It is said that Madeira is a paradise for adventurous walkers. We can only agree. If you want to lounge by the sea on the beach, don’t come here. Madeira is all about mountains, heights, steep hills, adventure and most importantly, fun.

So I’ll unpack that for you right at the start. Levadas are the island’s biggest attraction, but they’re not for people who suffer from vertigo from heights. Unfortunately, I found myself to be one of them, and I was cheering quite a bit at the beginning. But that doesn’t mean you should skip them during your stay. Don’t even let that randomly occur to you, just go with a grain of salt. It’s a unique experience after all!

AND WHAT ARE THESE LEVADAS, ANYWAY?

Trails built high in the mountains along more than 2,000 km of irrigation canals built by the Portuguese in the 15th century. The south of the island has a dry subtropical climate where it doesn’t rain much. While in the north, it still rains like hot cakes. It’s all down to the high mountain range, which has become a barrier that keeps all the rainfall to itself. All the water soaks into the ground, where it hits solid rock and runs down underground springs to the south. The Portuguese soon thought to take advantage of this strange phenomenon and build canals to channel the water exactly as they needed it. So the water flowed to banana plantations, vineyards and fields all over the island.

Along the canals there are narrow paths, which have now turned into hiking trails. But there’s no such thing as a lefty. The difficulty of their sections varies greatly. So to start with, choose one that you are physically and, as I say, especially mentally up to.

Before the trip, my brother told me: “Sis, levadas are for the lazy. You’re walking on flat ground the whole time. You’ll do!” So dear brother, you were right, you really do walk on the flat all the time. You just forgot to tell me a little detail, that the narrow paths go around the rock and I must never look down. And I am dead serious, you must not make that mistake as I did. Then you may find, as I did, that some sections become a nightmare for you and you will look like a shaky old woman at those heights.

Sometimes you just have to press yourself against a rock on a narrow ledge somewhere high in the clouds. It’s a totally unique experience that you won’t get anywhere else. No way! Do you see what I wrote about at the beginning? But it’s not for the giddy. In truth, I got pretty dizzy at times at those heights, shaking my knees and feeling sorry for myself. The advice my dad gave me before the trip was in my head the whole time I was here: ‘Just don’t let yourself be provoked! Go at your own pace!” It was like my mantra and I followed it every time there was a stretch where I knew I had to get out of someone’s way. Most of the time, we met at a not-so-pleasant spot above an unprotected cliff. I also remembered Wim Hof‘s ice man in the heights and started to take a big breath. The body is a display of the soul. It makes your head oxygenated and you start to think positively!

LEVADA TO CALDEIRÃO VERDE

Distance: 13 km total length

MAP:

The starting point of the whole trip is a parking lot called Queimadas at an altitude of 980 meters, located above the town of Santana. There is a rather poorly marked road leading to it and you will keep climbing uphill. Park in the car park, where you’d better go to the toilet, because unfortunately you don’t have a chance elsewhere.

Right from the start, I liked the thatched-roof shelter, which seemed to have been taken from a fairy tale. And it’s as if you really are in a fairy tale. That’s exactly how I imagine that Little Red Riding Hood could walk through such a forest, with a bad wolf lurking somewhere. Some of the trees here have really strange shapes that take your breath away.

The journey at the beginning looks very innocent indeed, so you wonder what everyone had to do with the levadas. Unfortunately, it sort of changes eventually. In some sections you’ll basically just go on the levada structure.

And you know the saying that God’s mills grind slowly? A German was very angry with me for keeping him so late. I don’t know what he was in a hurry for. We met at a place where I thought I was going to shit myself. I was flailing in the wind, he had to go around me, but we both made it in the end. On the way back, he fell all over himself. His pants were wet, especially his shoes. And I just grinned at him and kept on my slow pace.

After a few kilometres of flat walking you will reach the first of several tunnels. If you forgot your headlamp or torch at home, you can turn around here. The only thing that can save you is the flashlight in your cell phone. Without light, you don’t stand a chance in the black tunnels. I was unnecessarily scared at first and it was overkill. Here I finally understood why the national costume includes a cap with an antenna. That’s what the Madeirans use in the tunnels to keep from hitting their heads. So be careful.

The Lavada ends at the waterfall or you can continue with Lavada Inferno. The latter is no longer for the faint-hearted, however, and if you feel dizzy, you’d better go back.

My observation: what probably stresses me out the most about levadas is that you usually always come back the same way. So the section you said you were a badass and you gave it a go, you have to do again.

LEVADAS 25 FONTES AND THE WATERFALL INTO THE RISCO

Distance: 13 km total length

MAP:

We were considering whether to go to this place because it is the most crowded and too many tourists come here. The starting point is the parking lot on the ER110 road. The wind was blowing so hard that day that I thought it would blow us and the car away. From the parking lot, there is a descending narrow path to the Rabacal Forestry Administration building. It takes you down a winding road. It’s not a very attractive part, so it’s better to take the small minibus that runs here. We’re unlucky though, it’s not running today. It’s the 31st of December. So, I’m already imagining clawing my way back up the other way.

Once you reach the crossroads, you can either follow the levada 25 Fontes or the Risco waterfall.

RISCO WATERFALL

I really liked the trip to the waterfall. It was so pretty in places covered with moss and ferns. I felt like I was in a fairy tale, just a fairy coming. The waterfall drops 100 metres down into the lagoon.

PATH OF 25 FOUNTAINS

The path at the beginning leads on such a winding stairs and then it is quite wide. Yes, you will have to overcome these steps on the way back. Everyone I met was completely done. The path takes you through some very attractive vegetation, namely laurel forest.

It is the main reason why Madeira has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. It is the largest laurel (“laurisilva“) forest in the world, home to many endemic plants and animals. Some of the trees here are up to 500 years old.

After that, the road narrows considerably, so go carefully. At the end you will find the lake 25 Fontes, which feeds many waterfalls. Legend has it that anyone who sinks into the lagoon will never resurface.

On the way back, I notice that small green to white threads of I don’t know what hang from the trees, adding to the atmosphere of an old and dense forest.

COTTAGE RABACAL

So make sure you stop here, partly because there’s a toilet, but also because they have the best Pavlova I’ve ever had. You have to reward yourself!

LEVADA TO MOINHO

Distance: 7.3 km total length

MAP:

The levada starts near the Quinta Solar church in the town of Lombada and at the beginning you will walk past banana plantations slightly uphill along the edge of the valley.

Here you will be immersed in vegetation providing occasional natural shade and you will be in a beautiful farmed area with beautiful valleys below.

Honestly. The first half of the trip is fine. The second half of the trip, however, is really hard for people with vertigo.

MY TIP:

-it is worth waiting for better weather, if it is cloudy, the experience of the trails will be half

-take a headlamp with you into the tunnels, just not with your mobile phone

-some routes should not be taken by people who suffer from claustrophobia (mostly in tunnels) and are afraid of heights

Take it easy, kids! If I gave it, you’ll give it. Sometimes I got really down and continued on with self-pity, had to stop or even go back. In short, I did everything I could to make it happen and I see myself as a hero in my own eyes. I mean, I’m the one who almost got…

The key is to choose a levada that suits you. There are about 50 of them in Madeira, so I dare say there is something for everyone. Wear comfortable shoes, don’t forget a headlamp and you’ll be fine.
If you liked this article, I’d love it if you share it or leave a nice comment below.

I would also like to invite you to join me on Instagram a  Facebook.