The walk to Balcões starting in Ribeiro Frio is an easy walk through laurisilva forest alongside the Balcões levada. It is an out and back walk, with a wide path suitable for the whole family and is lovely and cool in summer with its overhanging branches. Balcões, a rocky protruding outcrop which serves as a belvedere, has views of the high peaks of Madeira and is reached after about 1.5kms. At Balcões (the word means balcony), the Madeiran chaffinch are always on show and are quite tame due to the number of visitors who feed them.
Getting there
By bus use the interurban service of the Horarios bus company (no 103/56):