PR9
Four tunnels and a hundred-metre waterfall
Levada do Caldeirão Verde from Queimadas: 17 km of jungle levada past four unlit tunnels to a cliff-walled basin and a single thread of water falling from a hundred metres up. The longest popular day-hike on the island.
Curated by
Filipe Pereira
Founder & Lead Curator
Issued 2026-05-16
Valid through June 2026
01 · At a glance
The vitals
What you need to know about Levada do Caldeirão Verde before you book or set out.
Distance
17.4 km
Duration
5-7 h
Elevation gain
250 m
Difficulty
Easy-Moderate
Exposure
3/5
Type
Levada Walk
Status, May 2026
Open
Open year-round. No current restrictions. The waterfall flow varies dramatically with season - winter and spring deliver the dramatic 100 m drop, late summer can be a thin trickle. The deeper Caldeirão do Inferno extension (PR9.1) opens and closes based on rockfall risk - check current status before planning.
Best season
Winter through late spring for waterfall flow
December to May has the strongest waterfall and the most dramatic pool. June through October the waterfall thins to a curtain. Forest path stays magical year-round - the Laurisilva is at its most lush after winter rain. Tunnels are cold in any season.
“The tunnels are the price of admission - the waterfall is the receipt.”
02 · Getting to the trailhead
How to reach the start
Map placeholder
Start: Queimadas Forest Park · End: Caldeirão Verde waterfall
By car from Funchal
About 55 minutes via VR1 east then ER103 inland to Santana, then 6 km up to the Queimadas Forest Park. Last 3 km is narrow and steep but paved.
Parking
Queimadas car park, free, holds about 50 cars. Fills by 10:00 on weekends. Casa do Burro restaurant at the entrance offers paid overflow parking for €3.
Public transport
SAM bus 56 from Funchal to Santana centre. From there, taxi 7 km to Queimadas (no public bus). Quinta restaurant at the trailhead can call a return taxi.
Taxi or transfer
Funchal to Queimadas one-way is €40-50. Many drivers will park and wait if you tip well; the round-trip with a 5-hour wait runs €90-110.
Operator pickup
Protocol partners include Queimadas pickup, the Caldeirão Verde walk, and most pair it with Santana traditional houses in the afternoon. PR9 + Santana is a classic full-day operator product.
Tip from Filipe
Set off no later than 10:00 - the full out-and-back takes 5-6 hours and the car park gate closes at 17:30 in winter, 18:30 in summer. Cars left after gate-close get locked in until the next morning.
Driving yourself
Madeira rental from Funchal Airport, around €25-40/day in May
We use DiscoverCars to compare local agencies. Trailhead access on most PR routes is easier with a car.
https://www.discovercars.com/portugal/funchal?a_aid=Madeirahiking¤cy=eur&utm_source=Madeirahiking&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=pdf-pr9
03 · Route walkthrough
Section by section
Distances, landmarks, and what to expect underfoot.
0.0 - 0.3 km
0:08
Queimadas Forest Park to the levada start
The Quinta das Queimadas (traditional A-frame house, now a small restaurant) sits at the trailhead. Bathrooms, cold drinks, a duck pond. Follow the marked PR9 sign down to the levada path.
0.3 - 3.5 km
1:00
Forest immersion
Wide levada path cuts through old-growth Laurisilva forest. Tree heather, til, vinhático trees, ferns under every stone. Mostly flat with mild undulation. Several small wooden bridges over side streams.
3.5 - 4.8 km
0:40
First two tunnels
Two shorter tunnels in quick succession - the first 200 m, the second 100 m. Both unlit, both damp. Headlamp on, hands free. The path between them clings to the rock face with a low handrail.
Headlamp mandatory. Phone torch leaves your balance hand occupied.
4.8 - 6.5 km
0:50
Middle section to tunnel three
Some of the most dramatic exposed levada walking on the island. The path narrows in places to barely a metre, with drops of 30-50 m to the river below. Wooden handrails on the worst stretches. Third tunnel is around 150 m.
Narrow sections with unprotected drops. Move single file.
6.5 - 7.7 km
0:35
Fourth tunnel and the descent
Final tunnel is the longest at around 220 m. Beyond it the path descends a short staircase into the Caldeirão Verde basin. Vegetation thickens, the air cools, you can hear water before you see it.
7.7 km
Stop
Caldeirão Verde - the basin
A vertical bowl of green rock 200 m across, with a single 100 m waterfall feeding a pool at the bottom. The viewpoint is at the pool edge - the water is shockingly cold and only knee-deep at the lip. Lunch on the rocks; the basin echoes.
7.7 - 15.4 km
2:30
Return via the same route
PR9 is out-and-back. The four tunnels go in the opposite direction now - the long one feels longer, the short ones feel shorter. The final 3 km uphill back to Queimadas catches you by surprise.
Extension: PR9.1
+2:00
Caldeirão do Inferno (advanced)
A further 4 km in and out from the Caldeirão Verde basin, through three more tunnels to a deeper, narrower canyon. Only when officially open - check status. Adds 2 hours; difficulty jumps from Moderate to Hard.
04 · Gear and safety
What to bring and when to bail
Required
- Hiking boots with good traction - the path stays damp
- Headlamp - four unlit tunnels, total tunnel distance ~700 m
- Waterproof jacket - tunnels drip constantly
- Water: 2 L minimum
- High-energy snacks for the 17 km round trip
- SIMplifica permit
Recommended
- Trekking poles - the final 3 km uphill on tired legs is harder than it looks
- Mid-layer fleece - the tunnels and basin are 10°C cooler than the forest
- Microfibre cloth for camera lenses (humidity)
- Cash for the Quinta das Queimadas restaurant on return
- Spare socks - the path has puddles after rain
Four tunnels, not one
New hikers prepare for the long one and forget the others. Each tunnel has its own quirks - wet floor, low ceiling, drip in your headlamp beam. Keep the headlamp on between tunnels too if visibility is poor.
Falling rock
The basalt cliffs along the levada release small rocks regularly, especially in winter and after rain. Helmets are not required but the ICNF rangers carry them. The official advice: do not stop in the narrow rock-cut sections; pass through.
Distance fatigue
PR9 is the longest popular day-hike on Madeira. Many hikers underestimate the return leg - tunnels and narrow paths become harder when tired. Bail-out at km 4-5 if you are flagging; do not push to the waterfall.
No signal past the first tunnel
Cell coverage drops to zero in the Caldeirão Verde valley. Pre-download offline maps. If you need rescue, the nearest staffed point is Queimadas - allow 1-2 hours for rangers to reach the basin on foot.
Emergency: 112
Coverage along this route is patchy. Walk-out points: Quinta das Queimadas at km 0 (restaurant + phone + parking). Otherwise no exits along the route. INEM helicopter is the only rapid extraction in the inner basin.
05 · Fees and booking
Two paths to the trailhead
Path A · DIY
Book on SIMplifica
€4.50
per person
- Open simplifica.madeira.gov.pt and log in.
- Search "Caldeirão Verde" or PR9.
- Pick your date and number of people. PR9.1 extension is a separate permit.
- Pay €4.50/person by card.
- Save the confirmation - rangers check at the Queimadas hut.
Path B · Protocol operator
Skip the portal
€3.00
per person, fee included in tour
For PR9 the operator advantage is the transfer (Funchal to Santana is over 50 minutes each way) and the pairing with Santana traditional houses for the afternoon. The fee saving alone is €1.50; the day-package value is closer to €40-50 versus solo logistics.
Protocol operators running this trail
Madeira Local Guide - Paulo Jesus
PT/EN · Private only · €66-114
+351 XXX XXX XXX
tripadvisor.com/madeira-local-guide
Up Mountain Madeira
PT/EN/DE · Max 8 people · €40-120
+351 925 964 335
upmountainmadeira.com
Explore Nature
PT/EN · Small groups · €27-80
+351 964 851 693
explorenature.pt
Path C · Marketplace listing
Guided Caldeirão Verde Levada Walk
From €45 · 5-7 hours · ⭐ 4.8
If you cannot reach a protocol partner, GetYourGuide aggregates tours from multiple operators with free 24h cancellation. Independent listing - not a preferred channel for this trail.
https://www.getyourguide.com/madeira-l67/hiking-tc71/?partner_id=2VCHGBU&utm_medium=online_publisher&cmp=pdf-pr9
Trailhead transfer (no car needed)
PR9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde Hike Transfer · From €20
06 · After the hike
What to do with the rest of the day
Pair it with
Santana traditional houses
Restored A-frame thatched houses, 10 minutes back down the road from Queimadas. Touristy but iconic. Espetada grilled on bay-leaf skewers at any of the restaurants is a Madeira ritual.
PR9.1 Caldeirão do Inferno
The deeper, harder extension. Adds 4 km and three more tunnels from the Caldeirão Verde basin. Only attempt when officially open and on a fresh-legs day.
Faial coast viewpoints
On the drive back south, stop at the Cabanas viewpoint above Faial for the north-coast vista. Sunset is dramatic from up here.
Common questions
Is PR9 harder than PR6?
Longer, similar terrain, more tunnels. The 17 km out-and-back distance is the main differentiator. PR6 is 11 km and most people manage it; PR9 requires more endurance.
Can I shorten PR9?
Yes - the trail is out-and-back so turn around at any point. A 5 km round-trip stops just before the first tunnel and still shows beautiful Laurisilva. Operators sometimes offer this as a "PR9 light" half-day.
Is the waterfall always there?
Yes but flow varies hugely. Winter: full 100 m thundering cascade. Late summer: thin curtain. Spring is the photographer's sweet spot.
Is swimming OK at the pool?
Officially discouraged. Cold (around 12°C), shallow, rocky bottom. Falling rock from above is the real reason - the pool is in the impact zone of any cliff release.
Live trail status
madeirahiking.org/trails/pr9
Conditions change. The live page is verified against ICNF announcements and re-checked on a rolling cadence. Refresh before you set out.
May 2026 edition · issued 2026-05-16 · MadeiraHiking.org · Curated by Filipe Pereira
Scan for live status