The hike from Queimadas to Caldeirão
Verde is a fairly well known hike
on Madeira. It is a walk alongside
the levada where you walk pleasantly
in the forest. In some sections
the trail isn't very good. And
the wooden fence isn't very convincing
either.
A natural ampitheather
of rock, painted bright green in slimey
mosses and feathery ferns, the Calderão
Verde, or Green Cauldron, of the island
of Madeira is nestled among one of
the last remaining virgin forests.
Towering more than 30 floors high,
and split down it center by a slender
but powerful cascade that tumbles
into an emerald pool of cold water,
the cliff peaks out of a dense drape
of Laurisilva forest. This is an ecosystem
so rare that its was designated a
World Heritage Site in December 1999.
Located in one of the wildest regions
of the island, reaching the cauldron
is an adventure that follows trails
carved into near-vertical slopes of
canine-shaped massifs carpeted in
thick vegetation, and through narrow,
dark, and damp tunnels that can reach
up to 360 feet in length. Despite
the rugged terrain, and the relatively
pristine state of the forest, the
route is in fact a serpentine network
of manmade canals known as "levadas,"
which early settlers constructed to
collect and divert rainwater from
the wetter, northern regions of the
island, to the drier zones in the
south. The path to Calderão
Verde begins at Queimadas Forest Park
in the town of Santana.
[2]
QUEIMADAS ECOLOGIC
PARK IN SANTANA
Queimadas is an ecological
area five km south of Santana. It is
an ideal spot for a picnic or a walk.
West of Santana there is a detour where
the road quickly turns into a rough
mountain track. Along a trail that passes
by gorse bushes, hydrangeas and wild
flowers, this route leads right into
a wonderful forest. Not far from here
is the House of Queimadas (Casa das
Queimadas) used by forest rangers. Here
there are facilities like picnic tables
surrounded by rare plants from the region
and a lake with some ducks. It is a
starting point for several spots for
example to Caldeirão Verde and
Caldeirão Inferno and from this
spot one can even go for a walk to Ilha,
Pico Ruivo and Pico das Pedras and continue
with a walk along the Levada to Faial
and Cruzinhas. In Queimadas there is
a parking place for cars and you can
even reach Queimadas by walking about
20 minutes from Pico das Pedras or Rancho
Madeirense. [3]
Une video qui
vous emmène en randonnée
à travers les montagnes de Madère.
Cette video est un supplément
d'un article détaillant le parcours
du Caldeirão Verde "Madeira"
