We compared nine of the best-known “best levadas” lists and kept the trails most of them agree on. Each one comes with its live official status, the 2026 fee and the warnings on IFCN's trailhead panel.
The short answer: the levadas that most guides rank highest are PR9 Caldeirão Verde (8 of 9 lists), PR7 Levada do Moinho (7), PR6 25 Fontes and PR18 Levada do Rei (6 each), then PR11 Balcões, PR14 Levada dos Cedros, PR16 Fajã do Rodrigues and PR17 Pináculo e Folhadal. All are booking-only on SIMplifica at €4.50 per person in 2026. Not all of them are open: PR7 was on IFCN's closed list when we wrote this, so check the badge next to each trail before you plan the day.
Each trail below shows its status from the official IFCN list, with IFCN's own “updated” date.
Why go comes from each trail's official Visit Madeira page; Watch out comes from IFCN's trailhead panel. Hover over or tap a badge to read the official IFCN note.
Why go: A laurel-forest levada “punctuated by escarpments and mountains”, through four tunnels carved in the rock, to the Caldeirão Verde waterfall basin.
Watch out: Four tunnels: carry a torch. IFCN's panel also warns of vertigo and a slippery path.
Official IFCN list (updated 14/09/2026): OPENWhy go: A 10.5 km levada named after the water mills it once fed, almost entirely through laurel forest.
Watch out: IFCN had it on its closed list at the time of writing: check the badge. The long tunnel people mention is on the unofficial Levada Nova extension, not on PR7.
Official IFCN list (updated 14/09/2026): CLOSEDWhy go: The lagoon fed by 25 springs from Paul da Serra, with views over the Ribeira da Janela valley.
Watch out: IFCN: “PR 6 can cause vertigo”; don't lean on the barriers. Part of the route is one-way, so follow the loop.
Official IFCN list (updated 14/09/2026): OPEN — Circulation controlled in one direction: Rabaçal – 25 Fontes (one way) by Levada das 25 Fontes and 25 Fontes – Rabaçal (return) by the alternative section, called Bypass.Why go: It ends at Ribeiro Bonito, “an isolated natural sanctuary” of laurel forest, and passes the São Jorge water mill, still working.
Watch out: Most guides call it easy, but IFCN's panel warns of vertigo and a slippery path in places. One very short tunnel; a guide says no torch is needed.
Official IFCN list (updated 14/09/2026): OPENWhy go: Short and easy, 1.5 km each way, to the Balcões viewpoint over the laurel-forest valleys and the central peaks.
Watch out: No vertigo warning on the IFCN panel. The viewpoint itself looks over big drops, but it's fenced. Weather changes fast; the path can be slippery.
Official IFCN list (updated 14/09/2026): OPENWhy go: Centuries-old til trees in the Fanal forest, along one of the oldest levadas, dug in the 17th century.
Watch out: IFCN's panel warns of vertigo and a slippery path.
Official IFCN list (updated 14/09/2026): OPENWhy go: “Tunnels are common” on this one, with waterfalls and views over the São Vicente valley.
Watch out: IFCN warns of vertigo and says to carry a torch. The last tunnel is about 1 km long (20–25 minutes).
Official IFCN list (updated 14/09/2026): OPENWhy go: The Pináculo viewpoint over the Ribeira Brava valley, then a Levada do Norte section with tunnels and waterfalls.
Watch out: A long route: IFCN asks for physical preparation, warm waterproof layers and a torch for the tunnels. Guides rate it high exposure. When we wrote this only part of it was open: check the badge.
Official IFCN list (updated 14/09/2026): PARTLY OPEN — Passable route between Encumeada and Bica da Cana.Why go: One of the oldest public levadas, with views of Faial, Porto da Cruz and Penha d'Águia.
Watch out: IFCN's panel warns of vertigo and says there are tunnels, so carry a torch. IFCN's notices have also mentioned a rockfall closure between Ribeiro Frio and Lamaceiros: read the official note before you go.
Official IFCN list (updated 14/09/2026): OPENWhy go: The old til forest on the Paul da Serra plateau. A path (vereda) rather than a levada, but on many “best” lists.
Watch out: IFCN warns of frequent fog and the risk of getting lost: stay on the trail and bring warm clothes.
Official IFCN list (updated 14/09/2026): OPENWhy go: A semi-arid peninsula with seabird colonies and, with luck, monk seals. A path rather than a levada.
Watch out: IFCN: keep away from the cliff edge, the ground is unstable in many places; carry water. Works with signposted detours from 30 September 2026 for at least 270 days.
Official IFCN list (updated 14/09/2026): OPENEvery trail here needs a SIMplifica booking for a time slot: €4.50 per person per trail in 2026, or €3 through an operator with an IFCN protocol. Children aged 12 and under don't pay but must be on the booking. Doing two or more in one day? The day pass is €9 (PR1 is never included).
Levada Nova, Rocha Vermelha via the Calheta council tunnel, Levada dos Tornos, Caldeirão do Inferno beyond PR9 and the Rota da Banana also appear on some lists. They aren't official PR routes, so they're not on SIMplifica and IFCN doesn't maintain or recommend them.
Levada do Caldeirão Verde (PR9) is the one most guides put first: 8 of the 9 lists we compared include it. Next come Levada do Moinho (PR7), 25 Fontes (PR6) and Levada do Rei (PR18). Check the live status first: PR7 was on IFCN's closed list at the time of writing.
Official PR trails cost €4.50 per person (PR1 costs €10.50), booked online on SIMplifica for a time slot. Children aged 12 and under are exempt but must be on the booking. Through an operator with an IFCN protocol the fee is €3.
Caldeirão Verde (PR9, four tunnels), Fajã do Rodrigues (PR16, the last tunnel about 1 km), Pináculo e Folhadal (PR17) and Levada do Furado (PR10). IFCN's trailhead panels say to carry a torch on all four.
Sources: consensus from nine ranking pages compared on 30 Sep 2026 (TheRoadReel, MadeiraLovers, JourneyEra, Much Better Adventures, schmale-pfade.de, 22places, madera.org.pl, vagamundos.pt, Visit Madeira blog); “Why go” lines from each trail's official Visit Madeira page; warnings from IFCN's trailhead panels; status from the official IFCN warnings list; fees from Portaria 48/2026 (Anexo I).