Trails
Levada da Azenha (PR23)
A 20-minute levada walk past washhouses and a ruined mill in Caniço
The place
Levada da Azenha is the official PR23, a one-way route of 1.3 km in the parish of Caniço, in Santa Cruz, from the regional road ER 204 at Azenha to Caminho Velho do Castelo. The panel gives it about 20 minutes, and heights stay between 271 m and 304 m, rising towards the finish. It is kept by the Junta de Freguesia do Caniço, the parish council, rather than by IFCN.
The path runs almost in the centre of Caniço, on the slopes above the Ribeira do Caniço, and keeps traces of the area's rural past. An azenha, from the Arabic as-sâniya, is a water-driven wheel mill; tradition credits Infante D. Henrique with ordering the first azenhas in Caniço, and the route passes the ruins of the Moinho da Vitória. Stone washhouses beside the levada recall a time when household chores were done together in shared places. The panel also marks a pit dug in volcanic slag, a stone bridge with a Roman arch, terrace walls of rough and dressed stone and a wooden bridge, and the cultivated fields along the way show that farming still matters to the local economy.
Highlights
- The first of the panel's six numbered stops is a stone washhouse, from a time when household chores were shared.
- A pit dug in volcanic slag and a stone bridge with a Roman arch come next.
- Further on are the ruins of the Moinho da Vitória watermill.
- Near the end come terrace walls of rough and dressed stone and a wooden deck bridge.
When to come
Any dry day: the walk is short, but the path is uneven, winding and steep in places, with cliffs along part of it.
Getting there
Start on the regional road ER 204 at Azenha, in Caniço, the road the panel shows running west to Funchal and east to Machico; there is an information board at each end. The route ends at Caminho Velho do Castelo, so walk back the same way or call a taxi: Táxis Caniço, +351 291 932 156.
Worth knowing
- Distance and time: 1.3 km one way, about 20 minutes.
- Heights: between 271 m and 304 m.
- Caution: the path is uneven, winding and steep in places, and cliffs border part of it.
- Status: open on the IFCN list on 4 November 2026; check IFCN before you go.
