Our major attraction for today is the Levada do Rei a hike where we hope to see the endemic Trocaz pigeons and hike along a levada, the famous irrigation channels from Madeira. But first we have to find the trailhead following many single lane roads and then we need to find parking as it seems more people made it here than we expected. The main lot and a few other parking spots are full but we find parking near a dirt road and then start on the trail, after paying for the entrance fee via phone.
The trail starts easy enough with the trail being quite large next to the levada which is flowing peacefully on the side and we assume this is how it will continue. Oh how wrong we were…
First the trail suddenly diverges from the road and levada and becomes narrow before climbing via a series of stairs to the top of a small dam where we are reunited with the levada.
But now the trail remains narrow and suddenly is also slippery while following the levada quite closely. Almost immediately we slip and fall in while trying to avoid incoming traffic, just one leg but still not fun. We think of returning but in the end we go on, the lure of the Trocaz pigeon is too strong.
Soon we start seeing endemic birds, both Madeiran Firecrests and Chaffinches which seem to be quite common here. This gives us some hope that maybe we will also see some pigeons further up the trail.
The trail is quite scenic when we do not meet other people and have to avoid them. We take great care and our initial bath is the only one we undertake on the trail and after some time we can relax and just enjoy the walk.
The trail continues on passing by a few more artifacts of olden times like abandoned shacks and unsafe bridges. We are especially interested in the shack but there is no trail to it so we decide to only view it from the trail.
And then the trail becomes even tighter, something that we didn’t think it’s possible. On one side we are now restricted by a barrier so we don’t fall into the abyss while on the other side is a steep cliff. Meeting other people here seems like a hassle but we are lucky and when we meet someone on this section either they or us are near a section that is wider and two groups can pass each other.
We stop at one of this sections to enjoy the great views of the valley and then we see something flying around. We cannot believe it but looking more carefully we see they are Trocaz pigeons, we finally found them, yay!
The narrow section is quite long and we notice that from time to time the canal is covered and then there is enough place to pass by, wonder why there aren’t more sections that way?
And sometimes there are small grottos on the side and sometimes the trail is so narrow that we can barely pass. At least we know that the canal is not deep already. We are however looking forward to the next intersection where we can return, hopefully, to a larger trail.
And the intersection is not that far away and soon we can say bye to the busy trail and continue on a surprisingly empty dirt road that our GPS insists will return to the parking lot as there are no signs saying so. But why not try it, everything beats another bath in the cold water.
Soon we pass a small creek where a Madeiran Grey Wagtail is enjoying a drink and we really enjoy this section and wonder why this isn’t advertised as a loop? It would also stop the dangerous meetings between people going to and returning.
Then we enter the fog, it really feels like a jungle now as we explore side trails and sit on some rocks to eat our picnic lunch. Luckily there are no dangerous animals here, just the fog and trees.
Continuing we also find another old cottage that can be visited this time. However it doesn’t have anything interesting so we continue on, the trail seems to follow the GPS trail so we are on the right road back to the parking.
And then to our surprise we find another Trocaz Pigeon quite close to us and we can spend some time observing it as it makes sounds and preens itself before moving on.
The trail/dirt road is quite beautiful and it seems quite unused. It feels to us that we stumbled in a jungle movie and we expect at any point to see monkeys or jaguars or something similar jump at us. But no everything remains calm as we proceed on the trail.
There are many intersections now but with the help of the GPS we pick the right trail at every intersection as we make our way towards our car.
We even pass a forestry station on the way that has a geocache and we stop for a quick find before moving on and discovering canyons and weird plants. Unfortunately it also starts to rain so we hurry to the car just in time before the rain stops again….
On the way back we stop at another nearby attraction the Water Mill however it is not clear if there is a fee to enter so we decide to just stop outside and enjoy the views. To our surprise there is also a small Santana house, not sure if it is original or just a touristy representation. And then it is time to leave, we have one more stop planned today near the ocean to see the ruins of the small Saint George fort.
