Levada Walks

Madeira's levadas are among the most remarkable walking environments anywhere in the world. These narrow irrigation channels were built over five centuries to carry water from the wet northern mountains to the drier agricultural south, and their maintenance paths — averaging just wide enough for one person — now form the island's primary trail network.

Walking a levada means following the channel around the contours of the land at a steady altitude: no climbing, no descending, just a continuous horizontal traverse through some of the most dramatic landscapes on the island. The Levada do Norte, the Levada dos 25 Fontes, and the Levada do Caldeirão Verde are among the finest, passing through the UNESCO-listed laurel forest (laurisilva) — a relic ecosystem from the Tertiary period preserved in this Atlantic refuge.

Some levada paths traverse spectacular cliff faces on narrow ledges cut directly into the rock — these sections, known locally as fajã walks, require a head for heights but are not technically difficult. We grade all walks clearly and can always offer alternatives for those who prefer flatter terrain.