PR9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde — Attraction in Santana

My wife booked the PR9 walk for my 60th birthday (6/6/64), via an accompanying guide. On reflection this would not be the preferred option, although it dod allow for easy collection and return to our hotel in Funchal.

If doing this walk again, I would suggest going unaccompanied and accessing the area by taxi/bus/hire car.

The walk starts some 10 minutes from Santana at Queimadas Forest Park where there are toilet and food/drink facilities.

From here the distance to Caldeirao Verde is around 6.5km (4.4 miles). There is an additional waterfall at Caldeirao Inferno but for now I believe this area is closed due to a rockfall, and when open it is advised as more treacherous with steeper inclines. The length to here is an additional 2.4km (1.4 miles).

The walk is fairly flat overall, with a height rise of some 180 metres over the entire distance.

The walk starts fairly gently, with a wide path, just be careful of the tree roots which are both a trip hazard and toe stubber!!

Overall the walk is fairly well sheltered by overhanging vegetation, so shaded from the sun for the most part, and for large sections there is a steel cable and post fence running on the outside of the path (it's a long drop in places), so that gives a little reassurance.

There are viewpoints along the route looking down the valleys to the coastline and beyond, and these are well worth a photo opportunity.

After around 1.5km (1 mile) the path narrows, but still allows for two way walking, although then it does narrow, to the point where the lavada is on one side, and the narrow path is on the other (next to the fence). This does make things a little tricky with walkers going in both directions, so patience and politeness is a big help, as waiting is involved at some points, especially if a big party is coming through.

The second half of the walk is a little more tricky, as for the most part the path is only big enough to allow for one way traffic. There are also four narrow and at times very low tunnels to pass through. Head torches are definitely worth taking, as it makes the experience safer (especially on your head)! Again, the paths through are fairly narrow, and if it has rained the paths will be wet, so care is required as the rocks underfoot can be slippy.

From the fourth and final tunnel it is a distance of probably around 1km (0.6 miles) to the waterfall, and the end of the journey. It can get quite busy here, and please be aware there are no facilities of any kind here.

The waterfall itself is slightly tucked out of the way, and a very small climb up a clearly defined path is required to view it. The path all the way to the waterfall and pool beneath was closed and fenced/taped off when we were there, although a large number of people ignored the closed signs and went anyway!

The return is via the exact same route, so again care is required to traverse the path back to the start point. Be aware if it is busy that stopping to take photos at various junctures will cause a bit of a hold up (where the path is single track).

There are several bridges on the journey which allow for good photo opportunities and for a rest stop on the way.

The walk is described as moderate on most websites, and for the most part this is accurate, but I would suggest it is a walk for the physically active and capable, and does require considerable concentration and looking at the path ahead, given it is very narrow and uneven in places.

That said, I would highly recommend doing the trip, but for advice, the following are recommended:-

1. Good walking shoes/boots

2. Head torch

3. Plenty of water/refreshments

4. Waterproof jacket (on wet days)

5. Patience (when allowing other walkers passed at narrow points)

I would suggest six hours as a good guide timewise, this gives a reasonable amount of time to include rest stops, and around 30-45 minutes at the waterfall.

Keep a good eye on the local weather forecast as rain and low cloud would definitely impact both the walking time and the views you would see.

Otherwise please enjoy and...

Looking at it purely from a hiking lens, the bike was quite lovely and easily one of the best I experienced on the island. It has rugged trail-like terrain, you got to hike in what felt like a lush and beautiful tropical forest, you got to hink in tunnels, every now and then the trees parted and you were treated to a stunning view of the valley and you reached a stunningly large and beautiful waterfall. The trail really gave you a lovely variey of elements to help you feel like you were getting a full taste of what the island had to offer. Highly recommend a flashlight of sorts as two of the tunnels you hike through are quite long and dark (not to mention quite wet). I would expect to get your shoes wet and muddy.

Some downfalls of the hike. It is quite a popular spot and the trail does get narrow in a lot of places along the Levada, this means you'll expect to experience some delays and tight passing conditions as you encounter hikers coming from the opposite direction. CASH ONLY; the parking, the cafe and the washrooms are all cash only. This feels unnecessary and purposely inconvenient for many people visiting the area when you see other cars options at other hiking points. The parking for 5hrs was roughly 9€ and the cafe, for one beer and a slice of cake, was also 9€ both of which felt like a money grab. Finally the road leading up to the trailhead is quite tight and narrow for the last 2km so expect some tight car passing situations, take your time on this portion and...

One of the first levadas we did during our stay. Mostly flat, with a few stairs here and there, but very accessible. The hike offers mostly forrest views, and the vegetation hides the view of the valley at times (but at the same time it also hides the ravines next to the path which might be a plus for those suffering from height anxiety), but once the vegetation clears it also offers some magnificent views of the nearby peaks and valleys.

The hike doesn't loop, so you have to take the same route back to your starting point once you reach the end. We started the hike around 2pm and had to regularly stop and move aside for people making the return trip (but encountered almost no one on our return around 5pm).

From the Caldeirão Verde, you can continue on to the Caldeirão do Inferno (either a 2.2 or 3.8 km hike depending on who you believe). We ultimately decided not to, as we didn't want to risk having hike part of the way back after sunset, so we'd recommend starting the hike a bit earlier than we did if you want to go all the way to the end of the trail.

All in all I thought it was one of the most beautiful levadas we did during our stay in Madeira, and one we'd do again (a little earlier in the day in order to see all of it) if given the occasion to visit Madeira again

Addendum: there are 4 tunnels along the route, so consider bringing a light (we did it with our phone flashlights). One of the tunnels had a rather low ceiling so expect a bit of...