Levada dos Tornos

At around 106 km including its intakes and branches, the Levada dos Tornos is the longest levada in the Madeira archipelago — about 16 km of it in tunnels, its longest a 5,100 m bore linking Fajã da Nogueira to the Ribeira de Santa Luzia. Inaugurated in 1966 as part of the post-1947 modernization programme, it is a dual-purpose scheme: it collects the discharge water from the Fajã da Nogueira hydroelectric plant and conveys it to the south, where at Fundoa the flow splits between public water supply (historically Funchal) and irrigation across Santa Cruz and beyond. The favourite outing runs from Monte to Camacha, climbing gently before levelling out and passing the long-running Jasmin Tea House — a welcome stop for tea and cake. A ~200 m tunnel between Camacha and the tea house needs a torch.