Canyon in Madeira
Ribeira do Inferno (inferior)
Intermediate · v3a4 IV
Rappels: 27 · Max waterfall: 42 m · Min rope: 35 m
A long, deep, incredibly green canyon with many tributaries pouring in over high walls: one of the most beautiful canyons on the island, very deep and scenic, very aesthetic, with indescribable passages. It involves a lot of slippery walking, especially in the lower half, and there are no emergency exits, so the length must be respected: a fast team of 3 takes about 5h20, while a group of 7 can spend 7 hours in the canyon. It is a good choice for long summer days thanks to its many pools and good flow.
Current status
As of July 2024In normal flow the canyon takes about 5h20 for 3 people; anchors are fine apart from a spinning bolt on the R21 handrail; minor new rockfall; a long slippery walk with no escapes.
Season and flow
The catchment is huge, so water increases markedly down the canyon even when R1 is dry (on 10 July 2024 no water was running at R1, yet the flow further down was normal). On 21 January 2015 the Levada da Fajã do Rodrigues was not capturing water and unforecast rain made the flow strong, requiring extra natural anchors to pass the big-volume falls. Flow was normal in August 2018, June 2022 (fun, not challenging), November 2022, June 2023, October 2023 and July 2024.
Anchors and re-equipment
In 2015 some anchors showed wear but every rappel was equipped. In August 2018 several anchors were tightened and others replaced. As of June 2023 the R7 anchor is no longer on the big boulder but on the right wall a little higher; a new "R17a" between R17 and R18 (the drop formerly bypassable on river left) has two bolts on river right for a 10 m rappel; R26 has a sharp edge; some connecting ropes were replaced; almost all rappels now have double bolts with a ring each. In October 2023 all anchors were OK. In July 2024 the anchors were OK; two were tightened, but the inner hanger of the R21 handrail cannot be tightened because the parabolt spins. There are some small new landslides from 2024, easily crossed.
Official notes
Because of its enormous catchment this canyon must not be done in rainy periods. There are countless tributaries and the huge vertical walls make any escape impossible.
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.