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Tell me about the Seixal - Chão da Ribeira - Ribeira do Seixal hike in Madeira
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The user is asking about a specific hike in Madeira - "Seixal - Chão da Ribeira - Ribeira do Seixal". Let me look this up in the hikes database to get official information about thistrail.The user asked about "Seixal - Chão da Ribeira - Ribeira do Seixal" hike. Looking at the results, this specific trail name doesn't appear as an official PR trail in the results. However, I can see there's a community trail called "Lombo Barbinhas - Levada do Seixal - Vereda das Feitas" which mentions "Levada do Seixal" and is near Seixal. Let me look more carefully. The user's query "Seixal - Chão da Ribeira - Ribeira do Seixal" doesn't match any of the returned official PR trails or community trails exactly. The closest match in the community trails is "Lombo Barbinhas - Levada do Seixal - Vereda das Feitas" which mentions Levada do Seixal. Let me search more specifically for this trailname.The user asked about "Seixal - Chão da Ribeira - Ribeira do Seixal" hike. Looking at my search results, this specific trail name doesn't appear as an official PR trail in the IFCN database. However, in the community trails, I found "Lombo Barbinhas - Levada do Seixal - Vereda das Feitas" which is related to the Seixal area and mentions "Levada do Seixal." Let me also check - "Seixal - Chão da Ribeira - Ribeira do Seixal" sounds like it could be a variant name or a community-mapped route. The community trail "Lombo Barbinhas - Levada do Seixal - Vereda das Feitas" mentions the Levada do Seixal. But actually, looking more carefully, the user's query "Seixal - Chão da Ribeira - Ribeira do Seixal" doesn't exactly match any trail in our database. The closest match is the community trail "Lombo Barbinhas - Levada do Seixal - Vereda das Feitas" which involves the Levada do Seixal area. Let me check if there's an official PR trail with this name. I searched for "Seixal Chão da Ribeira" and got no results in the official trails. The first search near Seixal returned trails in the area but none named exactly "Seixal - Chão da Ribeira - Ribeira do Seixal." "Lombo Barbinhas - Levada do Seixal - Vereda das Feitas" is the closest community trail that mentions "Seixal" and "Ribeira do Seixal" in its name/description. However, looking at the query again: "Seixal - Chão da Ribeira - Ribeira do Seixal" - this could also be a known route that goes from Seixal village up to Chão da Ribeira and along the Ribeira do Seixal valley. It's quite specific. Let me check if this might be an unofficial name for one of the trails I already found. Looking at the community trails, the "Lombo Barbinhas - Levada do Seixal - Vereda das Feitas" description mentions: "The Levada do Seixal or Feitas belongs to the Rocha Vermelha. It is 3,265 meters long, of which 2,285 are in tunnels and the remaining 980 meters in an open channel, most of which is in vertiginous terrain." This seems to be the closest match. The route goes through the Seixal area with the Levada do Seixal. But the exact name "Seixal - Chão da Ribeira - Ribeira do Seixal" doesn't match exactly. Let me be honest with the user about what I found. Actually, I should also consider that this might be a well-known route variation or a route that's known by this specific name on AllTrails or similar platforms. Let me present what I know clearly. Looking at the community trails list from the first search, the most relevant one is: - "Lombo Barbinhas - Levada do Seixal - Vereda das Feitas" - 4.1★ (156 reviews), hard, 7.4 km loop, ~4-4.5 hr This is the one that involves "Levada do Seixal" / "Ribeira do Seixal" in the Seixal area. I should present this as the closest match, noting that the exact name "Seixal - Chão da Ribeira - Ribeira do Seixal" doesn't appear in our database as an official PR trail, but this community route covers the Seixal/Ribeira do Seixal area. Wait, actually let me also look at whether "Ribeira do Seixal" or "Chão da Ribeira" might be a separate trail. The official PR trails near Seixal from the first search are: - PR 15: Vereda da Ribeira da Janela (different - Ribeira da Janela, not Ribeira do Seixal) - PR 16: Levada Fajã do Rodrigues - PR 14: Levada dos Cedros - PR 13.1: Vereda da Palha Carga - PR 13: Vereda do Fanal None of these match "Seixal - Chão da Ribeira - Ribeira do Seixal" exactly. The community trail "Lombo Barbinhas - Levada do Seixal - Vereda das Feitas" is the closest match based on the "Levada do Seixal" / "Ribeira do Seixal" naming. I'll present what I found, clearly noting this is a community/unofficial route, and give the details Ihave.
How this was derived · 3 steps

The trail you're asking about — Seixal – Chão da Ribeira – Ribeira do Seixal — isn't one of Madeira's official PR (Percurso Recomendado) trails managed by IFCN. The closest match in our database is the community route "Lombo Barbinhas – Levada do Seixal – Vereda das Feitas", which shares the Ribeira do Seixal / Levada do Seixal section and runs through the same area. Here's what we have on it:

Lombo Barbinhas – Levada do Seixal – Vereda das Feitas

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), so it has no official open/closed status and no maintenance or signage guarantee. Check access and conditions locally before going.

DifficultyHard
Distance7.4 km (loop)
Estimated time4–4.5 hours
Rating4.1★ from 156 hiker reviews on AllTrails ↗
AreaMadeira Natural Park
What to expect

This is a memorable but challenging trail through the Levada do Seixal (also called Levada das Feitas), which belongs to the Rocha Vermelha water system. The levada is 3,265 m long — of which roughly 2,285 m run through tunnels and only ~980 m are in an open channel, much of it on vertiginous terrain. The route presents various challenges, especially on rainy days, and is recommended for experienced hikers only.

The trail traverses an area where nature is largely untouched — dense laurisilva, steep valley walls, and dramatic views into the Ribeira do Seixal valley.

⚠️ Because this is not an official IFCN-recommended PR trail, there is no guaranteed maintenance, signage, or official open/closed status. Conditions can change, and some sections may be overgrown or difficult to navigate. Always check locally before setting out.

Getting to the trailhead

The approximate trailhead is near Lombo Barbinhas (coordinates: 32.80371, -17.11541):

Official PR trails near Seixal

If you'd prefer an official, maintained trail in the same area, these are the closest PR routes (ranked by driving distance from Seixal):

TrailDistance from SeixalDriveDifficultyLength
PR 15 – Vereda da Ribeira da Janela10.9 km~16 minModerate2.7 km
PR 16 – Levada Fajã do Rodrigues15.6 km~22 minModerate3.9 km (+ 3.9 km return)
PR 14 – Levada dos Cedros18.2 km~31 minModerate7.2 km

Note: Several of these PR trails now require an access fee of €4.50 (visitors > 12 years; ≤ 12 years exempt), payable via the SIMplifica portal.

Would you like me to check the weather forecast and IPMA mountain warnings for the day you're planning to hike, or look into how to get to the Seixal area by bus?

OpenMadeira can make mistakes — check the sources.