11.0 km – Round trip – Moderate  3-4h  4.2

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Both trails begin on the regional road (E.R. 110) and go down to the Rabaçal government house. The trails diverge along two parallel ‘levadas’ located on different levels. Trail PR 6.1 goes along Levada do Risco, at 1000m above sea level, taking the hiker to an impressive waterfall, which falls vertically, creating a ridge in the rock.

 If you go down to PR6 you can visit Lagoa das 25 Fontes, 25 water springs created by the waters that come down from Paul da Serra. At this height the landscape is dominated by heaths, which includes Erica arborea and Erica scoparia ssp maderensis as well as Madeira whortleberry (Vaccinium padifolium). You can also spot the rare mountain mocano (Pittosporum coriaceum). These species are part of the Laurisilva forest of Madeira, classified in 1999 as a Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO. 

Both ‘levadas’ bring together water from two tributaries of Ribeira Grande, run into the Calheta Hydroelectric Dam and carries on to irrigate agricultural land.

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