Day 13: Levada da Ribeira da Janela & Northwest Coast

July 28, 2025

Highlights today:

• a damn steep cable car (Teleferico das Achadas da Cruz)
• Levada da Ribeira da Janela
• Porto Moniz
• Miradouro das Ilhéus da Ribeira da Janela (Star Wars)
• waves at Sao Vicente

Once again, the early bird.... and so....

We're setting off at 8 AM towards the Paul da Serra plateau, which we know quite well by now, just like the area around Rabacal. Looking back, it's really another plus point for the location of Calheta! Both in terms of the weather and our previous excursions, Calheta has been the perfect base for us!

The weather in Calheta is - as on every day - sunny and warm! According to the weather app and webcam, the weather on the northwest coast is supposed to be bad all day long. Well, let's see. We have to go there eventually.

It’s sunny on the plateau. We pass by some cows standing on and beside the road and stop at the Miradouro da Fonte do Bispo. We can see how the clouds are pressing in from the sea into the interior of the island. As we did yesterday on Pico, we have two layers of clouds: one high up in the sky and one below us in the valleys, and it's already clear that we likely won't see much sun again today when we head down to the sea.

Curiously, there was a fire here once (last year?), the posts along the road are melted and have not yet been replaced, which leads to a very odd sight when a cow is standing next to it 😁

Our next stop is the Achadas da Cruz cable car (Teleférico da Achadas da Cruz), which is the steepest cable car in Madeira with a 98% gradient. It connects the cliffside village of Achadas da Cruz with the shore gardens of Fajã da Quebrada Nova, which are used for agriculture due to the fertile soil and are otherwise not accessible by car etc. This cable car serves not only tourism but also the transportation of farmers and their harvest (one of the main reasons for its construction).

We reach the cable car around 9 AM, and the parking lot (there are only a few spots, which is why we are here so early) is still empty. The sky shows a few gaps in the clouds where the sun occasionally finds its way through.

In front of us, two tourists are currently riding the cable car down. We take a closer look from the railing - by the way, this is called Miradouro das Achadas da Cruz. I get dizzy just looking down. Oh dear, it's really steep!!!

There is a light breeze, but it's enough to make the cable car cabin sway back and forth. In total, there are always 2 cabins running simultaneously - one going up and one going down.

The ticket costs €5 / person. I almost hope that my son backs out, because then I would have a reason to stay up here too, but he says nothing....

Together with a couple, we sit for a total of six (maximum capacity) in the small wobbly cabin. The wind whistles in everywhere, the top small window was taped shut....😱

Ahhhhh....I want out of here....

The first half of the descent is relatively calm, but then it becomes unbelievably windy. We rock back and forth, and I can hardly wait to finally arrive at the bottom and leave this rickety gondola behind.

At the bottom station, by the way, there are no employees. Such a thing would be unthinkable in Germany. You exit alone, a camera monitors the process and also manages the return trip in case there are no tourists standing at the top, but you want to go back up from below.

We quickly walk around the little house, look at the waves crashing against the pebbly beach, and then immediately line up again for the ride up (we are alone, the other couple goes for a walk).

Another tourist group is just descending in the gondola and disembarks. We quickly jump in and swing back up again.

Yes....great view... and so... I have a fear of heights - this is not my favorite activity.

Upon arrival at the top, the parking lot is already quite filled. We gaze down from the viewpoint for a while and then drive on.

Today another Levada hike is on the agenda. The Levada da Ribeira da Janela is actually 25 km long and has a different start and end point, which is always challenging for us with the car. Surely we could solve the problem with a taxi somehow, but since we have other spots on the bucket list today, we only want to walk the first 6.5 km of the Levada, which are supposed to be particularly beautiful and lead to a waterfall after a tunnel. Sounds like a plan, unfortunately the weather continues to be less than perfect, so 25 km (with 6 tunnels that are supposed to be very difficult to traverse) would have been a challenge.

Around 10 AM we reach the parking lot at the Levada (there is also a barbecue area and public & clean (!) WCs). There is only one car aside from ours in the parking lot, so we are away from mass tourism - very nice! The tourist crowds at Levada 25 Fontes and on Pico really shocked us....

Today, I also brought my trekking poles. So far they would have been more of a hindrance in the extremely narrow Levadas, but today the trail is supposed to be significantly wider - so I’m giving it a try.

The first kilometers lead us through forests and meadows, over small bridges and past caves. The scenery is indeed very beautiful, and after the first hour the sun actually comes out and it suddenly gets very warm!

The views are gigantic. You feel like you’re in a jungle or in a Jurassic Park movie.

After about 6 km, we reach the first tunnel. A warning sign casually alerts us to 'PERIGO' (danger). So far, only 2 trail runners with dogs have passed us; we are still alone, so hopefully there won’t be any oncoming traffic inside the tunnel. About 100m behind us, a father with his children arrives, and if possible we want to get through the tunnel before him.

The tunnel is low and very wet. We can’t see much, but it's not long - the end is visible. Again, I'm running closely behind the daughter who is illuminating the way with her headlamp.

Besides puddles in the tunnel, there are many very slippery spots. Good footwear is advisable here if you don’t want wet feet instantly and want to avoid slipping constantly.

As we exit the tunnel, we stand in front of a massive half-round rock wall that is completely overgrown with moss and green plants. Water drips down everywhere, streams of water make their way down, but the actual waterfall that is supposed to 'fall' in the middle of the wall over a Levada roof is largely dry. Instead, a trickle is flowing over the roof. When we stand underneath it, I can only say thankfully there is no water flowing from the waterfall. We would have probably gotten soaked, as even the little water is enough to feel like a shower.

We walk along the rock wall to the second tunnel on the opposite side and look a few meters inside. Due to a bend, you can't see the end of the tunnel, but it is even lower than the first tunnel. I walk a few meters into it, hunched over (I’m 1.76m tall) and am confronted with deep puddles and muddy ground. Since my phone's flashlight doesn’t really produce good light, I turn back. No more adventures today.

By now, the father with the two children has caught up with us. The girl (of primary school age) is wearing 'Blinkies', blinking fabric sneakers, that are already completely soaked. They greet us and disappear into the second tunnel. Hats off, they must have the 25 km ahead of them! I see them running around the curve in the tunnel, and the father swears as he hits his head (they only have phones for lighting).

We turn around. Just as we’re about to go back through the first tunnel, a couple comes toward us. Avoiding each other in the tunnel is almost impossible, so we wait.

Meanwhile, the sun has come out and it has warmed up significantly. I’m glad I didn’t bring a jacket. The rest of the family has to either tie it around their waist or hold it in their hands.

After about 3.5 hours, we’re back at the parking lot and head towards Porto Moniz. We are hungry, and we’re also hoping for some sun. I would love to use the natural pools to cool off!

Unfortunately, Porto Moniz greets us with clouds, wind, and 22 degrees. What a pity, but nothing entices me to jump into the cool water.

We have lunch at the Poça Dos Arcos Restaurant, more of a snack bar, right on the sea. The pizza is okay, the Margherita is very delicious, the vegetarian pizza shines with canned vegetables... not so tasty. But we are full now and explore the area.

In Porto Moniz, there are two 'Natural Pools' where you can refresh yourself in seawater:

• Piscinas Naturais Cachalote (The original pools)
• Piscinas Naturais do Porto Moniz (The official pools)

We are checking out the Piscinas Naturais Cachalote, the original pools. The basins are located a bit further west, at the town exit, near the restaurant Cachalote. Access here is free, so you don’t have to pay an entrance fee (we know this from the Azores, where the lava pools impressed us more both visually and by water quality).

The water here seems a little 'stirred up', with no regular exchange of fresh water due to the sea, in many pools the water looks milky and green. Here, there's nothing pulling us in...

Moreover, there are no changing rooms or other sanitary facilities like showers, and - where there are many people - there is also a lot of rubbish.... around and in the pools....🤢

No, it doesn't seem very inviting to us, especially since we have the comparison to really nice pools in the Azores in mind (especially those in Terceira, which were truly wonderful! => see my Azores blog https://vakantio.de/abenteuer-azoren/tag-3-von-sao-miguel-nach-terceira )

The basins of the free pools are significantly more natural and rougher than those of the official pools. The lava rocks are sharper, the ground is more irregular since it is not a constructed pool. Still, I would rather spend the 3-5 € for the Piscinas Naturais do Porto Moniz (The official pools). From the cliff, we can see the tourists splashing in the official pools and sitting on the outer wall by the sea. The highlight seems to be to wait for a big wave that sweeps you back into the swimming pool from the wall. Very funny to watch.

We say goodbye to Porto Moniz, and I briefly mourn the missed swimming experience with wave fun in the official pools, but then look forward to the things that await us today.

Next stop: Film location!

Yes, Madeira has recently served as a film location for the STAR WARS series 'Ahsoka' (English 'The Acolyte'). In fact, we have seen the series and in hindsight, we can even recognize the filming locations:

• Ponta de São Lourenço, the rocky peninsula in the east that we have already visited, was used as a backdrop for the planet Ueda and the cliff landscape of the planet Olega
• Parque Floestal do Fanal, the 'fairy forest' served as a backdrop for the planet Khofar
• The Piscinas Naturais Cachalote, the original sea swimming pools made of volcanic rock in Porto Moniz also served as a backdrop for scenes in 'Ahsoka' (The Acolyte)
• Ribeira da Janela & Seixal contributed their coastal regions and the striking rock needles in the sea as scenery for the mysterious planet where the character 'The Stranger' lives, and we are now going to take a look at them!

At first glance, you see a large volcanic rock with basalt columns on the outside, through which a tunnel leads to the sea side, accessible via steps.

The Miraduoro dos Ilhéu da Ribeira da Janela.

However, we walk the path around the rock, as we first go to the sea and stand directly in front of the famous rock. On the rocky beach, we find plenty of 'stone towers'. We reach the viewpoint on the rock via a path, take our 'comparison photo', and then return through the tunnel to the other side of the rock, where we descend the steps back to the parking lot.

The not-so-perfect summer weather suits this scenery perfectly.

The next stop is the Miradouro da Ribeira da Janela, where two swings invite you to swing and you can enjoy a beautiful view of the coast from the observation terrace.

We actually want to check out the sandy beach of Seixal, but fail due to parking issues. The traffic is congested throughout the town, and we can’t even get close to the beach, so we eventually give up, irritated. We park further inland in the town, and the husband explores the surroundings with the daughter, but it’s too far down to the beach, so they return soon. Too bad, we will not see the beach today.

At the Miradouro do Véu da Noiva, you can admire a waterfall that cascades down the wooded mountainside towards the sea. However, you need a good telephoto lens here... with my phone, it’s just 'very far away'.

On the way back to Calheta, we drive along the coast and reach the shore road just before Sao Vicente, where the waves crash loudly against the concrete wall and occasionally spray up to the street. Cool, we have to take a closer look at this!

We watch the spectacle for a while until we underestimate the force of the waves one by one. While the husband is sitting on the wave wall quietly capturing the approaching waves with his camcorder, a seemingly harmless wave crashes against the wall but sprays way up past the wall and soaks the husband.

A little cooling - for everyone's amusement...😜

The retaliation follows for my son and me when a similarly harmless-looking wave catches us several meters along the wall. Okay, now almost everyone has a wet butt and back, off to Calheta 😅

I quickly jump into the pool, then we throw some sausages and vegetables on our huge outdoor kitchen grill. I think you can easily provide 30 people with grilling food if you use the whole grill. Our food looks very 'lost' on the giant grill.

While we plan for tomorrow, our cuddly little cat visits us, but today with 'company'. A small kitten, completely ruffled, with a bloody mouth and evidently very shy. We don’t know if it possibly has a broken jaw, encountered another animal, or was a victim of human violence...

A hard sight to bear. It is apparently seeking refuge with our little cat, and unlike her (somewhere she seems to be fed, as she still does not eat with us), he is hungry and thirsty. I offer him a bowl of water, which he ignores. He only allows touches after several attempts. I cut him a bit of sausage, which he devours immediately and then settles down in a corner under bushes on our terrace to sleep.

I didn’t take a picture...

This is unfortunately one of the major negative points of the southern islands & mainland. We've seen this animal suffering everywhere. Cats and dogs that breed uncontrolled, endangering the native animals (birds, amphibians, etc.) and usually enduring great suffering.

Even in the Azores, this was a significant issue, where feral cats were encountered everywhere.

Here in Madeira, by the way, there is a simple rule for cats: even if it is a cat with an owner (we’ve also had a visitation from a cat with a collar on the terrace), there is a clear rule: cats do not belong in the house!

This seems to be deeply rooted among the stray cats, as even though our terrace door usually stands open when we are here, the cats do not dare to come near the door or even into the house.

I hope our vacation home successors are also cat lovers and give our little kitty the attention it seeks. She is sleeping again on my towel on the lounger today and is clearly enjoying not being alone 💓

For the statistics:

Walked: 16.5 km

Drove: 100 km

Accommodation: Villa Cró in Calheta

Weather: Sun and clouds, up to +28 degrees

• Levada da Ribeira da Janela (the first 6.5 km)

Distance: 13 km (6.5 km round trip - to the 2nd tunnel)
Difficulty: easy
Duration: 3h
Start/End: Lamaceiros
Highest/Lowest Point: 424 /407