Levada da Referta - Castelejo

Our first levada walk in Madeira booked through our hotel. We were picked up at our hotel in Funchal at 8:15am and discovered we were in a small group of 11. Elton was our driver and guide. The trip to the start of the walk was about 45 mins but we were entertained by Elton and his facts about the island en route. The walk was pretty easy though wet and muddy in places. No problem if you wear good walking shoes (not for trainers). Fascinating learning about the island and the flora and fauna from Elton was is experienced, knowledgeable, passionate about his island and nature and very entertaining. The walk took just over 2 hours and ended in a local cafe famed for its banana and walnut cake (quite rightly!). We were dropped back at the hotel around 1pm having throughly enjoyed the experience. We saw other much bigger groups some distance behind us on our walk and glad we chose a company that deliberately keeps group sizes to 15 or less. Highly recommended especially if Elton is your guide ( he leads other walks , too).

Picked up on time by a brilliant guide - Alvaro and a driver - small group, 15 people. A very scenic and easy walk, just over 5.5 km with 15/20 steps down to the Lavada and a short downhill walk on a quiet road at the end to a cafe and our pickup. Along the way Alvaro pointed out plants and birds and talked about the countryside which enhanced the walk, along with a couple of jokes and recipes. A lovely morning - and it didn’t rain! He was a great guide who was very concerned with the safety of the group and did everything to ensured we had an enjoyable outing.

I couldn't recommend this company enough. They guide ( Maria) was very caring , friendly, and clear when explaining features of interest along the walk. We were so impressed that we booked another walk at a different location, and the guide (Elton) was just as caring and informative. We will return to Madeira, and will book more walks with this company

Picked up on time and transported in a nice minibus to the stant of our walk which was a pleasant, gentle stroll with some lovely views. Our driver guide, Elton, was a gem - knowlegeable and humorous. All told, a really good half day trip.

Wonderful hike with a great guide Avrelo. Exactly what we expected. Knowledgable and good humour. Do it

Simple Levada walk over 2 hours on the Sunday morning. The guide was fantastic Alvero ( I hope I got that right). I would equate him to a Del Boy of the Levada's. He even managed to get some Germans smiling. The walk was pefect for a Sunady morning with guide walking along joking and laughing and telling us of the fuana and aminals. we both really enjoyed the trip and wish the guide well in semi retirement. Thanks for a good day out Alvero.

It was a flowery walk with encounters with local farmers and their fields. We had a fantastic guide ‘Alvaro’. Very good sense of humor, lots of laughter but also a very great knowledge of fauna and flora. Mimicked very well animal sounds... big kudos to such a guide!

My friend and I booked the Referta levada walk and thoroughly enjoyed it. Julia was an excellent, knowledgeable guide. We passed some absolutely beautiful scenery, walking alongside lush vegetation. We finished up at a delightful little cafe for a coffee and the delicious local banana cake. We would have loved to another, more difficult walk but ran out of time. I would definitely recommend Free Spirit

Booked this one aa wanted just a morning walk. Alvaro was a great guide. Very safety conscious & very knowledgeable. Shared a lot about the plants & area. Also great cafe stop at the end. When we come back to Madeia again, we would definitely use again. (Couldnt book another walk as the one we wanted was full. We booked with abother company- nowhere near as great)

A number of points to make here: 1. Alvaro is an excellent guide, with humour, excellent English and care for his customers 2. I am afraid of heights but managed this walk without any problem although there are some steep drops on the right hand side 3. Last weeks rain meant that there were quite a few muddy spots so good footwear is essential. Waterproof would be good. The levada was not running however. 4. We were actually on our feet for about 2 hours. Pace was gentle with a few stops for flora and fauna plus photos 5. We stopped at the rum factory in Porto da Cruz on the way back. Even if you don’t drink alcohol it’s right by a small beach so a minor photo opportunity. Altogether a good outing.