Levada dos Tornos Walk Above Funchal
The Levada dos Tornos walk stretches along the mountainside above Funchal, the capital of Madeira.
It is one of the most popular levada walks in Madeira.
Easy to get to by public transport and possessing the advantage of having various starting and ending points, you can tailor the walk to suit your desires.
The entire route is over 25km and will take even the most experienced walker a complete day to cover.
However, we usually truncate our journey to one that takes around 3 hours.
For convenience, we start by walking a short length of the Levada da Serra do Faial, which is easily reached by a local Funchal town bus.
We are then able to easily join the Levada dos Tornos and pass along perhaps it's most popular stretch that offers some marvellous views of Funchal and its harbour.
On a hot summer's day, the cooling air of the high altitude and the shade provided by the forest make this levada the perfect destination for the more energetic tourist.
Route from Vale Paraiso to Monte
Start of the Walk:-
We start our walk at Vale Paraiso which is easily reached by taking the 129 bus from Funchal.
When you get off the bus, turn up the road junction that leads off to the left toward Poiso. A small wooden signpost to Levada da Serra do Faial points the way.
After a few minutes climbing, you will reach another wooden signpost, to Choupana - Monte. This points to the levada path on your left that you want to follow.
The pathway is leaf strewn and, during much of the year, can be damp and slippery, so walk with care.
The Levada dos Tornos, that we will join later, also passes across a couple of small waterfalls, so you are best advised to wear proper hiking boots.
The Laurisilva Forest:-
Immediately you find yourself walking through a laurisilva forest which is endemic to Madeira, the Azores and the Canary Islands.
The evergreen, laurel hardwood trees only grow on Madeira at an altitude between 300m and 1,600m. This is because they are very temperature sensitive.
The laurel leaves are often used as an adornment to main Madeiran dishes in many restaurants.
Since in 1999, the Madeiran laurisilva forest has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Depending on the month, a profusion of flowers grow alongside the pathway. The main ones being the blue agapanthus in summer and the fragrant yellow and white mimosa from the start of the year to April.
Cobblestone Path:-
After walking for 50 minutes or so, you come to a break in the levada path.
An old cobblestone path, partially tarmac covered, leads down to your left.
Turn down this cobblestone path and, after 5 minutes and a number of bends in the path, you will come to a road.
Stepping out onto the road you will see, almost directly opposite, a road junction that continues down a steep hill. It is signposted to Choupana Hills Resort & Spa. You need to go down this branch road.
You will know that you are on the correct road because you will see a football stadium on you left as you descend the hill. This is the Campo Futebol do National Stadium.
Joining the Levada dos Tornos:-
Soon you come to a small turning square with a signpost to Choupana Hills Resort and Spa.
On this turning square, there is a bus stop for the yellow Funchal town bus, line number 94. This bus runs between Choupana and Cº do Terço and so does not go anywhere near Funchal city centre.
Follow the road round to the left and continue walking down hill.
After a short distance you will find the intersection with the Levada dos Tornos path.
Turn right along the path which takes you toward Monte. You can easily identify the path because it has a concrete pillar beside it displaying the number 189.
If you turn left you will be going toward Palheiro Ferreiro.
Jasmin Tea House:-
As you continue your walk, you will soon pass the Jasmin Tea house.
The last time we visited the Jasmin Tea House it was up for sale so we are unsure of it's present status.
It had an excellent reputation for offering a vast variety of specialist cups of tea.
It also offered hot soups, light snacks and ice creams.
It also had a very old, very friendly dog that would usually appreciate being petted by the guests.
If you wish to end your walk here, there is a town bus stop just down the hill from the tea house. But, to gain the best views of Funchal, continue along the levada.
Choupana Hills Resort:-
Soon after the Jasmin Tea House you pass below the Hortensia Tea House.
Along with offering refreshments, the Hortensia Tea House has landscaped gardens with a variety of flowers and shrubs.
The last time we visited, an entrance fee had been introduced to walk around these gardens. Like everyone else present, we regarded the entrance fee and rather silly innovation by the owner since we were able to view the flowers adequately without paying.
Leaving the tea houses behind, continue walking for another 40 minutes or so and you reach the grounds of the Choupana Hills Resort.
The Choupana Hills Resort is private and open only to its resident guests, however you are allowed to use the gates to follow the levada through it's otherwise private grounds.
But, please remember to keep to the levada path!
Encountering a Waterfall:-
After leaving Choupana Hills behind you, proceed along the levada.
Eventually, you will come to a steep flight of concrete steps on your left. These lead down to a road and a yellow town bus stop for line number 29.
You can finish your walk here and catch a ride to the city centre, but it would be a pity to do so as you would then miss out on some fantastic panoramic views of Madeira's capital.
If you choose to continue, you will soon come to a sharp bend in the levada that passes by a waterfall.
At this point, if there has been any recent rainfall, you will likely get your feet wet as you make your way across the flowing water.
The metal railings here are somewhat dilapidated and ramshackled.
If you are lucky, a fallen log will provide you with a dryer way to get across the water.
The Village of Romeiros:-
Before your shoes have had time to dry, you will find yourself walking through the small village of Romeiros.
Here, again, you can descend a steep flight of steps down to a concrete bus shelter where the yellow town bus, line number 29, stops.
To continue, follow the path signposted Levada do Bom Sucesso / Monte.
Ignore the Levada dos Tornos signpost!
Views of Funchal:-
Reaching a sharp bend, you now pass along a stretch of the levada that offers some fantastic panoramic views of Funchal and it's harbour.
If you only plan to take a few photos of your trip, then this is surely the place to take them.
More likely than not, a luxury cruise liner will be docked in the harbour.
If you know Funchal well, you will be able to identify some of the important buildings of the city - and, perhaps, even your hotel.
For reference, the round hill that you can see to the west of the city is the military communications hill that is situated above the hotel district.
On to Monte:-
You can now finish your walk by carrying on along to Monte.
BE WARNED!
The last part of the levada has some horrendous drops and is not protected by safety railings.
If you do not have a head for heights, or if you are not extremely sure-footed, then it is best to give this last section a miss.
Instead of facing some precipitous drops, you can quite easily turn back and catch the bus from Romeiros.
Effects of the February 2010 Floods:-
In the floods of February 2010, this last stretch of the levada suffered from landslides.
In particular, the Bom Successo route down toward the city centre was completely obliterated.
Before embarking upon the final stretch of the Levada dos Tornos, seek advice from the Tourist Information Office in Funchal.
Directions to the Start of the Walk
Since this levada walk finishes far from its starting point, it is really only suitable for those using public transport.
Directions by Public Transport from Funchal:-
The Companhia dos Carros de São Gonçalo company operates the line which stops at Vale Paraiso. You want to get a line number 129 which is the bus to Camacha.
The journey will take you about 50 minutes and the buses depart Funchal from the bus stops next to the cable car terminal, set a little way back from the seafront.
The 129 is a frequent service that runs seven days a week. However, on Sunday's there are fewer buses.
If you complete the entire walk through to Monte, you have various options of returning to Funchal. The cable car, local town buses and taxi cabs all serve Monte well.
If the final stretch of the Levada dos Tornos sounds too challenging for you, then to return, you will likely need to pick up a local Funchal town bus number 29. This is a fairly frequent service that runs seven days a week, again with rather fewer buses operating on Sunday's.
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