Referta Castelejo Levada Walk From Funchal

Lovely walk through green and pleasant scenery with houses and smallholdings dotted here and there. Some steep steps at the start but then mostly level until the end.

Our guide Patricia was fantastic - so informative and interesting to listen to. Walk was great - we had a bit of rain and it was wet underfoot but very safe. We were lucky to be in a small group of 7 - spotted a tour behind with a lot more people. Highly recommend Lido Tours for levada walks.

Transport to the start, we would never have found it on our own. Sergio was an excellent guide and made the walk very interesting and enjoyable with his knowledge of Madeira and the Levada system. The walk was quite easy with great views of the flowers and forest on the way. A real treat at the end was the visit to the local bar where we indulged in delicious homemade cake and poncha. The minibus was waiting, ready to take us back to the hotel, but was in no hurry to go.

This trip was very enjoyable. The quide was excellent very knowledgable. Everything as expected and some great views

I enjoyed this morning Referta/Castelejo levada walk even more than the Mimosa valley walk that we did the day before with the same excellent guide (Patricia). The views here were even better particularly of the sea and Porto Santo in the distance. Lots of examples of plants and fruits and even butterflies and birds. The walk was more shaded and cooler than Mimosa valley and the path was a little smoother underfoot.The trip was well-organised and everything ran to schedule.

Cool Guide - The guide takes care of the Group - we even hat a baby on the Tour although the path is not in perfekt condition on the complete Trip.

Amazing tour. The trail was way less busy than e. g. Rabacal or the trail between the two peaks. In fact, we only met a handful other hikers. Great views of the north east of the island. But remember to bring a jacket! It started to rain on our way to the starting point of the hike, even when the weather app didn't show any sign of rain! Also, it was great that the tour ended in a lovely local cafe with the possibility to go to the toilet.

Really enjoyable short levada walk. Our guide, Helder was absolutely fantastic and so knowledgeable- you could see how much he loved Madeira! I'd say this is a relatively easy levada walk but that will depend on 2 things - your mobility / steadiness and how you are with mild heights. If both are fine, like for me, you'll find this a very pleasant and easy walk. The walk starts with a short descent down some stairs. There are several small sections that are narrow with short drops and no railings including a small bridge, and other parts where the path is uneven and intersected with small drainage channels. There is also a short tunnel, maybe 5m long. Not saying this to try and put anyone off as I thought it was really great but a couple of the older members of the group (60+) definitely found it more challenging so some caution advised. Our guide did wait, and check everyone was okay and did go back to help those who needed it! It's a great walk to try if you want to get a feel for levada walks and test it out before committing to longer / more challenging ones.

Took our 2nd Lido tour last week to Referta / Castelejo on Madeira. Great scenery. Loved the guide. Great explanations and not too many stops. Coffee stop at the end was a little small but it worked. Driver drove a little fast

I wanted to try a levada walk but was not sure what to expect. The people at Lido Tours were most helpful and suggested the half day Raferta walk. Pick up was on time and we were soon at the start point. The guide was so knowledgeable and shared fascinating information about flora and fauna at every stage, in English and French. It was a beautiful walk and it passed too quickly. It’s not too challenging physically but wear good shoes. Highly recommended

Brilliant walk along the levada waterways through the forests and hills. Flat walk and not strenuous but fantastic views and a great way to see more of the island. Great tour guide Miguel, very knowledgeable. Stopped off for a drink at local bar before heading back via mini back to Funchal.

Well organised and professional company , Lido Tours. Pick up on time, nice mini bus and small group. Walk guide was excellent , Benny, his knowledge of the walk and area was very good and explained things well. We learned a lot about the Levada and plants / trees etc so he was very informative. Had a lovely manner and coped well with some unexpected issues! The walk itself was very enjoyable and stunning scenery …an amazing trip . We thoroughly recommend this walk and company .

I enjoyed this lovely scenic walk, guided by Miguel who introduced the group to the owners of a local cafe bar in a village at the end of the route. As we visited in December the temperatures were lower but still warm enough to be comfortable. We were told it had rained earlier in the week so conditions underfoot were wet and muddy in parts - trainers not really suitable but walking boots a better choice.

We’ll organised Levada walk, excellent guide, fantastic half day walk. Easy walking, very friendly group. Brilliant way to see parts of the island you wouldn’t normally see

Lido tours is a well organized company. The booking proces works well and they respond to your emails. This walk I very much enjoyed because it was in a small group with a nice guide we could call Ruby. The walk was not at all overcrowded and very scenic. We ended the walk with a nice coffee and chat in a local bar.

Great Sunday morning walk along about 5.5kms of this levada. Very flat easy walk with numerous stops to explain local flora, fauna and history. Guide was extremely knowledgeable and fluent in several languages. Very pleasant introduction to levada walks and would definitely use them again

Same as other reviews on here re the chosen car. A black ford car where we were expected to sit in a childrens seat in the back. Ended up with cramp before we even started. Been going with lido tours for many years, they have added some new buses for the tours which are very nice but why oh why do they think adults should get in the back of one of these. Will not be going with them next time in November in case they send the same car. Plus the driver on this trip drove too fast and overtook on the inside on the motorway. The guides are really good and knowledgeable so no moan there. Get rid of the Black Ford Lido tours or you will loose more clients.

This half-day levada walk is at a fairly low elevation (between 200m and 300m above sea level) and is in the farming region of northeast Madeira. It is a very interesting walk because you can see both the farms, mostly just below the levada and also the north shore of the island. The walk is not at all difficult and there is no concern about vertigo. The Lido tours which we have taken, including this one, had between 7 and 12 clients, which made for a very comfortable tour. The guide was very knowledgeable.

Our guide, Rosa made this hike very interesting; her stories of her childhood and descriptions of how the local plants are used medicinally were fascinating. There were some lovely views and we came home with a greater understanding of the levada system. We barely noticed that we have walked any distance!

<p>Lovely walk with excellent friendly guide who gave us lots of information about the plants and local area. Easy walk which can be enjoyed by many including those not used to walking regularly. Good views from a few vantage points.</p>

We booked the " Referta Levada walk " and the hike through the Fanal Forest with Lido Tours. Both were absolutely TOP. The Levada walk was intended as a beginner tour for us and with the duration of about 2.5 hours was perfectly suited to this and easy for us. The hike through the Fanal Forest was partly up and down with many steps - rewarded by spectacular views ! Our guide Liana and Sara accompanied these hikes and they were wonderful experiences. The contact with the Lido Tours office was very nice and the pickup was on time. The hikes themselves must be experienced !

Very pleasant walk accompanied by a guide who regularly gave extensive explanations about the levada, the fauna, the flora and the island during stops. The walking pace was ideal for non-advanced hikers.

Very nice tour guide 🤩🙏🏻 a little earlier than the usual tours, so we had the way to ourselves. Very nice, short 5 km hike with very nice views along a valley. On the way there were two mini fruit stands from local farmers 👩‍🌾 🍌🥑 The tour ended in a small bar with freshly squeezed orange juice.

Gemütliche Levadawanderung mit tollen Eindrücken vom madeirischen Landleben. Wir erhielten einige Informationen zur Flora vor Ort.

Family walk along the levadas. No particular difficulty to report and very nice photos to bring back. Good overall organization of Lido Tours despite the small disappointment announced regarding the lack of a guide in French. Yet the one we had (Alvaro) was expressed in English as well as in French or German!!! Clear explanations and a nice bit of humor. Comforting little break on arrival in a nice little bar (we recommend banana cake!)

Balade très facile avec de très jolis paysages La guide est agréable et très intéressante grâce à ses nombreuses anecdotes

The about 2 hour hike was very easy and well recommended with toddler! However, it should be mentioned that we had a baby carrier for our 10 month old son - without it is definitely NOT manageable!! Very informative stories about the route and Madeira as an island! The guide was very nice and patient, so was the driver. Many thanks to the entire team, also for your flexibility and professionalism!