This short canyoning video is edited by Casa Vento Madeira, the recordings were made in March 2023 during an descent of our house canyon in Level 5: Furnas in Ribeira Brava.
There are two options for accessing the Ribeira das Furnas Canyon:
If you only have one car available, the
easiest option is to park at the exit and climb up via the Vereda das Furnas. During the steep
ascent over countless high steps, you can take the necessary breaks to take a look at the huge
waterfall from a safe distance. After a good 35 minutes, the path becomes flatter and you soon
reach vegetable plantations. You will have to find your way through these to the entrance.
If you have two cars available, you can
park one at the exit and take the second to the small community of Furnas and park just after
the tunnel. From here it is a 20-minute walk downhill to the entrance.
The gorge consists of three short sections, which could hardly be more different in character:
The first section consists of a few short
abseils up to a maximum height of 10 meters in a fairly open river course. Depending on the time
of year, the passage can be overgrown with bamboo in places. This section is perfect for some
training in abseiling techniques.
In the second part, three waterfalls
15, 10 and 25 meters high await you. All three are located in a very narrow incision that the
water has carved deep into the soft rock over many years. From here, the canyoning fun in
Ribeira Brava picks up speed.
In the third part, the gorge opens up
again and you are already standing at the top of the gigantic waterfall that you were able to
admire on the way up. Just under 140 meters of abseiling lie at your feet, to be tackled in four
lengths, 30 meters directly followed by 60 meters, a short breather, 8 meters followed by
45 meters. All of these abseilings lead directly next to or even through the waterline,
and in most cases this fantastic pleasure is accompanied by a bright sun.
Although there are over 100 canyons in Madeira, you don't often find such a concentrated and
varied canyoning experience as in Furnas.
Oh, I almost forgot, there is another beautiful waterfall before you need to follow the water for
just 50 meters, until you reach a small chapel. Not visible on the first sigth, there is a
non-backpack-friendly path behind the building, that brings you back to the car, which is ideally
parked right in front of it.
Thank you for watching this video. If you are planning a canyoning vacation in Madeira and need
advice or would like to join a beginner canyoning tour in Madeira, simply write an email or book
directly. Casa Vento is your reliable partner for great adventures!
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