MadeiraLevadas Find a walk
WalksItinerariesHistoryNetworkThe ForestHow They WorkField Guide Glossary

East — Maroços / Machico

Levada dos Maroços

Also known as Mimosa Valley levada

6.3 km Length linear
2.25 h Duration typical
Easy Grade easy
80 m Ascent climb
low Exposure vertigo

Levada dos Maroços is the counterpoint to Madeira's cliff-and-waterfall routes: a gentle traverse through the cultivated valley above Machico, often marketed as the Mimosa Valley. The channel passes poios, small farms, flowers and fruit trees, making the continuing relationship between irrigation water and local agriculture unusually visible. It is a useful first levada for walkers who prefer low exposure and easy terrain.

Highlights

  • Terraced farms in the so-called Mimosa Valley
  • Close view of working irrigation and cultivation
  • Easy gradients above Machico
  • Seasonal flowers and fruit trees

Water on the route

  • Levada dos Maroços working irrigation channel
Tunnels: No tunnels on the standard walked section.. Bring a head-torch — some levada tunnels are long, low and pitch black.

Walks like this

PR23 Southeast — Caniço

Levada da Azenha

PR23 is a compact local walk along the Levada da Azenha between Azenha and Caminho Velho do Castelo. Rather than mountain spectacle, it reveals the everyday landscape the levadas created: irrigated poios, gardens, village paths and the remains of water-powered milling. The official register supplies only limited visitor detail, so conditions and access should be confirmed locally as well as through the live trail list.

  • Family-friendly
1.3 kmLength0.75 hTimeeasyGrade
View walk
PR10 Central-East — Ribeiro Frio to Portela

Levada do Furado

The PR10 is the classic Central-East levada walk and follows one of the oldest public levadas on the island (the channel itself dated to 1822), running downhill through deep Laurisilva from the trout-farm hamlet of Ribeiro Frio to the pass at Portela. It is a long but largely gentle contour walk, with an initial undulating forest stretch giving way to open balconies above the Faial and Porto da Cruz valleys, framed by the great monolith of Penha d'Águia. The trail is mostly easy underfoot but earns its 'moderate' rating from its length and a handful of narrow, partially exposed ledge sections; an alternative high variant climbs toward Pico do Suna. As of early 2026 a section is affected by a landslide and pavement damage — check current status before setting out.

  • Has tunnels
  • Waterfall on the route
11 kmLength5 hTimemoderateGrade
View walk
Central-East — Choupana / Camacha / Santo da Serra

Levada da Serra do Faial

The Levada da Serra do Faial is a long, near-level water channel that contours the eastern highlands at roughly 700–800 m, linking the heights above Funchal (Choupana) eastward through Camacha and Santo da Serra and ultimately feeding toward the Ribeiro Frio system where the Levada do Furado begins. It is most often walked as the gentle Choupana–Camacha leg — sometimes marketed as the 'Levada Vale Paraíso' — a wide, flat, shaded path through mixed oak, pine, eucalyptus and laurel woodland with intermittent panoramas over the capital and its valleys. Its flatness and width make it one of the most accessible levada walks on Madeira, with no significant exposure.

  • Has tunnels
  • Family-friendly
6.2 kmLength2.25 hTimeeasyGrade
View walk