Madeira's Levada Walks

Madeira solved its geography with water channels: levadas, begun centuries ago to carry rain from the island's drenched north to the sunny sugar and banana terraces of the south, now total well over a thousand kilometres - and their flat maintenance paths have become one of the world's great walking networks. The channels contour impossibly through the terrain, hugging cliff faces, ducking through hand-cut tunnels and running deep into the Laurisilva, the primeval laurel forest listed by UNESCO, where trees drip moss and the water whispers alongside every step. The classics headline any visit: Levada das 25 Fontes to its amphitheatre of springs, Caldeirao Verde to a waterfall in a green chasm, and the Balcoes balcony over the Ribeira da Metade valley - each essentially level walking through vertical country.

The landscape

• The channel paths - flat walking contoured through vertical terrain.
• The Laurisilva - UNESCO-listed laurel forest dripping with moss.
• 25 Fontes and Caldeirao Verde - the classic waterfall walks.
• The tunnels - hand-cut passages where the water dives through rock.

When to go

Spring and autumn give the kindest balance of weather and space; summer is reliable but the classics fill early. Cloud and drizzle can sit on the high country any month - the forest arguably improves in mist.

Before you go

The famous walks are genuinely busy and trailhead parking is a sport - start early or take a transfer. Some levadas run unfenced above serious drops, tunnels need a headtorch, and paths close after landslips - check current trail status before driving out. Footing is wet year-round.

Nearby

Funchal's old town and gardens, Pico do Arieiro's ridge trail and the north-coast villages.