This UNESCO cover from Portugal depict a miniature sheet issued in 2012 celebrating the
Levadas of Madeira. In a region where the forest is a World Heritage Site, walking along the levadas of Madeira is a unique way to discover exuberant nature, where the most extensive
Laurissilva forest of the Atlantic islands persists, a testament to the ancestral nature of the region. They extend for more than 3 thousand kilometers and wind through steep paths, mountain peaks, natural tunnels that cross the rock, crystalline lagoons and exuberant vegetation, always to the sound of running water. We are talking about the
Levadas of Madeira, a set of routes that invite you to unique moments of communion with nature. Walking along one of Madeira's levadas is to discover the
Laurissilva , an endemic forest of Macaronesia - a region formed by the archipelagos of Madeira, Azores, Canary Islands and Cape Verde -, on routes that take visitors to the highest points of the island and to the encounter of countless rare species, some unique to Madeira, others from the most remote places in the world.
The
Laurissilva of Madeira became a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site in December 1999.
