Canyon in Madeira
Ribeira dos Boieiros
Unclassified · v1a1 I
Rappels: 7 · Max waterfall: 13 m · Min rope: 13 m
Boieiros is a beautiful, easy, well-paced canyon ideal for initiation, offering a mix of techniques: rappelling, jumping and downclimbing. Note that the video on the official page actually shows the neighbouring canyon, Porto Novo superior.
Current status
As of March 2024Very cold water; almost all anchors stolen, making it necessary to exit at the second bridge because of missing bolts. Anyone planning a descent should bring material to re-equip.
Anchors and re-equipment
Anchors and equipment: theft. Equipment theft is the main problem. In February 2022 many anchors had been stolen and almost all hangers and rings were missing (more material than usual is needed to reinstall everything). By March 2024 almost all equipment had been stolen again, forcing an exit at the second bridge because the bolts were missing.
Hazards
Watch out for tree trunks and branches lying at the bottom of the pools.
Access and exit
Access from the (dry) fountain is short, about 10 minutes, and the return from the second bridge to the fountain is also about 10 minutes.
Route notes
Conditions. Medium flow in early February 2022; very cold water in early March 2024.
Official notes
A good alternative for beginners. Unfortunately it only carries water in winter, but the flow can be checked from the road near the start of the canyon (Óvil).
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.