Ribeira Funda
not verifiedpermit unconfirmed 2026-08-19
Ungraded
Moderate flood risk
Sao Vicente, Madeira
A north-coast Madeira descent that trades the typical Levada-side jungle for sculpted basalt and a 65 m rappel. The cleanest geology in the Hortelã / Ribeira Funda cluster.
Aka Ribeira da Hortelã. Sister descents in the same drainage (Ribeira Funda Upper, Ribeira Funda Affluent, Ribeira Funda Meia Legua) make a multi-canyon weekend possible. Lower flow tolerance is the limiting factor in late summer.
Logistics
| Manager | Parque Natural da Madeira |
|---|---|
| Permit | RopeWiki's Red Tape section is empty and its infobox carries no Permits field, so access here is unverified rather than confirmed free. |
| Distance | 0.4 mi |
| Elevation | ~640 ft loss |
| Time | 2 to 3 hr (5-15 min approach, 2-2.5 hr descent, 3-15 min exit) |
| Technical | FFME 4B I (v4a2 III). Nine rappels, longest 65 m (213 ft). Basalt with conglomerate sections. Less vegetated than most Madeira ribeiras, more sculpted feature work. |
| Season | Year round when flow is in window; July trip reports show very low water |
| Flood risk | Moderate. Flows track Madeira's wet season; the island has fast-rising flash floods on north-coast ribeiras. Watch the radar for north-coast cells. |
| Vehicle access | 2WD with 1 km shuttle required |
| Crowd | Low to moderate by Madeira standards |
| Coordinates | 32.8316, -17.1311 |
Sources
- descente canyon: http://descente-canyon.com/canyoning/
- ropewiki: https://ropewiki.com/Ribeira_Funda