Levada Calheta-Prazeres

The route follows a working irrigation channel, and that is what makes it easy. The canal is wide, concrete and near-level, so the path beside it barely climbs. Eucalyptus lines much of the way. It is the closest levada walk to Calheta, which is the main reason to choose it over the bigger names elsewhere on the island. The trade-off is honest. The scenery is pleasant rather than dramatic, and it changes very little along its length. Turning back partway is a normal way to walk this one.

• No toilets. None were found within 5 km of the levada, and there is no information point either.
• Your start point decides the effort. Join where the levada crosses the road and the walking is flat; from Estreito da Calheta you climb first.
• This is a canal edge, not a footpath. The channel is concrete and still carries irrigation water.
• The route looks much the same throughout. Turning back partway costs you little.

Almost everyone drives. The levada crosses the road, and that crossing is the sensible place to join it: from there the walking is level in both directions, and the parking is beside it. Starting instead from Estreito da Calheta means climbing up to the channel first, and that climb is the hardest part of the day. Coming by bus means a walk before the walk.