The number 6 bus to São Vicente is my favourite bus ride on the island, and that’s facing stiff competition. We took the early morning slow bus so you don’t have to! Enjoy a lie-in and get the express bus to Ribeira Brava, where you can change onto the Sao Vicente bus as it crawls in.
half of the 18km is tunnel
Taking the VE4 expressway can get you from Ribeira Brava to São Vicente in about 20 minutes, but the views aren’t that great – half of the 18km is tunnel! The bus, however, climbs in and out of the steep valley – taking the old road over the Encumeada Pass. Terraced fields (poios) cling to the steep valley sides right up to where rock faces are lost in the brooding cloud. It’s like being back in the Ecuadorean Andes.
Life on the edge … of sheer drops, waterfalls and tunnels
We get a taxi up to the trailhead of PR16 – Levada Fajã do Rodrigues. The driver is blown away by how many cars are parked all along the approach road – the ‘ample’ carpark having already been filled. There are plenty of people, but it’s not too crowded, and we soon find our own space as the gentle track follows a levada through the pleasant woods.
And then we round a corner and the dial is cranked-up. It’s all sweeping curves with dramatic drops and panoramic views. More than once, we’re behind a waterfall – walking between a curtain of water and a living wall of ferns. Then for hundreds of metres we’re balancing on the very edge of sheer cliffs where the path is flooded. These are the easy sections!
The levada then flows through a couple of tunnels, leaving only a narrow path alongside. Alfie plays canary up-front with a head-torch, while I stoop along. Being a broad-shouldered 6-footer there’s not much room for my frame within the confines of the curved walls. For us the track ends at the entrance of a third tunnel by an impressive waterfall. That tunnel is about 800m long, and there’s nothing much after it.
Not all walks get the PR they deserve
The steep descent to the coast at São Vincente is a thoroughly enjoyable walk that takes us through small mountain villages and their patchwork of fields. Everywhere lush vines and veggies thrive in the rich volcanic soil and there are tumbledown sheds and farmhouses being reclaimed by vegetation.
We have a great time losing ourselves in little alleyways and discovering fascinating details. All in the lap of cloud-covered mountains. It’s another great walk that doesn’t get any of the recognition given to many of the other Pequena Rotas (PR trails).
