Santana
PR18 Levada do Rei, and the trailhead nobody photographs
The short answer
PR18 Levada do Rei runs from São Jorge on the north coast into a steep laurel forest valley, ending at Ribeiro Bonito. It is an IFCN Classified Walking Route with a fee and a booked timeslot, and it starts behind a wastewater treatment plant, which is not what the photographs show.
Trail fee, per person over twelve
€4.50
Booked as a dated timeslot on the SIMplifica portal. Free for ages twelve and under, who still have to be on the booking.
IFCN, 2026 · check it · read August 26, 2026The facts
| Where | Santana |
|---|---|
| Type | Walks and levadas |
| How long | 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Difficulty | Moderate |
| Cost | €4.50 |
| Best season | Year round |
| Permit | Yes — book before you go |
The walk
PR18 runs 5.3 km, source: Visit Madeira, read August 26, 2026 each way from São Jorge to Ribeiro Bonito, with 3 hours 30 minutes, source: Visit Madeira, read August 26, 2026 given by the tourism board. It is almost level, between 535 m, source: Visit Madeira, read August 26, 2026 and 573 m, source: Visit Madeira, read August 26, 2026, following the channel into a steep-sided valley of laurel forest.
The start is the São Jorge wastewater treatment plant. The walk earns itself back within about ten minutes, but nobody puts that first stretch on a postcard.
Booking and conditions
The fee is €4.50, source: IFCN, 2026, read August 26, 2026 with a dated timeslot booked on SIMplifica. The path is narrow in places with drops on the outside of the channel, and it is on the wet north side of the island, so footing is rarely dry.
What is not perfect about it
The trailhead is the São Jorge wastewater treatment plant, which is a great deal less scenic than the walk that follows. The channel path is narrow with exposed sections, and the return is the same way back.
Questions people actually ask
Where does Levada do Rei start?
At the São Jorge wastewater treatment plant, and it ends 5.3 km, source: Visit Madeira, read August 26, 2026 later at Ribeiro Bonito. It is walked out and back.
Is PR18 exposed?
In places. The path is the channel-side track, narrow, with unfenced drops on the outside in several sections.
Where this came from
- IFCN: Percursos Pedestres Classificados — taxas e reservas (FAQ). ifcn.madeira.gov.pt/pt/atividades-de-natureza/percursos-pedes Read August 26, 2026.
- Governo Regional da Madeira: SIMplifica — reserva de percursos pedestres classificados. simplifica.madeira.gov.pt/services/78-82-259 Read August 26, 2026.
- Visit Madeira: PR18 Levada do Rei. visitmadeira.com/en/what-to-do/nature-seekers/activities/h Read August 26, 2026.