Ribeira das Furnas

Flow is OK in January, quite low by April (still nice), good in July and November, running throughout in December, normal but abundant in February and higher than normal in March; in May 2026 it was higher than usual, with spray at the R9 and R11 stances (hood needed). Rain days are very dangerous because of rockfall and drowning risk in the narrow sections.

Before 2023 there was almost no gear: rotten ropes, rusty bolts and a single inox bolt on the 60 m drop. Re-equipping began on 24 January 2023 (glue-in U-bolts, chains on the higher falls, down to the first narrows and the top of the 85 m) and was complete by 16 April 2023: always two U-bolts, chains on the bigger rappels, handrail bolts on some falls. Everything is new and chemical, in U- and V-chain form, but the stances are uncomfortable with no footholds. Pitch list: E4, E7, E8, E10, MC 4 + E25, E25 + 60 (rub), MC 4 + 40, MC 6 + 20, then 50 m to the church exit on the right bank. The R10 bolts showed small rockfall marks in March 2024.

Flood damage. In June 2025 a huge flood bent several anchors and destroyed the two bolts of R6, leaving them unusable; R5 and R6 can be done in one pitch, but the R5 bolts were also bent with only one usable, making retrieval difficult, so the canyon was declared not safe pending renewal. As of 13 May 2026 the R6 anchor was still dead and trees had fallen into the riverbed, obstructing passage.

Hazards. Rockfall at the base of the big vertical; two big landslides in 2023 put huge new blocks in the riverbed; a small landslide on the upper access path (passable but a bit dangerous); the basalt is not especially slippery, though some sections can be.

Option A, one car: park at the chapel at the end and climb the steep path about 40 min; at the top look for two electricity poles marking the entry, turn right through the terraces (10 min) to the stream. Option B, two cars: park just after the tunnel before the village, by the bus stop on the right; 15 to 20 min descent by stairs to the Furnas path, then left at the two poles down the cultivated terraces. The normal entry skips the rubbish of the first section; starting at the village bridge means fighting vegetation. In May 2026 the access path was still forbidden, so the alternative is to drive up (the last part of the road is sometimes used for rally training). Exit about 5 m behind the church on the right along a very tight levada: large people do not fit.