Canyon in Madeira
Ribeira de Sebastião Vaz
Intermediate · v3a2 III
Rappels: 10 · Max waterfall: 50 m · Min rope: 35 m
A very aesthetic canyon with good rappels and some narrow passages, but with a long, very slippery progression and a notorious 100 m stretch of dense bramble: bring cutting tools, otherwise you may end up crawling through it. Fallen large trees add to the effort. In high water the narrow sections can become dangerous; after the junction with the Ribeiro Bonito the flow triples and the canyon narrows, with one or two harder downclimbs.
Current status
As of December 2024In high flow the canyon takes about 3h30 car to car for 3 people; many anchors have been replaced; there are fallen trees; the bramble still requires cutting tools; the exit path is passable.
Season and flow
Flow history. Normal flow in June 2015; weak in August 2016 and October 2017 (lack of rain); above normal on 19 May 2018 because the Levada do Rei was diverted into the Sebastião Vaz; strong in April 2020; normal in January 2024; high after rain in December 2024 (R1 funnels the flow, but R2 is off the main jet so the rebelay is no problem).
Anchors and re-equipment
All anchors were good in 2015 (R2 and R5 heights corrected on the sketch) and in 2017, with some ropes/maillons due for replacement; some were swapped in 2016. By April 2020 all anchors, especially maillons, were degraded, and the oval rings on R1 make rope retrieval awkward; the deviations are unnecessary. On 6 January 2024 stainless ring anchors were installed between R3 and R6, with the rest to follow; R1 can be split 4 m down to ease rub and retrieval. By December 2024 many anchors had been replaced; some doubled points pair a ring with a climbing hanger as backup; R5 now has a handrail (E8m) to a rappel of 25 m replacing the tree anchor; one anchor with two climbing hangers sits at a downclimb that has to be used in high flow.
Access and exit
Enter about 50 m past where the stream crosses the levada, via a small landslide with less vegetation, or via the left bank to avoid brush. The road between points #2 and #1 is a concrete farm road with small landslides and loose stones. The exit fields are abandoned and very hard to get through (January 2024): it is better to continue down the canyon to the junction with the Ribeira Grande on the right bank; in December 2024 the right-bank path (follow the water pipes) was passable.
Anchors, flow and access change with every storm and every winter. Treat the current status as a snapshot and check the latest conditions before any descent.
Technical data
Official technical sheet
Detailed data, history and technical notes are maintained by Clube Aventura da Madeira on the Canyons da Madeira website.
Nearby and similar canyons
Other sections of the same stream, canyons in the same area, and canyons of a similar grade.