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Tell me about the Rota Grande da Levada do Furado Velho levada walk in Madeira
💭 Thinking
The user is asking about a specific levada walk - "Rota Grande da Levada do Furado Velho". Let me search for this trail in ourhikes database.The search returned no results. Let me try a broader search - maybe the trail name is slightly different. Let me try just "Furado" or "Rota Grande".The user is asking about "Rota Grande da Levada do Furado Velho" - this is a specific levada walk in Madeira. Let me analyze what I found: 1. The official PR trail database has PR 10 "Levada do Furado" (Ribeiro Frio → Portela, 11 km, Moderate, 5 hours). This is the official IFCN trail. 2. There are several community trails related to "Furado" in the AllTrails catalogue: - "Levada da Portela - Levada do Furado - Fissure" (7.9 km, moderate, 4.3★, 28 reviews) - "Levada Serra do Faial - Levada do Furado - Pico do Suna" (18.5 km, hard, 4.0★, 31 reviews) 3. "Rota Grande da Levada do Furado Velho" - this specific name didn't match anything. The "Furado Velho" part is interesting - there's a "Levada do Furado" (PR 10) which is the current/main levada, and "Furado Velho" would mean "old Furado" - suggesting the old/original route of the Levada do Furado. Let me look at the community trails again. The "Levada da Portela - Levada do Furado - Fissure" route mentions "the historic canals of the Levada do Furado and the Levada da Portela" and goes through laurel forest, tunnels, and narrow footbridges. This could potentially be what's known as the "Rota Grande da Levada do Furado Velho." However, I don't have an exact match for "Rota Grande da Levada do Furado Velho" in my data. The official trail is PR 10 Levada do Furado, and there are community routes that incorporate the Levada do Furado. I should be honest about what I found and what I didn't. The name "Rota Grande da Levada do Furado Velho" doesn't exactly match any trail in my database. The closest official trail is PR 10 Levada do Furado, which goes from Ribeiro Frio to Portela. "Furado Velho" literally means "Old Furado" or "Old Tunnel" - this is likely an alternate/older name or variant route. The "Rota Grande" part means "Great Route" suggesting it might be a longer version or combination. Let me present what I have - the official PR 10 Levada do Furado and the related community trails - and explain that the specific name "Rota Grande da Levada do Furado Velho" doesn't match exactly, but these are the closest trails. Actually, looking more carefully at the community trail "Levada da Portela - Levada do Furado - Fissure" - its description mentions "the historic canals of the Levada do Furado" and goes through tunnels. This could be what's sometimes called the "Furado Velho" route (the older/original path of the Levada do Furado, as opposed to the PR 10 route). Let me present the information clearly.
How this was derived · 3 steps
TrailsMap & photos
Levada do Furado6 photos
Levada do FuradoLevada do FuradoLevada do FuradoLevada do FuradoLevada do FuradoLevada do Furado
Official PR trail (IFCN) Community route (AllTrails — not official)
Photos: walkmeguide.com · green = official IFCN PR trail · amber = community route (AllTrails)

The name "Rota Grande da Levada do Furado Velho" doesn't match any trail in Madeira's official PR trail register (managed by IFCN) or the wider AllTrails community catalogue as an exact title. However, there are closely related trails that are very likely what you're looking for — here's what I found:


PR 10 – Levada do Furado ⭐ (Official Trail)

This is the official IFCN-recommended route along the Levada do Furado:

PR codePR 10
RouteRibeiro Frio → Portela
Distance11 km
DifficultyModerate
Duration~5 hours
Altitude645 m (min) → 880 m (max)
StartER 303 (Ribeiro Frio)
EndER 102 (Portela)
Access fee€4.50 (visitors > 12 years) via the SIMplifica portal; free for children ≤ 12
Managing entityIFCN

The trail follows the Levada do Furado water canal through lush laurel forest (laurissilva), passing tunnels and narrow footbridges. It's one of Madeira's most classic levada walks, with sweeping views over the valleys and the north coast.

Directions to the trailhead ↗ · Visit Madeira page ↗

⚠️ Check the current trail status on openmadeira.org before setting out — conditions can change.


Related Community Trails (not official IFCN PR routes)

These are community-mapped routes on AllTrails that incorporate the Levada do Furado or the "Furado Velho" (Old Furado) path. They are not part of Madeira's official PR trail network managed by IFCN, so they have no official open/closed status and no maintenance/signage guarantee — check access and conditions locally before going.

Levada da Portela – Levada do Furado – Fissure — 4.3★ from 28 reviews on AllTrails · 7.9 km · Moderate · ~3–3.5 hr · Out & back. This route follows the historic canals of the Levada do Furado and the Levada da Portela through lush laurel forest, tunnels, and narrow footbridges. This is likely the closest match to what's sometimes called the "Furado Velho" route. (AllTrails ↗) · Directions ↗

Levada Serra do Faial – Levada do Furado – Pico do Suna — 4.0★ from 31 reviews · 18.5 km · Hard · ~6.5–7 hr · Out & back. A longer route combining two levadas with magnificent mountain/valley views and laurel forest sections. (AllTrails ↗) · Directions ↗


In short: If you're looking for the classic Levada do Furado walk, PR 10 (Ribeiro Frio → Portela) is the official route. The name "Rota Grande da Levada do Furado Velho" most likely refers to an older/longer variant along the same canal — the community route "Levada da Portela – Levada do Furado – Fissure" above is the closest match. Both share the same stunning laurel-forest setting and water-canal path.

Want me to check the mountain weather forecast and IPMA warnings for the day you're planning to go, or look into how to get there by bus?

OpenMadeira can make mistakes — check the sources.