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- Levada do Moinho Directions
- Rota da Levada do Moinho Directions
⚠️ Status: CLOSED — This trail is currently closed, so you should not attempt it until it reopens. Check the current status on OpenMadeira before planning your hike.
| PR Code | PR 7 |
| Name | Levada do Moinho (also known as Levada Grande) |
| Difficulty | Moderate |
| Distance | 10.5 km |
| Duration | ~3 h 30 min |
| Start | Ribeira da Cruz (E.R. 101) |
| End | Junqueira (Tornadouro) |
| Max altitude | 940 m |
| Min altitude | 504 m |
| Managed by | IFCN (Regional Forestry & Nature Conservation) |
| Visitor type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adults (> 12 years) | €4.50 |
| Children (≤ 12 years) | Free |
Payment is made via the SIMplifica portal before your visit.
Levada do Moinho takes its name from the several water mills (moinhos) that once lined its channel, fed by its water. It's also called Levada Grande — "the big levada."
Along the route you can still find the ruins of some of these historic mills — the Achadas mill, the Cancelas mill and the Levada Grande mill. Because their construction was financed by local landowners, the right to use the water was exclusive to those families — a precious resource on the island. The levada is steeped in folk tales and local tradition, making it as much a cultural walk as a natural one.
For almost its entire length, the trail runs in direct contact with the Laurissilva forest (a UNESCO World Heritage laurel forest), ending at Tornadouro in Junqueira. Along the way, side branches of the levada divert water to irrigation tanks — distinctive scenes unique to this route.
There are several community-mapped routes on AllTrails that share the "Levada do Moinho" name. These are not part of Madeira's official IFCN-managed PR trail network — they have no official open/closed status and no guarantee of maintenance or signage:
| Route | Difficulty | Length | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Levada Nova – Levada do Moinho | Moderate | 9.3 km (loop) | 4.7★ | 6,103 |
| Rota da Levada do Moinho | Moderate | 10.0 km (out & back) | 4.5★ | 453 |
| Ponta do Sol – Levada do Moinho | Moderate | 7.7 km (out & back) | 4.2★ | 51 |
Note: These community routes are in a different area (near Ponta do Sol) than the official PR 7 (near Porto Moniz). They're separate hikes that share a levada name.
Source: Visit Madeira – PR 7 Levada do Moinho · Trail data: IFCN & VisitMadeira · Community ratings: AllTrails · Photos: walkmeguide.com
Would you like me to suggest a nearby open alternative trail on the north coast, or check the mountain weather forecast for the day you want to go?