Starting this Hard Madeira Trail Tour in the Centre of São Vicente, the path starts uphill for a secondary narrow levada, going further in a dirt road in the area of Ginjas, climbing up to get on a track with a secondary Levada heading on Levada Fajã do Rodrigues following it to the left until we reach the access road to this Levada in Fajã da Ama. Here we go up a trail in the Folhadal, well inside the Laurens Forest, the area belonging to the Natura 2000 Network. Coming to Levada do Norte, we go right following this Levada until you reach the stairs to Paredão. This rise has more than 200 wooden steps and requires some muscular endurance, but the arrival at Paredão allow us to forget the fatigue of the climb with one of the most beautiful views of Madeira. Here we are in the heart of the Laurens Forest surrounded by green hills and with fantastic views of the São Vicente Valley.
After re-invigorating the energies, we continue through a path covered by Heather with the size of trees, reaching the Pond of Caramujo. Upon arriving at the dirt road of Ginjas, we go up until we reach the Estanquinhos forest house. Here we follow a dirt road and then in trails on the plateau of Paúl da Serra, until we reach place of Pocinhas where we find the Fanal road. We take the road a few tens of meters to enter then the path of Fanal where for about 11 km we cross an extensive area of Heather (Erica arborea) and fabulous views on the Rabaçal, the Ribeira da Janela and the Chão da Ribeira. As we approach the Fanal, we start to find some beautiful specimens of centenarian Tilos who make we have the illusion of being in a haunted forest. Reaching the Fanal, we crossed with a core of these ancestors Tilos and we can also find some cows that usually graze over there next to Fanal Pond. Passing by Fanal Pond, we go down by a technical trail crossing some dirt roads, then taking the final part of the Path of the Ribeira da Janela to this parish. From here to the beach of Ribeira da Janela, the route is done through paths and stairways of cement or stone, to then go up by the former regional road 101, to descend to the village of Porto Moniz.
Trail Route: São Vicente – Levada do Rodrigues – Amazónia – Folhadal – Caramujo – Estanquinhos – Assobiadouros – Fanal – Curral Falso – Ribeira da Janela – Porto Moniz