Levadas de Santa Cruz
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 4.46 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,880 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Moderate
- Elevation loss
- 1,857 ft
- Max elevation
- 2,026 ft
- TrailRank
-
46
3.3
- Min elevation
- 1,280 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Coordinates
- 760
- Uploaded
- March 26, 2017
- Recorded
- March 2017
near Moruja, Madeira (Portugal)
Viewed 9134 times, downloaded 192 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
Circular path that combines three levadas and some connecting trails.
It starts at Levada Nova do Moinho da Serra.
The levada is optional since it is flanked by a road.
Follow the levada to its source located next to the Ponte de Roma, an old stone bridge.
Here there is the option to follow the Ribeira de Santa Cruz bed. The route involves crossing the water course a few times, improvising trails and going through slippery rocks. In the end we are compensated with the beautiful Madre D'Água Waterfall.
Return to Ponte de Roma and start the climb up to Levada dos Tornos.
Follow this important and long levada till its end.
Then go back a few meters and descended by the signaled and steep Vereda do Alvoredo.
We will soon be in Ribeira de Santa Cruz again and this time we have a small wooden bridge that helps us to cross it. A few steps later and we are already in the Levada Nova de Santa Cruz. We turned left to visit its source.
Going to the source of the levada and not visiting the waterfalls is like going to Rome and not seeing the Pope. Improvise and cross the water course and go ahead from stone to stone. A few meters later you will see the Ribeira de Santa Cruz and its waterfall with two junps flanked with prismatic columns. Beautiful and unique.
Right beside the aforementioned waterfall, Ribeira Primeira joins with Ribeira de Santa Cruz and we can see another waterfall. Climbing a little to the base of this waterfall we can see a tributary with a smaller waterfall.
We finish the tour, returning by Levada Nova, then going down a cement road to the starting point.
It starts at Levada Nova do Moinho da Serra.
The levada is optional since it is flanked by a road.
Follow the levada to its source located next to the Ponte de Roma, an old stone bridge.
Here there is the option to follow the Ribeira de Santa Cruz bed. The route involves crossing the water course a few times, improvising trails and going through slippery rocks. In the end we are compensated with the beautiful Madre D'Água Waterfall.
Return to Ponte de Roma and start the climb up to Levada dos Tornos.
Follow this important and long levada till its end.
Then go back a few meters and descended by the signaled and steep Vereda do Alvoredo.
We will soon be in Ribeira de Santa Cruz again and this time we have a small wooden bridge that helps us to cross it. A few steps later and we are already in the Levada Nova de Santa Cruz. We turned left to visit its source.
Going to the source of the levada and not visiting the waterfalls is like going to Rome and not seeing the Pope. Improvise and cross the water course and go ahead from stone to stone. A few meters later you will see the Ribeira de Santa Cruz and its waterfall with two junps flanked with prismatic columns. Beautiful and unique.
Right beside the aforementioned waterfall, Ribeira Primeira joins with Ribeira de Santa Cruz and we can see another waterfall. Climbing a little to the base of this waterfall we can see a tributary with a smaller waterfall.
We finish the tour, returning by Levada Nova, then going down a cement road to the starting point.
Comments (3)
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We did this trail in may 2018, but it was not maintained. There were trees on the track, the bridges to cross the stream did no longer exist. We did the trail with a 5 year old and had to skip all the waterfalls because of the weather and the bad track going there.
Awesome track ! Thx for sharing
I have followed this trail View more
Information
Easy to follow
Scenery
Moderate
Tem algumas zonas que requerem alguma atenção ao piso molhado. Percurso muito bonito!