Madeira is a mountain dropped into the Atlantic — all dripping laurel forest, vertical cliffs and cloud snagged on the peaks. The genius of walking here is the levadas: a 2,500 km network of narrow irrigation channels, built from the 1500s to carry water from the wet north to the dry, terraced south. Their maintenance paths now form one of the most accessible and beautiful walking systems on earth.
What is a levada?
A levada is a small aqueduct, often clinging to a cliff face or threading through hand-cut tunnels. Because they follow the contour of the land, the paths beside them stay relatively flat even while the scenery plunges away — which means extraordinary views without brutal climbs. Some routes, though, run along sheer drops and through pitch-dark tunnels, so a head-torch and a head for heights help.
A week of walking
- Day 1 — Levada do Caldeirão Verde: a classic through the UNESCO-listed Laurisilva forest to a hidden waterfall. Bring a torch for the tunnels.
- Day 2 — Levada das 25 Fontes & Risco: two waterfalls in one walk, in the lush Rabaçal area.
- Day 3 — Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo: not a levada but unmissable — a high mountain ridge above the clouds, Madeira's rooftop.
- Day 4 — Ponta de São Lourenço: a complete change of scenery on the island's bare, red-rock eastern tip.
- Day 5 — Levada do Rei: a quieter forest walk to a spring, deep green and serene.
- Day 6 — Vereda do Fanal: ancient, moss-draped laurel trees in drifting mist — eerie and gorgeous.
- Day 7 — Levada dos Tornos to a tea house: an easy final stroll ending, as all good walks should, with cake.
What to pack
Layers (the weather changes fast and the north is wetter than the south), proper grip on your shoes, a rain jacket, a head-torch for tunnels, and more water than you think. Madeira's microclimates mean you can start in sun and finish in fog within an hour.
Walk it well
Check trail status before you go — some levadas close after landslides. Start early to beat both the crowds and the afternoon cloud, never lean on the channel walls, and stand still on the inside of the path when stepping aside for others. Do that, and you'll have one of the great walking weeks of your life.