PR 9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde

PR 9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde is on the IFCN classified-trail table updated on 23 October 2026 and read here on 25 October 2026. The official open distance from Queimadas to the Caldeirão Verde waterfall viewpoint is 6.5 km each way (13.0 km there and back). The places named on the route are Queimadas and Caldeirão Verde. The status on the official table is: caution, reflecting that the levada footpath from Queimadas to the waterfall viewpoint remains open, while access to the waterfall plunge pool is cordoned off for visitor safety following an October 20 rockfall injury, and the upper extension beyond Caldeirão Verde to Caldeirão do Inferno remains closed. Route Summary: 6.5 km each way (13.0 km there and back) · 4 h 00 min – 5 h 00 min · +100 m / -100 m (990 m – 1,020 m) · Moderate · Out-and-back returns to car. As documented in Caldeirão Verde plunge pool cordoned off, a rockfall incident on 20 October 2026 prompted IFCN and Proteção Civil to install a safety perimeter at the waterfall basin, while the trail corridor along the levada from Queimadas Forestry Park remains fully accessible.

Out-and-back distance planning: Queimadas to Caldeirão Verde Waterfall

Because PR 9 follows a deep mountain gorge with no road access at its inner waterfall basin, every walker starts at Queimadas (Parque Florestal das Queimadas) and returns along the same levada channel to Queimadas:

• Queimadas to Caldeirão Verde (6.5 km): Starting beside the iconic thatched-roof shelter at Queimadas, the path follows a wide forest esplanade before narrowing onto a rock-cut levada bench above the São Jorge valley, threading four unlit tunnels to reach the dramatic amphitheatre and viewpoint of the Caldeirão Verde waterfall.
• Plunge pool safety perimeter: Following a rockfall accident on 20 October 2026, the IFCN and Proteção Civil placed barrier tape and warning signs closing off direct access to the waterfall lagoon; visitors must remain on the designated viewpoint terrace and not cross the perimeter.
• Caldeirão do Inferno extension status: The trail extension beyond the Caldeirão Verde junction climbing deeper into the canyon toward Caldeirão do Inferno remains closed.
• Pacing the 13.0 km round trip: Walking to the Caldeirão Verde waterfall viewpoint and back to Queimadas totals 13.0 km of levada walking with four tunnel crossings in each direction. Allow 4 to 5 hours of walking time and start in the morning so you complete the return journey well before dusk.

Road approach and parking at Queimadas (Santana)

Queimadas sits at roughly 880 m altitude at the end of a narrow paved municipal road climbing up from Santana:

• No public bus to Queimadas: Buses from Funchal stop in the centre of Santana, from where hikers without a car take a local taxi up to the Queimadas forestry park (or walk down toward Santana at the end of the day).
• Car park capacity: The 168-space regulated car park at Queimadas (€3.00/day) regularly saturates between 10:00 and 13:30. During peak hours, Santana municipal police close the mountain access road to private vehicles at the lower junction, while licensed Santana taxis remain permitted through. Arrive before 09:00 or take a licensed taxi from Santana.

Tunnels, headlamps, and wet-rock kit

The IFCN table does not describe the tunnels, and a phone light is not enough for PR 9:

• Bring a dedicated headlamp or torch (plus spare batteries): The four tunnels between Queimadas and Caldeirão Verde are curved, pitch-black, low-ceilinged, and wet underfoot. Keep your head low under rock projections and keep one hand free for the wire railing.
• Waterproofs and grippy shoes: Water drips from canyon overhangs and tunnel roofs even in dry weather. Wear lugged hiking shoes and pack according to What to carry on a levada.

Before you go

Arrive early at the Casa das Queimadas car park above Santana, pack a reliable headlamp for the unlit rock-cut tunnels along the gorge, respect the plunge pool safety cordon at Caldeirão Verde, and allow ample daylight for the 13.0 km round trip. The IFCN fee FAQ lists €4.50 per person for one classified route other than PR 1. Residents of the region, children aged 12 or under, and covered disability cases do not pay the fee and still need a reservation; see PR trail fees and reservation rules on Madeira. This site does not publish a live forecast. Source: Percursos pedestres classificados, table updated 23 October 2026, read here on 25 October 2026. The fee figures are from the IFCN fee FAQ.

Channel history and waterworks notes

• Water intake (Madre): Caldeirão do Inferno (1000 m)
• Terminus (Fim): Cova da Roda, Santana (600 m)
• Total hydraulic channel length: 12.8 km
• Traditional and local names: Levada da Serra de São Jorge · Levada das Queimadas
• Engineering and basin context: Surveyed in 1864, approved in 1877, and completed in 1904 under Public Works engineers Aníbal Augusto Trigo and Adriano Augusto Trigo across the emerald gorges of Santana.

Engineered to carry the abundant northern waters of the Ribeira Grande (São Jorge) basin across the sheer basalt gorges of Santana, Levada do Caldeirão Verde—historically known as Levada da Serra de São Jorge or Levada das Queimadas—was first surveyed in 1864, approved in 1877, and completed in 1904 under Public Works engineers Aníbal Augusto Trigo and Adriano Augusto Trigo, one year before Levada da Serra do Faial. Running for 12.8 km from the Caldeirão do Inferno intake (1000 m) past the Caldeirão Verde waterfall amphitheatre and the thatched Queimadas forestry house to Cova da Roda (600 m), the channel compensated northern parishes for the diversion of Ribeira Seca do Faial toward Funchal and was extended in 1938 with a siphon and branch across Vale da Lapa to the parish of Ilha.