Which levada walk should I do in Madeira?

Levadas are irrigation channels. They were cut to carry water from the wet north of the island to the dry south, and the maintenance paths alongside them have become the best walking network in Madeira. They follow contours, so they are mostly flat, which is why people who would never call themselves hikers end up walking for hours.

The two things that catch people out

Exposure, not distance. A levada path can be a metre wide with a sheer drop on one side and no barrier. It is level, easy walking, and completely unsuitable for anyone who does not like heights. Length tells you almost nothing about whether a walk will suit you. Exposure tells you everything.

Footwear. Guests arrive in trainers constantly, and for a short flat levada that is fine. For the longer routes the paths are wet, rooty and slick, and there are tunnels where you will want a torch and a head you do not mind bumping. If you are packing for Madeira and you intend to walk properly, bring shoes with grip.

If you have trainers and want something short

Levada dos Balcoes is the one I use most often with guests. It is about one and a half kilometres each way, flat, and it ends at a viewpoint over the interior of the island. Along the way you are walking through native laurel forest and you will see endemic species without having to earn them with a climb.

It is short enough to combine with the rest of a day rather than being the whole day, which is why it appears in so many of my itineraries.

If you want a proper half day

The longer routes into the laurel forest give you waterfalls, tunnels and the sense of being genuinely inside something ancient. They take three to five hours, they need real footwear and a torch, and some of them are busy by mid morning, so an early start changes the experience completely.

If you want the forest without the walk

Fanal is the answer, and it is not a levada at all. It is a high plateau of ancient laurel trees, often sitting in fog, and the trees there are centuries old. You can park and walk a short distance into it. On a misty morning it is the most atmospheric place on the island and it asks almost nothing of you physically.

Practical notes

Weather in the mountains is not the weather in Funchal. Paths get slippery after rain, and some close after storms or fire damage. Check before you drive out, especially in winter.

Water flows better in the wetter months, so waterfalls that are impressive in January can be modest in August. If waterfalls are what you came for, that is worth knowing.

Take water, take a layer, and tell someone where you have gone if you are walking alone.

If you would rather not work it out yourself

Choosing between levadas is genuinely difficult from a website, because the descriptions rarely tell you about the exposure. Tell me what you are comfortable with and what you have on your feet, and I will point you at the right one.