Madeira Ativa › Levada trails › PR 9
Levada do Caldeirão Verde (PR 9) is a moderate 8.7 km walking trail on Madeira, running from Parque Florestal das Queimadas to Caldeirão do Inferno. It climbs about 1166 m and descends about 912 m along the way. That is steep: the ascent is packed into a short distance, about 134 m of climb per kilometre. It runs between 815 m and 1170 m above sea level. Mid-altitude on Madeira means cloud is common even on a clear day at sea level. It is a point-to-point route. The official walking time is 6 h 30. Access status is currently open. An entry fee of 3 EUR applies. The trail is waymarked in yellow.
Tunnels en route, carry a torch. The path may be slippery, wear anti-slip footwear.
Official walking time and difficulty from Visit Madeira, as on the trailhead board.
There are 13 tunnels on the route, 709 m in total. They are unlit: a torch or a head lamp is not optional, and a phone light is the usual substitute. Of the surveyed sections, 50% are half a metre wide or less and 2% have no railing. If exposure is a problem for you, this is one to think about rather than one to improvise.
OpenStreetMap, where surveyed; mapped on 100% of the route.
No bus route is mapped near either end, so this one effectively needs a car or a transfer. It is point-to-point, not a loop, so a car left at the start is a car you have to walk back to — most people arrange a drop-off, a taxi, or the bus. A car park is mapped at one end only.
Official route page (visitmadeira.com) ↗
The official walking time for PR 9 is 6 h 30 over 8.7 km. That is the signed estimate at the trailhead, walking steadily and without long stops.
Yes — 3 EUR. Madeira charges for several of its marked trails, and the fee is collected at the trailhead or online in advance.
Not directly — no bus route is mapped near either end.
It runs between 815 m and 1170 m above sea level. Mid-altitude on Madeira means cloud is common even on a clear day at sea level.
Yes — 13 of them, 709 m in total, and they are unlit. Bring a torch.
The last published status is open. Closures on Madeira follow storms and landslides and change without much warning, so check the official status on the day.