This was our first hike in Madeira.
Confusingly, there are two Levada do Moinho hikes in Madeira. The hike I am writing about is called Levada Do Moinho – Levada Nova and is on the south side of the island in Ponto do Sol. It does not have an official PR designation. I chose to do this hike first because it was a ten minute drive and we were not yet familiar with the island. The other hike is in the north near Porto Moniz and is classified as Levada do Moinho – PR7.
Our drive up was an immediate eye opener to driving in Madeira as we twisted and turned through a series of VERY narrow streets, some with rather extreme inclines, before we found the one way street leading to Igreja da Lombada Church and parked along the street, popped open the hatch and got ready for our first hike.
To gain some perspective on the Levada’s before your hike, you may want to take a minute to read the Iron Interpretive Plaque found in the small gardens in front of the main entrance of the church, which is dedicated to the victims of the Levada’s construction, and commemorates the back-breaking work that went into building the original water channels in Madeira as well as the challenges the locals faced. It helps appreciate what you will be walking beside.
There is also a small cafe here called Levada Lounge which opens at 10 am, where you can grab a drink or snack after your hike. Beside the lounge is a public toilet, but also opens at 10 am so both are of no use if you are setting out early.
Once you are ready to go, the trail begins right behind the church. You’ll find a narrow passageway of stairs off the street and once up them, you’ll find the trailhead.
About the Hike.
I was excited to be on the island and it was a beautiful clear morning.
The beginning of this trail follows an older, considerably over grown Levada into a impressive valley but the trail is on the north face of the mountain, so we were in the shade for the first half of this hike, so it was a cool morning hike.
Having said that, we enjoyed ourselves. The trail winds along the side of the valley wall and since this was the first time I had seen a Levada, I was very impressed with the construction. There was a good strong flow of water, even if it had to pass through shrubs and overgrowth dangling into the moss covered canal. There were a couple of parts where the canal had been damaged and was spilling water but nothing we couldn’t balance ourselves through without getting wet. These are old systems and occasional breaks should be expected along these trails.
Walking along, we could see the Atlantic Ocean below and behind us and the well used farming access roads winding up the valley down below, trucks bumping along, looking quite like dinky toys. Occasionally, we came face to face with a goat munching away along the trail.
Most of the higher vertical drop portions of the trail had protective railings along the outer edge but there were a number of sections where falling rocks had taken out the railings. However, on this section of the trail, there was quite a bit of vegetation and underbrush growth along the outer edge, which provided a sense of added protection.
We hiked, mostly by ourselves, for the better part of an hour and a half. I think we saw maybe 6 other hikers and they all passed us along the trail as we were enjoying ourselves and taking our time. Then we arrived at what seemed like a staircase up on the right but the trail itself seemed to continue so we followed the trail straight until it abruptly ended at a rivers edge and we backtracked to the staircase and took that, which led us up to Levada Nova and our hike back began.
Once up top, there were no signs but common sense seemed to be that the path must be to the right since that had been the way we had just come from along the lower trail. We knew we could have returned the way we had just hiked or take the higher trail we were now on, because AllTrails told us we were on the Levada Nova. However, this section of the trail has a few issues which neither of us liked and I am writing this as a heads up for anyone thinking of taking this route.
At first, the upper portion of this trail was nice and wide and relatively new. I thought – well, this will be easy and off we went. It didn’t take long before we rounded a corner and were treated to the beautiful twin waterfalls, Nova & Do Moinho, cascading over well worn cliffs, which the trail ran directly behind. This was a delightful surprise for us.
After passing under the waterfalls, we saw the tunnel. That was very cool. At this point, you enter a relatively long (700 feet), dark tunnel, so make sure you have a flashlight or two because it is very dark inside and the Levada still runs alongside you, only now it is in the dark. You could easily step into it…
This was a fun piece of the hike and this alone made the trail worth it for me but after we exited the tunnel, the path had some issues neither of us appreciated.
Despite this section of the trail being newer, there were sections which were quite narrow and had NO protective railings for long distances, along sections where the vertical drops often exceeded 50+ feet – straight down. I have a very good sense of balance but Yim has a slight bit of vertigo when she feels uncomfortable and I have to say that at least 30% of this portion of the trail made her uncomfortable. In fact, parts of it even made me feel like it wasn’t safe and trust me if you are reading this, I do not have a fear of heights and I do not scare easily but walking on a two foot wide ledge along a 50+ foot straight drop while holding the hand of your wife because she doesn’t feel safe is not something I would suggest any couple attempt while on vacation.
Take a look at one of the sections of the trail running along a cliff below that I snapped. That is similar to the long sections I mention above that had NO guard rails on them and make your own decision about whether this hike is right for you.
All of the above said, hiking is an adventure and Yim and I try to enjoy all of the trails we hike. Some trails we like much better than others but the tunnel and waterfalls made this trail worth it for me.
In Review: The Levada Moinho to Levada da Nova hike is more difficult than it may seem. Some passages are quite technical and are cut into the sides of steep cliffs on narrow two (2) foot wide paths. Do not attempt this hike if you are not an experienced hiker or if you have problems with vertigo. This trail is not suitable for children. The trail is not well maintained and should be considered difficult in places. The trail was about 10 kilometres and took about 4 hours to complete the loop.
No Comments