Levada

This linear trail runs through the Protected Landscape Area of the Central Zone, in Faial, and takes you through terrain of great volcanological value, namely the geosite of Península do Capelo, and through patches of Laurissilva forest, rich in fauna and flora unique to the Açores. The markings alternate between white, red and yellow on sections where the Great and Small Routes coincide, and yellow with red for the Small Route; at crossroads, arrows on the ground indicate the way.

The starting point is near Cabeço dos Trinta, in the parish of Capelo. Right at the beginning, it’s worth taking the right detour, which leads to a tunnel accessing the interior of this cabeço, a volcanic cone covered in endemic vegetation. After returning along the same trail to the dirt road, head right towards the water storage tank; go around it on the left side and continue until you reach the levada.

The levada is considered one of the greatest engineering works of the archipelago. It was inaugurated in 1964, after seven years of planning and four of construction. It runs at 680 metres altitude, along 10 kilometres, of which only about 8 are walkable today, and was designed primarily to capture water to generate hydroelectric energy. Water is collected at several points along the route and then conducted to the mini-hydroelectric power station at Varadouro.

As you progress along the levada, clearings occasionally open up views of the alignment of volcanic cones of the Capelo Volcanic Complex. Endemic vegetation accompanies the path, with laurel (Laurus azorica), azorean buckthorn (Frangula azorica), holly (Ilex azorica) and heather (Erica azorica), among other species. With attention, you may also observe Azorean birds such as the Azorean blackbird (Turdus merula azorensis), the firecrest (Regulus regulus inermis) and the chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs moreletti).

This section of the levada underwent recovery works in 2013, over a stretch of approximately 2 kilometres. The walk ends at Alto do Chão, in the parish of Cedros.