Trails · 525 m above the sea
Levada do Rei (PR18)
A waterfall falls straight onto the trail near São Jorge — you walk right through it.
See it on the 3D islandOpens in your browser, on a phone or a computer.
The place
Built in the 1940s to irrigate the sugar-cane fields of São Jorge, this levada follows the Ribeiro Bonito into a narrowing jungle gorge where small cascades appear on both sides. The final stretch forces hikers behind a curtain of falling water, genuinely unlike any other levada walk on the island.
When to come
A few days after rain for full flow; avoid right after storms when the ravine floods.
Worth knowing
- SIMplifica booking required, €4.50 (€3 via licensed operator)
- Waterproof jacket for the walk-through cascade
- Some slippery, uneven sections near the gorge
- Free parking at the Quebradas water treatment plant, São Jorge