Madeira Levada Walk: Queimadas to Caldeirao Verde, 9/26/14

Second of our three Madeira walks.  Here we are driving under the runway. Yes, the airport runway.  It was extended in 2000 from about 6000 ft to 9000 ft. Because there is no level ground to speak off in Madeira, it was built partly over the ocean using 180 cement pillars 230 ft high. No surprise that the Madeira airport is considered the 7th most dangerous in the world!

To get to the trailhead we drove by Santana, a fisher men's village on the northern coast known for its traditional straw roof homes. A typical home had one living space with a curtain separating the parents sleeping area and a loft with a large mattress for all of the children.

Some are being modernized and are still in use.

Start of our 13 km hike into the mountains.

Hydrangeas are everywhere alongside the roads and used for soil stabilization.

Most of the hike was along exposed stretches, with railings for protection. Often passage was too narrow for two hikers walking in opposite directions.  We were told that one never, never leans into the rope to let someone pass.  The correct way is to straddle the levada and lean into the mountain.

First of three tunnels. We were handed flashlights to find our way. At one point I almost fell into the levada because I wasn't quick enough to turn on my flashlight !

Second and longest of three tunnels.

It was grey and misty with fog covering the mountain tops. Doesn't this feel like a Chinese landscape?

Last tunnel with very low ceilings. A few in our hiking group bumped their heads!

Our reward: the caldera, what I would call a lagoon. 

The waterfall was too tall to capture in one picture :)