Copyright - Joaquim Abreu The Nautical Photographer
If you are too out of shape to attempt a more demanding route, this classic levada walk from Pico das Pedras to Queimadas, in Santana, may very well be the answer to your prayers.
A levada walk suitable from eight ‘till eighty years old, this short stroll connects the Pico das Pedras to the Queimadas forest house, taking you two and a half kilometers along a gentle and leveled path on the North coast of Madeira, making it a great introduction to this particular type of nature tourism.
Leave the car either at Pico das Pedras or at Queimadas (both with small parking spaces available) and just hit the trail, a water bottle, a few snacks and a camera in the backpack, heading in the opposite direction.
One and a half hours should be enough to complete the whole route, forward and back, amidst pristine vegetation and a calm atmosphere. Under the dense green canopy you’ll find plenty of people like you passing by, surrounded by a few miles of fairy-tale forest, molded from the same stuff dreams are made of! And “rivers running though it”, as most people like to say.
For the most adventurous of us, Queimadas is also the starting point for a longer and more physically demanding levada that takes hikers to Caldeirão Verde and beyond.
Just one advice:
Do it in mid-Spring, so that you can see the flowers blooming or, on the other hand, in Autumn for a glimpse of nature’s beautiful pastel tones.