Tips and Advice for Hiking Levada Do Caldeirao Verde

What You Can See Hiking Caldeirao Verde

When we were driving in Madeira, we often remarked about how we had no idea what to expect at the next bend. The island’s landscape changes in an instant, and one moment you may be in lush forest and the next you’re in a desolate volcanic landscape or passing by a massive waterfall.

In a way, the Levada do Caldeirao Verde hike on Madeira is a lot like this. Along the nearly 8-mile round-trip walk, you will see just about everything Madeira has to offer- lush forests, massive waterfalls, cliffs that would put Hawaii to shame, caves, levadas (water irrigation channels), and so much more. Then you turn the next bend and do it all over again, and then again, and then again one more time for good measure.

I wish I could keep a lot of this a secret, and I will only be showing select images in this article on purpose. This is really one of those trails that you should let every bend be a surprise, which really helped make this one our favorite hike on Madeira.

Among all of the elements you’ll see here, walking along the levada itself was one of the major highlights, too. There are many trails in Madeira that follow along these historic water irrigation channels, but for the Caldeirao Verde hike, you will be walking along one for the vast majority of the trail. This added some complications that we will adderss in the next section, but it really felt like we were hiking a bit through history too- these channels are old!

So while we’ll keep the rest of the details of what you’re going to see on this hike a bit light on purpose, those who make it all the way to the end at Caldeirao Verde will be in for a treat with one of the largest waterfalls we saw on the island!

Tips for Hiking Caldeirao Verde

When it comes to hiking to Caldeirao Verde in Madeira, we have good news, and we have bad news.

First, the good news. This trail is flat. As it mostly follows along the levada water drainage channels through the center of the island, you really won’t be expecting a lot of grade changes apart from some nominal ups and downs near the waterfalls themselves. So, for those who value a long, flat hike, this one doesn’t require that much stamina as you would expect. But what it lacks in grade changes it makes up for in length, as this is quite the long out-and-back.

Unfortunately, the bad news- the trail conditions are all over the place.

Yes, you will be following a levada for the vast majority of the hike. This means walking on a narrow concrete ridge with flowing water on one side and forest or cliff drop offs on the other. There will be parts where hand railings (cords, really) are broken, half fallen over, or missing outright- sometimes at areas where the drop off is quite literally next to you. So if you are afraid of heights, well, there are some harrowing moments.

Along the way, you will be walking through tunnels with long stretches of darkness (make sure to have a flashlight, even if just on your phone- a head torch would be better). These have low ceilings, so be careful not to hit your head as many times as we did, and also have the levada channels running through them. I stepped off the trail at a puddle once and my foot sunk down about four inches into some mud- yuck!

You will also see many waterfalls, some visible from a distance, and others flowing right over the trail itself. The latter are admittedly more of a trickle, although we could imagine vary depending on recent rains, but you will be dodging flowing water at points, so it may be good to take a waterproof jacket on this hike all the same even if the forecast is sunny. You may get a bit wet, too.

Likewise, we would be remiss if we didn’t point out that since this is an out-and-back hike, you will encounter many other hikers going in the opposite direction as you. With the narrow levada paths, this can get quite tricky at times when allowing others to pass. Many hikers got creative with a straddle of the running water channel to let others pass by. When the water levels in the levada were quite low, I just personally stepped down into the water and let my waterproof hiking shoes pick up some of the slack here.

• Tip: Do not go to Madeira without waterproof gear! Having a waterproof jacket and shoes are two must-haves when hiking here. Even when it was sunny out, you’ll be up close to waterfalls and may have to deal with muddy trails and even crossing streams from time to time.

Still, for me, this was all quite easy to deal with, except for the areas closer to Caldeirao Verde, where the drop-offs of the cliff get much closer to the trail. Then it was simply a matter of looking away, muttering a little prayer, and continuing on all while hoping no one passed by on the other direction. The cliffs are serious here!

Finally, as of our visit in 2026, Madeira is piloting a reservation system for hikes with online reservations, admission fees, and timed entries.

During our visit, no one checked any of our bookings at any hike on the island, and it seems that the program may be hit-or-miss from what locals were telling us. That said, before going on any hike, you may want to check a bit ahead of time (we could still make bookings a week or so out) and reserve a slot online to be safe. Most of the ticketed hikes had QR codes to scan upon arrival; however, it is best to do in advance as the booking system is tricky as you need to use the trail code to book a specific reservation (which for Caldeirao Verde appears to be PR9 or PR9.1).

That said, we won’t be surprised if this system changes in the future and we are only noting the details here as it was present during our visit in early 2026.

Overall, the Levada do Caldeirao Verde hike in Madeira was one of our all-time favorite hikes and is one we are glad we made it all the way to the finish for the waterfall views, too. Don’t let those cliffs scare you away- the finish is worth it!

Have you hiked on the Levada do Caldeirao Verde in Madeira? Comment below with what you thought of the hike!