Photo of levada dos balcoes in Madeira Island with water channel, walking path and trees.
The Madeira Hydraulic System dates back to the fifteenth century and is unique in the world. The purpose of this vast network of stone channels is to capture the water falling in the mountains and carry it till the crop fields. Over the past 500 years the availability of water in plantations has always been a critical factor, since arable areas were the least rainy and dry.
The Madeira Island levadas network allows spectacular walks, sometimes for relatively easy paths, others through tunnels or walking several minutes on the edge. Given the popularity of these walks has been an effort to classify the various paths, from accessible to beginners, even the most difficult, lengthy and possibly dangerous. In bookstores abound publications on levadas, including information on the procedures to adopt, as well as descriptions and maps of different paths.
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