PR16 Levada Fajã do Rodrigues — Attraction in São Vicente

What to pack: Wear sturdy hiking boots, light rain coat. The weather can change quickly in the mountains. Bring a headlamp which you’ll need in the tunnels. Carry some water and snacks and you are ready to go.

Starting point Levada Fajã do Rodrigues: The address of the levada is Caminho Velho das Ginjas in São Vicente. But you can also find the starting point by putting in the name of the levada in Google Maps. There is no public bus going to the start of this levada walk. So you will definitely need a rental car or pay for a taxi. At the trailhead is enough parking space and you’ll quickly see the first signs directing you to the start of the trailhead.

Hike distance and duration: Levada Faja do Rodrigues is an out and back trail which means you’ll walk the same way back to the parking. The total distance is 8 kilometres, so about 4 km one way. Because there is no incline during this hike you can maintain a quite fast walking pace. It will take you anywhere between 2 to 3 hours to complete this hike. Out of Summer months some part of the path can be difficult to cross due to flooded water paths. Be careful when crossing these paths that's why tall hiking boots are recommended.

Hike difficulty and incline: With well-maintained levada paths and only 95 meters of incline, the Faja do Rodrigues hike is quite easy. However officially this levada trail is classified as “moderately difficult” because of the long tunnels. Especially the last tunnel which is about a kilometre long and takes approximately 20 minutes to cross. For tall people it’s not very comfortable to walk through these tunnels. You’ll have to bend over all the time, and the tunnel is quite narrow.

We stopped in a bakery before de hike. I recommend bakery '' Padaria do Calhau'' only 14 min away from this Levada (I added a review in google for this bakery go and check) I...

An amazing levada walk in the middle of Laurissilva Forest. If you seek an easy walk and the peace of the forest this is the one! Sometimes overlook by others far more famous, but trust me when i say you won't get disapointed with this one. All the way on this amazing trail you have breath taking views of the montains ahead, toward S.Vicente vity, you hear the lovely chirping of the many birds and well, specially at winter time, you pass many many small waterfalls, be mindfull during summer as there is less water you may not see as many as winter time, but still beautifull! Near the end you have the lovely small waterfall and rive and if you are brave put your foot on the cold icy water to imediatly cool down yourself. This finishes a few meters after passing the river and where you can observe a waterfall. As this is one way only, at the end you will need to do the inverse way. Also come prepares with a light or torch as this involves some tunels, in which, one is around 1 kms lenght and takes more or less 15 min to do it, it can be cold inside and there is water falling form ceiling as well all the way there is a levada on the...

Spectacular easy trail that has 3 wonderful waterfalls. Can't recommend it enough! Few people on the trail, whch makes it perfect for a stroll in nature. It starts somewhere before Sao Vicente, no public transport. You park on the side of the road and walk the first 100m uphill, then the rest is flat. The whole trail takes about 3h round trip (add another 30 minutes for the last tunnel). Lots of fish in the stream, the first waterfall is awesome as you can walk right under it. The lush vegetation makes it look like an ancient forest, with fern leaves much bigger than your hand. We skipped the last tunnel as it is 1km long and people say not much on the other end.

Recommend to bring head lamp for 3 tunnels (strong mobile lamp works fine), waterproof shoes and some water resistance jacket. We did OK without those 3 things though. When it rains, the trail is muddy or covered in water in some parts, so you can either walk through it, or if you have good balance, walk on the edge of the levada (and don't fall in like me and wet my shoes...