OpenMadeira
Tell me about the Rabaçal - Pico do Vento - Lagoa da Dona Beja - Bica de Cana hike in Madeira
💭 Thinking
The user is asking about a specific hike in Madeira. Let me search for this trail using the find_hikes tool. The trail name seems to be "Rabaçal - Pico do Vento - Lagoa da Dona Beja - Bica de Cana". Let me search forit.The user is asking about a specific trail: "Rabaçal - Pico do Vento - Lagoa da Dona Beja - Bica de Cana". This isn't one of the official IFCN PR trails in the results. Let me look through the community trails to see if there's a match. Looking at the community trails, I see "Viewpoints at Rabaçal and Pico do Vento" which mentions Pico do Vento. But the specific route name "Rabaçal - Pico do Vento - Lagoa da Dona Beja - Bica de Cana" isn't an exact match. Looking at the official PR trails near Rabaçal: - PR 6: Levada das 25 Fontes - PR 6.1: Levada do Risco - PR 6.2: Levada do Alecrim (ends at Lagoa 'Dona Beja') - PR 6.6: Vereda do Túnel do Cavalo - PR 6.8: Levada do Paul II The route the user describes — "Rabaçal - Pico do Vento - Lagoa da Dona Beja - Bica de Cana" — passes through Lagoa da Dona Beja, which is the endpoint of PR 6.2 (Levada do Alecrim). The community trail "Viewpoints at Rabaçal and Pico do Vento" also references Pico do Vento and the Rabaçal viewpoint. The name the user used matches a route that goes through multiple waypoints in the Rabaçal/Paul da Serra area. This exact route name doesn't appear as an official PR trail. The closest match among community trails is "Viewpoints at Rabaçal and Pico do Vento" which is described as a loop passing viewpoints at Pico do Vento and Rabaçal. However, the specific route name might correspond to a combined route that hikers do, connecting PR 6.2 (to Lagoa da Dona Beja) with the Pico do Vento viewpoint and Bica de Cana. This isn't a single official trail - it's likely a combination or a community route. Let me look more carefully. The "Viewpoints at Rabaçal and Pico do Vento" community trail has: - Rating: 4.4, 120 reviews - Difficulty: hard - Length: 7.4 km, loop - Estimated time: 3.5–4 hr - Description mentions the Rabaçal viewpoint in Pico da Urze on Paul da Serra plateau But the user specifically names "Rabaçal - Pico do Vento - Lagoa da Dona Beja - Bica de Cana" which includes Lagoa da Dona Beja (the lagoon at the end of PR 6.2) and Bica de Cana. This exact route name doesn't appear in either the official trails or the community trails. It's likely a composite route that hikers combine, or possibly an older/historical route designation. I should tell the user what I found: 1. There's no single official PR trail with this exact name 2. The route they're asking about passes through areas covered by PR 6.2 (Levada do Alecrim, which goes to Lagoa da Dona Beja) and a community route "Viewpoints at Rabaçal and Pico do Vento" 3. Give them the relevant details from what I found Let me also check: PR 6.2 Levada do Alecrim goes from Rabaçal to the water spring of Levada do Alecrim (Lagoa 'Dona Beja'). Its end_point is literally "Water spring of Levada do Alecrim (Lagoa 'Dona Beja')". So the Lagoa da Dona Beja portion is covered by PR 6.2. The route "Rabaçal - Pico do Vento - Lagoa da Dona Beja - Bica de Cana" seems to be a combination that includes: - Starting at Rabaçal - Passing through Pico do Vento (a viewpoint) - Going to Lagoa da Dona Beja (end of PR 6.2) - And Bica de Cana (another area near Paul da Serra) The closest community trail match is "Viewpoints at Rabaçal and Pico do Vento" (7.4 km loop, 4.4★, 120 reviews). I'll present this information clearly, noting it's not an official PR trail name but explaining the related official and community options.
How this was derived · 1 step
Trails near RabaçalMap & photos
6 photos
Levada do RiscoLevada do RiscoLevada do RiscoLevada do RiscoLevada do RiscoLevada do Risco
Official PR trail (IFCN) Community route (AllTrails — not official)
Photos: walkmeguide.com · green = official IFCN PR trail · amber = community route (AllTrails)

The route you're asking about — Rabaçal → Pico do Vento → Lagoa da Dona Beja → Bica de Cana — isn't a single official PR trail, but it passes through areas covered by PR 6.2 Levada do Alecrim (which ends at Lagoa da Dona Beja) and closely matches a community-mapped route. Here's what I found:


Official trail in this area: PR 6.2 – Levada do Alecrim

This is the official trail that goes to Lagoa da Dona Beja (the lagoon in your route name):

RouteRabaçal – Nascente da Levada (Lagoa "Dona Beja")
DifficultyEasy
Distance3.5 km (+ 3.5 km return)
Duration~2 h 30 min
Altitude1,256 m → 1,339 m
Access fee€4.50 (over 12 yrs) via SIMplifica; free ≤ 12 yrs
Managed byIFCN
Community rating4.6★ (1,719 reviews on AllTrails)

The trail follows the Levada do Alecrim through dense laurisilva forest with small waterfalls, ending at the beautiful Lagoa da Dona Beja — a natural lagoon where you can swim on hot days. It starts at Rabaçal (ER 105), the same trailhead as your route.

📖 VisitMadeira – PR 6.2 · 🥾 AllTrails · Directions to trailhead ↗


Community route: Viewpoints at Rabaçal and Pico do Vento

The closest match to your full route name — covering Rabaçal and Pico do Vento — is a community-mapped loop on AllTrails:

Distance7.4 km (loop)
Estimated time3.5–4 hr
DifficultyHard
Rating4.4★ (120 reviews on AllTrails)
Route typeLoop

⚠️ This is a community route mapped on AllTrails — not part of Madeira's official PR trail network managed by IFCN (the regional government's forests & nature-conservation authority). It therefore has no official open/closed status and no maintenance/signage guarantee; check access and conditions locally before going.

The route starts on the Paul da Serra plateau, passes through Pico da Urze to the Pico do Vento viewpoint with panoramic views over the Rabaçal valley and laurisilva forest, then continues to the Rabaçal viewpoint.

🥾 AllTrails – Viewpoints at Rabaçal and Pico do Vento · Directions to trailhead ↗


Other trails starting at Rabaçal

All of the Rabaçal-area trails share the same trailhead and require the €4.50 SIMplifica access fee:

TrailDifficultyDistanceDurationRating
PR 6.1 Levada do RiscoEasy3 km (+ 3 km return)2 h4.4★ (642)
PR 6 Levada das 25 FontesModerate4.3 km (+ 4.3 km return)3 h4.5★ (6,244)
PR 6.2 Levada do AlecrimEasy3.5 km (+ 3.5 km return)2 h 304.6★ (1,719)
PR 6.6 Vereda do Túnel do Cavalo2.3 km4.6★ (595)
PR 6.8 Levada do Paul II1.2 km

Your route (Rabaçal → Pico do Vento → Lagoa da Dona Beja → Bica de Cana) appears to be a longer combined loop that links PR 6.2's Lagoa da Dona Beja with the Paul da Serra viewpoints and the Bica de Cana area. It's not an official IFCN trail as a single route, but hikers commonly stitch these segments together. The community route Viewpoints at Rabaçal and Pico do Vento is the closest documented match.

Would you like me to check the mountain forecast and IPMA warnings for the Rabaçal area, or show you a video of the Levada do Alecrim / Rabaçal trails?

OpenMadeira can make mistakes — check the sources.