PR9 - Levada do Caldeirão Verde (The Green Cauldron)
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PR9, Levada do Caldeirão Verde, is one of Madeira Island's top hikes. It's a magical and scenic levada walk with gorgeous natural features. A levada is a long system of channels or aqueducts that carry water from various sources to either its intermediate or final use; uses include human consumption, agriculture, and electrical energy production. The word 'levada' comes from the Portuguese verb 'levar' which means 'to carry'. These levadas typically border and/or go through mountains, and there are many levada walks on the island (such as this one) which follow along a path next to these channels of water.
This hike begins at the Queimadas Forest Park where you are greeted with two traditional Santana houses (historical houses famous for their triangular thatched roofs) that appear to be straight out of a fairytale, one of which being a café. This hike is a vibrant green paradise, hence the name which translates to the 'Green Cauldron'. It brings you through the forest and along the side of a mountain where you walk next to the levada nearly the whole way. This trail goes through some tunnels* and ultimately ends up at the final destination of a large waterfall, which is nearly 100 meters high. It is a there-and-back hike, so after the waterfall you return the same way you came. Some of the paths are extremely narrow, with high cliffs and the levada on one side of you and lush mountainous views with a huge drop-off on the other.
*Some of the tunnels along this trail are rather low and you'll have to duck down to get through. The top of the tunnel can be sharp so be extra careful and don't keep the flashlight at your feet; instead, you have to keep the flashlight at eye level to make sure you don't bump your head.
Combining the wonderful fairytale-like hike with having a picnic at the waterfall (I brought a nice packed lunch), I absolutely loved it and had an incredible day which is why this trail makes my top 3 hikes on the island! When I first arrived the sky was clear and sunny, and on my way back the clouds rolled in. Fog had rid the green forest views of all color but white and turned the trail into a mystical wonderland. I got the best of both worlds!
You should know that the waterfall area is legally closed to the public, as it has been since 2019 when there was a large landslide where some people were injured. There is a sign that says it is closed, however at your own risk it is possible to go around it. Please be careful if you follow others past the sign to get up close to the waterfall as there aren't many places to hide if another landslide begins. The water flows into a small lagoon below - it's possible to swim but it's freezing cold so I don't recommend it.
How to get there from Funchal or Caniço: The town nearest PR9 accessible by bus is Santana, which is only an 11 minute drive from the start of the trail. There are no ride share apps available in Santana. Take it from me, do not take the bus here with plans to try and get a taxi to take you the rest of the way. I did this the first time I attempted to do the hike, and there was not a single available taxi in Santana to take us to the start of the trail. And honestly, I'm very glad there wasn't, because after actually doing the hike on a different day I realized we would have never found a taxi to get back to the bus stop. We probably would have been stuck at PR9, since I didn't see a single taxi at the start/end of the hike.
The walk between the bus stop in Santana and PR9 would take 1 hour and 15 minutes, which would bring your total walking time to around 6.5 hours - we just weren't down for that at the time, but if you are it is possible. If you go this route make sure you know the time of the last bus that goes back to your accomodation and plan accordingly so you're not stuck in Santana overnight.
So, how do you actually get there? There are two options - drive yourself or book a transfer such as the one we ended up taking with Pico Transfers for €32 per person. However, if you do use Pico Transfers know that they only have PR9 transfers on Mondays and Thursdays. This was the second hike I utilized this transfer company for, and I can't recommend it enough! Their pick-up areas are listed on their website linked above. They give you 5 hours total to complete the hike, which is plenty of time to sit and have lunch, stop for photos and grab a coffee at the café when you're done.
After our first attempt, once we had already taken the bus from Funchal and were in Santana, we ended up just taking the loss and exploring. We saw some traditional houses, had a meal with some poncha, and walked to one of the many coastal viewpoints that Santana has. The viewpoint was called Miradouro de Santo António, and you walk through a beautiful tiny village to get there. We made friends with a dog that lives in the village who sweetly walked with us from his home all the way to the viewpoint - he was a great little tour guide! If you drive (since this side-trip is not possible with transfers) I highly recommend turning the hike at PR9 into a full day of exploration and combining it with a trip to Santana.
Miradouro de Santo António and a traditional house in Santana
Duration/Distance: The trail is 6km there and 6km back (12 km total), with the waterfall being at the end of the first 6km. It takes around 4 hours to walk the whole thing, taking lunch and photo stops into consideration. There is another trail after the waterfall, called the 'Caldeirão do Inferno' which is another 2.2km, however as of writing this post it is closed for safety reasons - as with the waterfall, if you choose to hike it anyway you are doing it at your own risk. Regardless of it being closed, is not possible to walk if you've book a transfer as there wouldn't be enough time.
Difficulty: It's a long but very easy hike since it is relatively flat - it only has about 100 meters of incline throughout the entire trail. Just be careful on the narrow portions of the path as they're all next to steep drop-offs, and be particularly careful when you have to pass other people going in opposite directions as it can be very tight!
What to wear: As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, the weather was sunny and warm when I first arrived, and as I was on my way back it became foggy with a light, chilly mist. Because of this, I recommend to dress accordingly for the weather conditions on the island at the time of your visit (i.e. shorts if you're visiting during on-season and long pants for off-season)) and put a rain jacket over it!
Photos taken at the start of the hike with beautiful weather, and at the end in the mist.
What to bring: A fully charged phone (a portable charger is recommended) with a flashlight for the dark tunnels, packed lunch, at least 1L of water, rain coat, bathing suit and towel if you want to try swimming in the lagoon (again as a reminder, it's freezing!).
Bathrooms or food?: Yes, and yes! There are both free bathrooms and a café (the café is cash only) at the beginning of the trail at the Queimadas Forest Park. The café is located inside one of the traditional-style houses and the bathroom is in a small concrete building in the parking lot. After completing the long hike, it was so nice getting a well-deserved pastry and latte before heading back to Funchal!
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