There are a number of levada walks that you can take from Camacha. The Levada dos Tornos is interesting as there is a 100m tunnel halfway through – you can also complete the walk with a visit to the Jasmine Tea House. The distance from Camacha to the Tea House is exactly 7km.

There is a semi-regular bus service 129 from Funchal to Camacha – buses can run as frequently as every half an hour, but are mostly once an hour. You get off the bus at the Camacha shopping centre – the drivers are usually helpful enough to let you know if you ask them.

We followed a path with the shopping centre to our right, turned right along a road going the opposite direction to the bus (but not the same road as the bus), then after five minutes walk turned right through some buildings to another road and right again until we found some steps on the other side of the road that led down to the lavada. It’s actually pretty difficult to find without a map – we used this map, purchased from Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1782750460/

The lavada path runs alongside houses and farms.

The path is easily negotiable, although you’ll need a torch and ideally waterproof boots, to make it through the tunnel. The waterproof boots are handy as the tunnel path has large puddles – I had to balance on the edge, with water running through the lavada behind me, to avoid filling my trainers with water. The tunnel ceiling is also quite low in places, so you’ll need to stoop as you walk through.

7km later and you arrive at a sign for the Tea House.

There are a series of step steps down the Tea House where you are welcomed by the owner’s friendly dog. The Tea House has hot snacks, wine, beer, tea and scones. The owner has a touch of Basil Fawlty about him, but it’s a friendly place.

You can take a bus back to Funchal from nearby the Tea House – the owner has a timetable to hand. However, don’t believe the him when he tells you the stop is only five minutes away. Plan for at least 15 minutes to walk out of the Tea House drive, turn left all the way down a steep hill, then right to the bus stop. We easily missed the bus and flagged down a passing taxi (16 EUR back to Funchal).

Some more pictures of the lavada: