Ribeiro Frio

Ribeiro Frio means the cold river and it is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Madeira.

Mini bus and coach tours often make this a lunch stop on their journeys. And, after dining, there is plenty enough to interest to make this a worthwhile extended stay.

From here, you can take the popular and undemanding round trip levada walk to the Balcões, a rocky outcrop with spectacular views.

Alternatively, you can start out on the more vigorous and demanding levada walk to Portela.

If walking is not really to your liking, then just stroll around the trout farm that is freely open to the public.

And of course, should you wish to buy a traditional memento, there is the almost obligatory souvenir shop.

One of the features at Ribeiro Frio that is universally liked by children and adults alike is the trout fish farm.

Situated on the right side of the roadway, just a short walk down from the restaurant, the grounds of the fish farm are freely open for the public to wander around at their leisure.

Feed by the clear, cool water of the river which gives Ribeiro Frio its name, the trout hatchery and nursery pools are set in well-tended and attractive grounds.

To facilitate the natural flow of the water, the pools are offset at differing heights in a stepped fashion. This, combined with the various flowers and hedges that have been planted, make the narrow winding paths a pleasant stroll.

From trout fry no more than a few centimetres long, to those ready to harvest at approximately 35cm in length, watching the fish swim in their respective pools is perhaps one of the most relaxing pastimes that one can enjoy on a hot, sunny Madeiran afternoon.

Perhaps one of the easiest and least demanding levada walks in Madeira is the round trip route from Ribeiro Frio to the Balcões.

This levada has a wide, flat and easy path with no sheer drops to intimidate those with no head for heights.

The route quickly takes you into the heart of the surrounding laurisilva forest, which is an ancient woodland that is endemic to the island and is now an important World Heritage Site.

As you make your way through the forest, it is easy to imagine that you are in the middle of a wilderness, miles from civilisation. Then, when you reach the culmination of your trek, the Balcões (balcony), you find that the spectacular views over the Metade Valley and the central peaks are indeed almost devoid of human intervention.

The views from this rocky outcrop are a wonderful experience - and all within a lazy 30 minutes walk of the restaurant at Ribeiro Frio.

For details of the route, more information and pictures, see our guide to the Balcões levada walk.

A more demanding walk from Ribeiro Frio is to follow Levada do Furado to Portela.

It will take you about four hours to cover the 11km (7 miles) to Portela and so this is a one-way trip only. You will need to pick up a bus from Portela to return you to Funchal.

The route itself, whilst giving you some marvellous views, includes passing through a short tunnel and has some sections where the path is narrow and the drops sheer. So, you will need to be sure-footed and have a head for heights.

Alternatively, you can start out on this levada and make your way along until where the path narrows and the drops become vertiginous. At this point, you could about turn and return the way you came. This option will take you about 2 hours and is an excellent choice if you have a hire car parked at Ribeiro Frio that you need to return to.

We call this the Secret Walk because, although almost everyone visiting Ribeiro Frio passes its entrance, few people even realise that it exists.

Travelling into Ribeiro Frio from Funchal, just before you enter the village there is a small lay-by on the left. Immediately before the lay-by, there is a gap in the roadside wall, this is the entrance to the walk.

Park your hire car and go through the gap in the wall. At first the dirt track looks unpromising, but you don't have to go far before you find yourself walking down a delightful, wide woodland path.

There are no sheer drops to worry about. Nor are there any difficult, uneven rocks to clamber over. This walk has to be one of the best kept secrets in the area.

You will undoubtedly find this part of the laurisilva forest deserted of other people. Just the sounds of nature accompany you as you make your way down the winding track.

Attune your ears to the sound of the birds and keep an eye out for the different vegetation you pass along the way.

As you go, you'll pass a large flat grass terrace that seems ideal for pitching a tent. Then, the noise of gushing water will lead you to a cascade of water that tumbles its way down a stepped concrete channel.

Make your way down alongside the channel and you will come to a picnic spot complete with stone tables and makeshift seats. You can take a break here to rest in the afternoon sunshine before rejoining the ER103 road that leads into the village just 30 metres further on.

Alternatively, walk up the road for 5 minutes and return to your car in the lay-by.

The entire walk should take you no more than a leisurely 30 minutes.

The village itself at Ribeiro Frio consists of just a restaurant, a bar and a tourist souvenir shop.

The restaurant is pleasant enough, although it can get crowded if a coach tour decides to take their meals here. The menu is famous for its rainbow trout. The fish, of course, being reared at the nearby trout farm.

The bar is much the same as many other Madeiran bars.

Once, in January 1999, we visited the bar and missed the last bus back to Funchal. A friendly local volunteered to take us in his car and, after 10 minutes or so driving like a cross-country rally driver, caught up and stopped the bus allowing us to transfer onto it.

Once you have sampled the rural roads in Madeira yourself, you'll be able to imagine how hair-raising that was!

There is also a chapel and an Environmental Education Centre. The latter is situated in a large white building at the upper end of the village. Look for the SRA Loja do Ambiente logo.

Entering the village

Pleasant grounds of the trout farm

Hatchery and nursery pools on the fish farm

Pathway and picnic spot on the Secret forest walk

Chapel and restaurant in the village

From Funchal, make your way up to Monte. This should be easy enough as there are numerous tourist signs pointing the way to Monte Church.

Once at Monte, continue up pass the main bus stop just opposite the Largo da Fonte which is the main square below Monte Church. Here, the road doubles back on itself and then heads further on uphill. This is the ER103 and you need to follow it all the way to Ribeiro Frio.

On the way you pass through Poiso and its pink building.

As the road winds its way through the forest, you often encounter low lying cloud.

When you reach Ribeiro Frio it will be obvious as, apart from the large Welcome sign, there will be numerous cars, mini-buses and coaches parked by the roadside. If it is a particularly busy day, expect to drive through and park further down hill from the village.

By Public Transport from Funchal:-

The Companhia dos Carros de São Gonçalo company operates the line to Ribeiro Frio. Line numbers 56, 103 and 138 all stop at Ribeiro Frio.

The journey will take you about 45 minutes and the buses depart from Funchal at the bus stops next to the cable car terminal on the seafront.

However, you need to check with the driver as the buses on these lines take different routes to their final destinations and only a few stop en route at Ribeiro Frio. The buses are also infrequent, often undertaking only one outward and one return journey a day.

The return journey can certainly be undertaken by bus, but if you decide to do this, you will be severly restricted with your journey times.

When returning to Funchal, make sure you are waiting by the roadside stop in Ribeiro Frio at least 15 minutes before the bus is due. The bus driver will not stop unless they are hailed down - you have been warned!