OpenMadeira
Tell me about the Estrela - Levada do Alecrim levada walk in Madeira
💭 Thinking
The user is asking about the "Estrela - Levada do Alecrim" levada walk in Madeira. This is a hiking trail question, so I should use the `find_hikes` tool to get official information about this trail. Let me search for it.The search came back empty. Let me try a broader search - maybe the trail name is slightly different. "Levada do Alecrim" is also known as PR 6, or it might be listed differently. Let me also try searching for it with differentterms.The user is asking specifically about the "Estrela - Levada do Alecrim" trail. This appears in the community_trails results, not as an official IFCN PR trail. Let me focus on that specific trail from the community_trails data. From the results: - Name: "Estrela - Levada do Alecrim" - Rating: 4.6★ from 92 reviews on AllTrails - Difficulty: hard - Length: 11.4 km - Route type: point to point - Estimated time: 4.5–5 hr - Area: Madeira Natural Park - Description: "This linear route climbs from the village of Estrela to Levada do Alecrim, passing through rural and forest landscapes. The Levada do Alecrim starts near the Chapel of Fátima and leads to the lagoon of Dona Beja. It's a pleasant route with some waterfalls surrounded by dense vegetation, allowing you to revitalize yourself through contact with nature." - Lat/lng: 32.73061, -17.17695 - Directions URL: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=32.730610,-17.176950 - AllTrails URL: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/portugal/madeira--2/estrela-levada-do-alecrim This is NOT an official IFCN PR trail — it's a community/unofficial route mapped on AllTrails. I need to clearly label it as such. There's also the official PR 6.2 "Levada do Alecrim" which is an IFCN trail. I should mention both — the Estrela variant the user asked about (community trail) and also note the official PR 6.2 which covers part of the same levada. Let me also note: the note says "This is an EVERGREEN trail guide for a static page. Do NOT state any open/closed/restricted status — it is DELIBERATELY omitted here because it changes over time and this page is cached." — but actually, the hike result doesn't have a status field filled in for the official trail either. The instruction says not to state status for this evergreen guide context. However, for the community trail, there's no official status at all. Let me compose a helpful answer about the Estrela - Levada do Alecrim trail.
How this was derived · 3 steps
TrailsMap & photos
Levada do Alecrim6 photos
Levada do AlecrimLevada do AlecrimLevada do AlecrimLevada do AlecrimLevada do AlecrimLevada do Alecrim
Official PR trail (IFCN) Community route (AllTrails — not official)
Photos: walkmeguide.com · green = official IFCN PR trail · amber = community route (AllTrails)
Estrela – Levada do Alecrim

This is a community route mapped on AllTrails — not part of Madeira's official PR (Percurso Recomendado) trail network managed by IFCN (the regional government's forests and nature-conservation authority). That means it has no official open/closed status and no guaranteed maintenance or signage — check access and conditions locally before going.

Trail profile
DifficultyHard
Distance11.4 km
Route typePoint to point (linear)
Estimated time4.5–5 hours
AreaMadeira Natural Park
Community rating4.6★ from 92 hiker reviews on AllTrails ↗
The route

This linear trail climbs from the village of Estrela up to Levada do Alecrim, passing through rural and forest landscapes along the way. Once on the levada, it follows the watercourse — which starts near the Chapel of Fátima — and leads to the Lagoa Dona Beja, a tranquil natural lagoon. Along the way you'll encounter waterfalls surrounded by dense vegetation, making for a very immersive nature experience.

Getting to the trailhead

Directions to trailhead ↗ — the start point is near the village of Estrela, in the municipality of Calheta.

Official PR 6.2 – Levada do Alecrim

Note that there is an official IFCN trail covering part of this same levada — PR 6.2 Levada do Alecrim — which starts from Rabaçal rather than Estrela:

  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Distance: 3.5 km (+ 3.5 km return)
  • Duration: ~2 h 30 min
  • Start: Rabaçal (E.R. 105) — End: Water spring of Levada do Alecrim (Lagoa Dona Beja)
  • Altitude: 1,256 m – 1,339 m
  • Access fee: €4.50 for visitors > 12 years (via the SIMplifica portal); free for children ≤ 12

PR 6.2 is rated 4.6★ from 1,719 hiker reviews on AllTrails ↗ and is managed by IFCN. Visit Madeira page ↗

The route you asked about (Estrela – Levada do Alecrim) is essentially a longer, harder approach that starts lower down in the village and climbs up to join the levada, versus the official PR 6.2 which starts at Rabaçal near the top.


Would you like me to check the mountain weather forecast and IPMA warnings for the Rabaçal/plateau area before you plan this hike?

OpenMadeira can make mistakes — check the sources.