Fanal - Porto Moniz — Madeira levada walk guide

Tell me about the Fanal - Porto Moniz levada walk in Madeira

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The user is asking about the "Fanal - Porto Moniz" levada walk in Madeira. Let me search for this trail using the find_hikes tool. "Levada do Fanal" or the walk from Fanal to Porto Moniz - let me search for it. I'll also search for curated videos of the area, and check terrain/elevation. Let me start by searching for the trail.The user asked about the "Fanal - Porto Moniz levada walk" in Madeira. Let me look through the results to identify which trail(s) best match this description. Looking at the results, there's no single official PR trail specifically called "Fanal to Porto Moniz" or "Levada do Fanal to Porto Moniz." However, there are several relevant trails near Fanal: 1. **PR 14 - Levada dos Cedros**: Fanal → Curral Falso, 7.2 km, Moderate, 3 hours, starts at ER 209 (Fanal). This is the closest match - it starts from Fanal and goes toward the north coast area. But it ends at Curral Falso, not Porto Moniz directly. 2. **PR 15 - Vereda da Ribeira da Janela**: Curral Falso → Ribeira da Janela, 2.7 km, Moderate, 1:30 hours. This starts where PR 14 ends and goes to Ribeira da Janela, which is in Porto Moniz municipality. 3. **PR 13 - Vereda do Fanal**: Paul da Serra → Fanal, 10.8 km, Moderate, 4 hours. This ends at Fanal, going from the plateau down. The "Fanal to Porto Moniz" walk that people commonly refer to is typically a combination of PR 14 (Levada dos Cedros, Fanal → Curral Falso) and then PR 15 (Vereda da Ribeira da Janela, Curral Falso → Ribeira da Janela), which takes you from Fanal down to the north coast near Porto Moniz. There's also the community trail "Rota Circular da Levada dos Cedros - Fanal" (11.3 km, moderate) which is a loop version. I should present the relevant official trails, noting that the "Fanal to Porto Moniz" walk is typically done as a combination walk: PR 14 (Fanal → Curral Falso) continuing onto PR 15 (Curral Falso → Ribeira da Janela), which brings you to the north coast in the Porto Moniz area. Let me also note that none of the status fields have values, which means I should advise checking current status. All trails in this area require a SIMplifica payment of €4.50 for visitors >12 years. Let me compose theanswer.

How this was derived · 2 steps

Trails near FanalMap & photos

6 photos

Photos: walkmeguide.com ↗

Official PR trail (IFCN) Community route (AllTrails — not official)

Levada dos Cedros 4.5 Directions
Vereda da Ribeira da Janela 4.4 Directions
Rota dos Fios 4.5 Directions
Fanal Short Loop 4.6 Directions
Rota do Montado do Fanal 4.5 Directions

Photos: walkmeguide.com · green = official IFCN PR trail · amber = community route (AllTrails)

The walk people call the "Fanal to Porto Moniz" levada isn't a single official trail — it's a popular combination of two consecutive PR routes that take you from Fanal's ancient laurel forest all the way down to the north coast at Ribeira da Janela (Porto Moniz municipality):

🥾 PR 14 — Levada dos Cedros

Fanal → Curral Falso


Distance	7.2 km
Difficulty	Moderate
Duration	~3 hours
Altitude	840 m → 1 090 m
Start	ER 209 (Fanal)
End	ER 209 (Curral Falso)
Rating	⭐ 4.5 from 1 144 reviews on AllTrails
Access fee	€4.50 (visitors > 12 years) via SIMplifica portal; children ≤ 12 free

This is the heart of it — you walk along the Levada dos Cedros through an enchanting stretch of Laurissilva (UNESCO World Heritage laurel forest), with centuries-old trees draped in moss, small waterfalls, and sweeping views over the valleys. The levada contours along the mountainside through dense forest and open viewpoints. It finishes at Curral Falso on ER 209.

Visit Madeira page · Directions to trailhead ↗

🥾 PR 15 — Vereda da Ribeira da Janela

Curral Falso → Ribeira da Janela


Distance	2.7 km
Difficulty	Moderate
Duration	~1 h 30 min
Altitude	400 m → 820 m
Start	ER 209 (Curral Falso)
End	Ribeira da Janela
Rating	⭐ 4.4 from 119 reviews on AllTrails
Access fee	€4.50 (visitors > 12 years) via SIMplifica; children ≤ 12 free

The second leg continues from Curral Falso and descends through lush forest to Ribeira da Janela, a village in the Porto Moniz municipality right on the coast. You follow the watercourse down through laurel and heather, ending near sea level with views of the Atlantic.

Visit Madeira page · Directions to trailhead ↗

How to do the full Fanal → Porto Moniz walk

Combined: PR 14 + PR 15 gives you roughly 10 km / ~4.5 hours of hiking from Fanal down to Ribeira da Janela on the coast. It's a point-to-point walk, so you'll need transport planning:

Leave a car at Ribeira da Janela (or Porto Moniz) and drive up to Fanal, OR arrange a taxi from the bottom to the start.
The trailhead at Fanal is about a 2-minute drive from the Fanal area.
From Ribeira da Janela you can walk or drive a short distance to Porto Moniz (famous natural swimming pools) for a well-earned swim and lunch.

⚠️ Access fee: Both trails require payment through the SIMplifica portal (€4.50 per adult; under-12s free). Check the current trail status before you set out — weather conditions in this high-altitude laurel forest can change rapidly.

Also in the Fanal area

If you'd like something shorter or easier around Fanal itself, these community routes are popular (not part of the official IFCN PR network, so no open/closed status is guaranteed):

Route	Distance	Difficulty	Rating
Fanal Short Loop	1.9 km	Moderate	⭐ 4.6 (385)
Rota dos Fios	4.2 km	Easy	⭐ 4.5 (631)
Lagoa do Fanal viewpoint loop	3.4 km	Easy	⭐ 4.5 (346)
Rota do Montado do Fanal	7.4 km	Moderate	⭐ 4.5 (189)

These are community-mapped routes on AllTrails — not official IFCN PR trails, so check access and conditions locally.

Want me to check the mountain weather forecast and IPMA warnings for the day you're planning to go, or look up how to get to Fanal by bus?

OpenMadeira can make mistakes — check the sources.