Mar 30

Waterfall Hike Levada do Moinho - Levada Nova on Madeira

The Levada do Moinho - Levada Nova is one of the TOP Levada Walks in Madeira. This amazing path leads you through lush forests alongside levada canals. The highlight of the trail is a stunning waterfall you'll encounter halfway through. What's even cooler is that the trail is carved into the rock, allowing you to walk behind the waterfall. Isn't that amazing?

Our E-Book Guide to Madeira Island

Discover Madeira Island with our comprehensive E-Book Guide! Uncover the best attractions Madeira has to offer and easily locate all the places you want to visit. Plus, our specially curated Photographer's Itinerary ensures you can effortlessly explore Madeira and capture stunning photographs. Check it out in our shop!

Basic Information about Levada do Moinho - Levada Nova on Madeira

This trail isn't one of Madeira's official trails, which means its safety isn't monitored daily by any services. You have to keep in mind your own safety and turn back whenever you feel that the trail isn't properly maintained or if there has been a landslide.

Levada do Moinho - Levada Nova on Madeira Full Length: 9KM KM round trip. These are two levadas which are connected so you can make a circuit trail.

Time: 3-5 hours round trip.

Difficulty: Rather Easy. The only difficulty could be walking few minutes uphill in the town to return to the starting point.

Incline: 150 meters (not noticeable, but there are some short stairs in halfway)

Starting Point: Leave your car at the church Igreja da Lombada (CAM da Volta do Engenho 24, Ponta do Sol, Portugal). The parking is free, but limited. There'll be also a chance to park on the side of the route. The trail starts behind the church.

Well Combined with: This hike is just few minutes away from Ponta do Sol - a very picturesque little town in southwest Madeira. You can stop there later to explore the town, have lunch and see the popular Angels Waterfall.

Why to choose the hike Levada do Moinho - Levada Nova on Madeira

+ flat and not exhausting,

+ very unique waterfall,

+ not very popular or busy

- the majority of the trail isn't visually pleasing

- few exposed places

Planning a trip?

Looking to book an activity or hire a guide? After spending two years on Madeira, we’ve gathered our top recommendations for local travel services, which you can find in our Madeira E-Book. But when we’re exploring new places, we always turn to GetYourGuide. They offer a huge selection of activities from trusted providers, all with upfront pricing and reviews from real customers, so you can book with confidence. Check out the activities below and find your next adventure with GetYourGuide!

Hiking Levada do Moinho - Levada Nova on Madeira

To avoid climbing steep streets in the town, I suggest starting from the older levada - called Moinho. This way, when you return to your car, you'll walk downhill through the town from Levada Nova. The Moinho levada begins behind the church, where you can park your car in the parking lot next to it. Look for a small sign indicating the road.

From there, you'll follow the levada along the valley. The trail is quite open, but unfortunately, the best views will be behind you. Keep going for a couple of kilometers, and you'll notice how the trail becomes more and more covered with greenery. The path is straightforward, and there are no other exits from it at this point, so you don't have to worry about getting lost.

When you notice the stairs heading up on your right side, follow them to Levada Nova. The climb up the stairs is very short. Once you reach Levada Nova, turn right in the direction to exit the valley. Just a couple of hundred meters from here, you'll come across an amazing waterfall curved in the stone wall.

We hiked this levada during a dry period, but the waterfall was still very impressive, and walking behind its cascade was something very unique and incredibly fun.

On the other side of the waterfall, you can already see the tunnel. There are many tunnels on Madeira trails, and although they add to the adventurous vibe of your hike, sometimes walking through them can be uncomfortable. Luckily, this tunnel was very short and fun, but you'll still need a torch to see where you're going.

Levada Nova is newer and better maintained than Levada do Moinho, which you'll notice right away as you leave the tunnel. Unfortunately, as you leave the waterfall behind and get closer and closer to the town, you'll get the feeling that this awesome hike is coming to an end.

Levada Nova ends in the upper part of the town, so from here, you'll have to walk downhill a bit to get back to your car.

Our Experience Hiking Levada do Moinho - Levada Nova on Madeira

When we arrived at the starting point at sunrise, we were the only people on the trail. The valley was shaded in the morning, so we could enjoy the comfortable shade at the beginning of our hike. Surprisingly, as we ventured deeper into the valley, we started to hear loud music, which grew louder the further we went. As we neared the stairs, we noticed a rave party down in the valley, with energetic kids dancing through the dawn. While some people were still dancing or arguing aggressively, many others were lying and sleeping randomly. While we also enjoy partying, this scene made us feel very uncomfortable and unsafe. I think this was just an isolated situation, and you shouldn't expect to see something similar during your hike, but I thought it would be interesting to share what occurred.

Saying that we enjoyed the waterfall on Levada Nova is not enough. We spent maybe an hour walking there and back under the cascade, taking photos and filming for our YouTube channel. You can see the highlights from our hike in this video: