The mini-canals are irrigation systems developed to distribute water from the rainfall heavy and wet regions on the north of Madeira island to the drier sun parched regions of the south.
The water is usually stored in reservoirs or tanks, or captured directly from natural fountains to be redirected and channeled across a wide network of winding canals. These narrow water carriageways deliver water along far distances to banana plantations, vineyards, fruit orchards and vegetable gardens, as well as to hydro-electric power stations dotted around the island.
The levadas criss cross the mountains and cover a total distance of 2500 km, and date back to as far as the early 16th century.
We travelled by bus to Camacha - a village outside of Funchal - and found the Levado dos Tornos which runs from Guala to Monte (near Funchal).
This was not the easiest of levadas to walk along
We came across three long tunnels - without finding an alternative route around
However, we saw some views of the countryside which you would not see from the road
After some 4 hours of walking we were still quite some way from Monte so we decided to call it a day and when we came near a road we caught a bus back to Funchal and left Monte for another day
Monte is perched up in the hills overlooking Funchal, 6 km away from the centre of the capital. Monte was formerly a health resort for Europe's high society
Views of Funchal from Monte
The Monte toboggan ride - this is now a great tourist attraction - two toboggan drivers push and steer passengers down the streets of Monte to the suburb of Livramento some 2 km away
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