4.5 hours Rabaçal
Rabaçal & 25 Fontes Levada Walk
The Rabaçal valley to the 25 Fontes waterfall amphitheatre and the Risco levada — Madeira's most-loved walk, with transfers and a guide.
from €45
Check availabilityLevada Walks & Hiking
Levadas were built to move water from the wet north to the dry south, and the maintenance paths beside them now make up several hundred kilometres of nearly level walking through laurel forest. Alongside them sit the harder mountain routes — a different proposition entirely.
Where to go
- Levada das 25 Fontes
The classic: forest, waterfalls, and crowds unless you start early.
- Levada dos Balcões
Short, mostly flat, enormous views. Good with children.
- Vereda do Arieiro
Arieiro to Ruivo. Exposed, strenuous, spectacular.
- Ponta de São Lourenço
Dry, treeless and utterly unlike the rest of the island.
More places in this theme
Worth adding to the list
Levada do Risco
West1 hour from the forestry house
Caldeirão Verde
North Coast5 hours
Caldeirão do Inferno
North Coast7–8 hours
Rabaçal
WestHalf a day minimum
Ribeiro Frio
North Coast1 hour, or 4–5 with the Portela walkFree
Fanal
West1 hourFree
Levada do Rei
North Coast3 hours
Levada do Alecrim & Vinháticos
West3 hours
Levada Nova & Levada do Moinho
South Coast3 hoursFree
Book it
Guided options
7.5 hours Pico do Arieiro
Pico do Arieiro Sunrise Hike
Pre-dawn pickup for the ridge walk from Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo, above a sea of cloud. Demanding, unforgettable, with transport arranged both ways.
from €50
Check availability 6 hours Caniçal
Ponta de São Lourenço Guided Hike
The dry, wind-carved eastern peninsula — red cliffs, sea on both sides and nothing like the rest of the island, with a guide and transfers.
from €48
Check availabilityGuides on this subject
Nature
Best Levada Walks in Madeira
Eight levadas from twenty minutes to a full day, with honest difficulty ratings.
9 min read
Itineraries
7 Days in Madeira
A full week, split between a south-coast base and a few nights in the north.
10 min read