PR18 Levada do Rei is a relatively easy and beautiful levada hike on the northern side of Madeira 🥾

The trail itself is relatively flat, easy to follow, and not too challenging.

It’s the perfect trail if you want to spend a few hours inside the forest walking between the trees and listening to the sound of the free-flowing water coming from Levada do Rei 💧

Trail information:

• Official name: PR18 – Levada do Rei

• Distance: 9.2 km return / 5.71 miles return

• Elevation: Roughly 504 m / 1653 ft. elevation gain

• Length: 3 hours return (give or take)

• Difficulty: Easy to moderate

• Fee: €4.5 per person (pay here)

How to get there:

• 🚗 Drive – 55 minutes from Funchal with parking near the trailhead

  • We recommend booking your car rental from Madeira Airport for the best price

• 🅿️ Parking – Park at the trailhead

• ☕️ Grab a coffee after your hike at Quinta Levada do Rei

• 🚌 Guided tour: You can also do this as a guided hike, which is what we did the first time we went. It was super nice having a driver and a guide to teach us more about the island.

  • Check out this guided tour!

For the hike, we usually pack lunch and eat along the trail – or stop at Quinta Levada do Rei after your hike!

We also recommend bringing:

• 🧴 Sunscreen

• 💧 Plenty of water

• 🥾 Waterproof hiking boots (if you have any)

• 📸 Camera

⚠️ There’s a €4.5 entry fee to do this hike, which you need to pay before you start the hike. You can do that here.