May 2019

Levada do Caldeirão Verde

 
 

Day 4: We began the hike along Levada do Caldeirão Verde, on a wide path through a temperate forest of laurel and eucalyptus, past expanses of ferns and flowers, interspersed with waterfalls, and with beautiful vistas of the valley below. The path then narrows, with steep cliffs above and below, protected somewhat by guide chains covered in plastic. This is a popular tourist trek, making it difficult when passing or being passed by others. We also walked through a series of tunnels, carved through the volcanic rock, making headlamps essential. The “reward” for many trekkers is the arrival at the 300-meter waterfall, source of the levada’s water. After a short stop at the crowded waterfall area, we retraced our steps and then took a northern path to descend through a heavily eroded and slippery clay path into the town of Ilha.


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