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Tell me about the Levada Nova via Ribeira Brava levada walk in Madeira
💭 Thinking
The user is asking about the "Levada Nova via Ribeira Brava" levada walk in Madeira. Let me search for this trail using the find_hikes tool, and also look for curated videos.The find_hikes query returned 0 results for "Levada Nova Ribeira Brava". Let me try a broader search - maybe the trail is listed under a different name or PR code. Let me search with differentterms.The user is asking about the "Levada Nova via Ribeira Brava" levada walk. Looking at the results, I can see there's a specific community trail called "Ribeira Brava - Levada Nova" which matches the user's query, and also "Caminho das Cascatas da Levada Nova" which starts in the Lombada area of Ribeira Brava, and "Tábua - Levada Nova" which is also in Ribeira Brava municipality. The closest match to "Levada Nova via Ribeira Brava" is the "Ribeira Brava - Levada Nova" community trail. Let me focus on that one, but also mention the most popular related trail (Levada Nova - Levada do Moinho). None of these are official IFCN PR trails — they're all community routes from AllTrails. I need to clearly label them as such. The main trail the user is asking about is "Ribeira Brava - Levada Nova": - Rating: 4.4★ from 123 reviews on AllTrails - Difficulty: moderate - Length: 12.6 km - Route type: loop - Estimated time: 5–5.5 hr - Description: "Pedestrian route along the famous Levada Nova, which was once an irrigation structure used to bring water to different points on the island, an archaic irrigation system used, for example, to water Madeira's famous banana plantations. After the initial steep climb, it becomes a less demanding walk, following the Levada over some hills, with views of Ribeira Brava and Tabua." Let me also mention the most popular one in this area: "Levada Nova - Levada do Moinho" (4.7★, 6103 reviews, 9.3 km loop, moderate) and "Caminho das Cascatas da Levada Nova" (4.7★, 283 reviews, 7.7 km out-and-back, hard) and "Tábua - Levada Nova" (4.5★, 260 reviews, 4.0 km, easy). I should focus on the specific one the user asked about ("Ribeira Brava - Levada Nova") and mention the popular variant as well.
How this was derived · 2 steps
Trails near Ribeira BravaMap & photos
6 photos
Caminho do Pináculo e FolhadalCaminho do Pináculo e FolhadalCaminho do Pináculo e FolhadalCaminho do Pináculo e FolhadalCaminho do Pináculo e FolhadalCaminho do Pináculo e Folhadal
Photos: walkmeguide.com ↗
Official PR trail (IFCN) Community route (AllTrails — not official)
Photos: walkmeguide.com · green = official IFCN PR trail · amber = community route (AllTrails)
Levada Nova via Ribeira Brava

The walk you're asking about — Ribeira Brava – Levada Nova — is a community-mapped route on AllTrails, not part of Madeira's official PR trail network managed by IFCN (the regional government's forests & nature authority). This means it has no official open/closed status or maintenance guarantee, so check conditions locally before heading out.

Key details
Distance12.6 km (loop)
DifficultyModerate
Estimated time5–5.5 hours
Community rating4.4★ from 123 hiker reviews on AllTrails
What it's like

This is a pedestrian route along the famous Levada Nova, once an irrigation channel that carried water across the island — including to Madeira's banana plantations. After an initial steep climb, the trail becomes a less demanding walk following the levada over the hills, with sweeping views over Ribeira Brava and Tábua.

Directions to the trailhead ↗

Other Levada Nova routes in the same area

There are several other community-mapped levada walks along sections of the Levada Nova network near Ribeira Brava. The most popular by far is the Levada Nova – Levada do Moinho loop, which combines two levadas:

RouteDistanceDifficultyRatingHighlights
**Levada Nova – Levada do Moinho**9.3 km loopModerate4.7★ (6,103 reviews)Waterfall, tunnel (bring a torch), watermill ruins, valley views
**Caminho das Cascatas da Levada Nova**7.7 km out & backHard4.7★ (283 reviews)Waterfall cascade section above Lombada
**Tábua – Levada Nova**4.0 km out & backEasy4.5★ (260 reviews)Short, accessible walk near Tábua village
**Rota da Levada Nova a Lombada**11.4 km out & backModerate4.4★ (115 reviews)Long stretch to the village of Lombada

All of these are community routes mapped on AllTrails — not official IFCN-recommended PR trails — so none has an official open/closed status. Check locally before setting out.

⚠️ Important note

Since none of these trails is part of the official IFCN PR network, there's no formal path maintenance, signage, or status monitoring. Conditions can change (fallen trees, erosion, loose barriers). I'd recommend checking with local sources or the Visit Madeira hiking page for current conditions before you go.

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