically calculated for 1200m elevation (1.01° geometric horizon dip). The sun crests 6 minutes earlier than sea level in Funchal.
Depart Funchal by 06:27 to secure trailhead parking before the lot fills (around 06:15) and reach the viewpoint ahead of first civil light (07:38).
The official IFCN status for PR6.4 Levada Velha do Rabaçal is currently OPEN. Mountain trail access is updated by IFCN for rockfall, wet rock, or gale warnings. Physical trailhead barriers and ranger notices always override online statuses.
Mountain weather across Madeira differs drastically from Funchal. At PR6.4 (spanning 1064m to 1200m), trade winds often create a thick cloud layer between 1,000m and 1,400m while the highest peaks may sit in clear sunshine. Check the live mountain camera above before setting out.
No specific access fee is currently mandated for this trail, subject to standard regional environmental conservation rules.
Never bypass closed gates or warning tape. If the central peaks or northern levadas are closed by weather, the East Coast (PR8 Ponta de São Lourenço) or lower southern levadas typically provide dry, sunny fallback conditions.
This is a linear one-way traverse (5 km). Start and end points are in different valleys. Pre-book your taxi or private return shuttle, as remote mountain trailheads (e.g. Achada do Teixeira) have no regular bus service.