Not recommended
Unknown trails
These walks are not on the classified list updated on 2 October 2026, read here on 12 October 2026. They are not a tourist set. The list has 128 names. Distance, difficulty, time, climb, and the two ends are the published figures. For levada routes, the page also records the water intake (Madre), terminus (Fim), full channel length, local alias names, and field photographs. A field stays blank when nothing was published.
Porto Santo walks are left out. Classified PR routes that do not yet have a brief here stay off this page. A name that was never written on a public web page is left off.
None of these figures is an official open or closed line. The hiking map stays with the classified PR routes.
Showing 14 of 128 walks in Machico. Show every walk.
Levada da Portela, Not listed
Levada da Portela is an unclassified 6 km levada channel in Machico running from Levada do Furado / Casa de Água dos Lamaceiros (840 m) to Cabeço da Lapa, Maiata, Porto da Cruz (250 m). Not on the IFCN recommended PR list.
- Distance
- 6 km (channel length)
- Difficulty
- Not printed
- Elevation
- 590 m drop (840 m to 250 m)
- Channel (Madre → Fim)
- Levada do Furado / Casa de Água dos Lamaceiros (840 m) → Cabeço da Lapa, Maiata, Porto da Cruz (250 m) (6 km)
Levada da Referta, Not listed
Also known as: Levada Nova do Porto da Cruz · Levada do Castelejo (Referta Reach)
Levada da Referta is 4.5 km, moderate. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 4.5 km
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time
- 2 h
- Elevation
- 95 m ascent
- Channel (Madre → Fim)
- Ribeira de São Roque do Faial (325 m) → Sítio do Pinheiro, Porto da Cruz (270 m) (11.5 km)
Levada do Blandy, Not listed
Levada do Blandy is 10.8 km loop, moderate. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 10.8 km loop
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time
- 2 h 55 min
- Elevation
- 402 m ascent, 401 m descent
Levada do Caniçal, Not listed
Also known as: Levada dos Maroços
Levada do Caniçal is 3.8 km each way, easy. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 3.8 km each way
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- 1 h 30 min each way
- Elevation
- 150 m ascent
- Channel (Madre → Fim)
- Fonte Vermelha / Ribeira de Machico → Sítio da Rochinha, Caniçal (15.5 km)
Levada do Castelejo, Not listed
Also known as: Levada Nova do Porto da Cruz
Levada do Castelejo is an unclassified 11.5 km levada channel in Machico running from Ribeira de São Roque do Faial (325 m) to Sítio do Pinheiro, Porto da Cruz (270 m). Not on the IFCN recommended PR list.
- Distance
- 11.5 km (channel length)
- Difficulty
- Not printed
- Elevation
- 55 m drop (325 m to 270 m)
- Channel (Madre → Fim)
- Ribeira de São Roque do Faial (325 m) → Sítio do Pinheiro, Porto da Cruz (270 m) (11.5 km)
Levada do Poço do Arvoredo, Not listed
Levada do Poço do Arvoredo is an unclassified 1.75 km levada channel in Machico running from Poço do Arvoredo, Cova das Pedras (280 m) to Sítio da Canavieira, Larano, Porto da Cruz (165 m). Not on the IFCN recommended PR list.
- Distance
- 1.75 km (channel length)
- Difficulty
- Not printed
- Elevation
- 115 m drop (280 m to 165 m)
- Channel (Madre → Fim)
- Poço do Arvoredo, Cova das Pedras (280 m) → Sítio da Canavieira, Larano, Porto da Cruz (165 m) (1.75 km)
Levada dos Maroços, Not listed
Also known as: Levada do Caniçal
Levada dos Maroços is 12 km, easy. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 12 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- 3 h 20 min
- Elevation
- 135 m ascent
- Channel (Madre → Fim)
- Fonte Vermelha / Ribeira de Machico → Sítio da Rochinha, Caniçal (15.5 km)
Levada Nova de Machico, Not listed
Levada Nova de Machico is an unclassified 6 km levada channel in Machico running from Fontes Vermelhas / Ribeira de Machico (310 m) to Queimada, Água de Pena (220 m). Not on the IFCN recommended PR list.
- Distance
- 6 km (channel length)
- Difficulty
- Not printed
- Elevation
- 90 m drop (310 m to 220 m)
- Channel (Madre → Fim)
- Fontes Vermelhas / Ribeira de Machico (310 m) → Queimada, Água de Pena (220 m) (6 km)
Pico do Facho, Not listed
Pico do Facho is 6.8 km, moderate coastal ridge walk. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 6.8 km
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time
- 2 h 10 min
- Elevation
- 330 m ascent and descent
Vereda da Boca do Risco, Not listed
Vereda da Boca do Risco is 2.2 km, moderate. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 2.2 km
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time
- 1 h
- Elevation
- 207 m ascent, 0 m descent
Vereda da Penha d'Águia, Not listed
Vereda da Penha d'Águia is 1.7 km each way, hard. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 1.7 km each way
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Time
- 52 min each way
- Elevation
- 301 m ascent
Vereda da Ribeira do Natal, Not listed
Vereda da Ribeira do Natal is 2.6 km, moderate. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 2.6 km
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time
- 1 h 30 min
- Elevation
- 31 m ascent, 300 m descent
Vereda do Larano, Not listed
Vereda do Larano is 4.6 km, moderate. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 4.6 km
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time
- 3 h 22 min
- Elevation
- 355 m ascent
Vereda do Pico Castanho, Not listed
Vereda do Pico Castanho is 4.5 km each way, hard. Not on the IFCN list.
- Distance
- 4.5 km each way
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Time
- 4 h
- Elevation
- 675 m ascent
How to read the unclassified walks index
Madeira has two very different layers of walking paths. The first layer consists of the 24 classified PR routes maintained and monitored on the official IFCN table. Those routes carry official PR (Pequena Rota) signage, scheduled maintenance inspections, a published open or closed status table, and the regional non-resident trail fee system. The second layer — collected on this page — covers 128 regional levadas, historical royal paths (Caminhos Reais), coastal footpaths, and municipal forest tracks surveyed across regional municipal paths and levadas but absent from the IFCN recommended list.
Understanding the route statistics
Every figure on an unclassified trail page — distance, estimated walking duration, elevation gain and loss, start and end coordinates, tunnel counts, and irrigation channel parameters (madre intake, fim terminus, and total channel length) — reflects on-site trail walks and on-site channel records rather than the IFCN status table. Where on-site field surveys omit elevation or duration, this site leaves that field explicitly unlisted instead of guessing.
Why status reads “Not listed”
Because these routes are outside the IFCN recommended network, the forestry authority does not publish daily or weekly open/closed notices for them. A badge of Not listed means there is no official IFCN status line — it is neither an endorsement nor a guarantee that a channel wall, tunnel, or hillside ledge is passable on a given morning.
Field preparation and when to choose an official PR route instead
Many unclassified levadas were built strictly as working agricultural maintenance ledges for water tenders (levadeiros). Handrails may be discontinuous or absent, tunnels can be long and completely unlit, and winter rockfalls can block a remote gorge for months without a notice at the road head. Before setting out on any walk listed here, read our comparison of official PR routes and unclassified trails and our levada equipment checklist. If you want a signposted route with verified segment status and car-park day checks, start from the classified Madeira hiking map.