Pico de Arieiro - Madeira

The climb from Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo is the most well-known hike on the Portuguese island of Madeira. Hikers will go over small passages, up and down frightening stairs, and into gloomy tube chambers on this tunnel route. It is an adrenaline-fueled endurance challenge with steep inclines that cause considerable quad and calf burning on the walk. If you are willing to take on the task, it will be the highlight of your trip to Madeira.

The hike's entire distance is 11 kilometers round trip (return trip). The trek may be finished in 3-4 hours, depending on how long you take to relax and enjoy the views from the Pico Ruivo top around the halfway point. The over 1000m elevation on the return journey makes this path fairly tough. It is, nevertheless, highly technical, with many steps, uneven surfaces, dark tunnels, and other things that make it a little more difficult. A normal hiker will find it safe and challenging, but nothing out of the ordinary. If it is your first hike in a while, prepare to enter the pain cave.

There are several options for getting to Pico do Arieiro, which serves as the starting point for the Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo trek. The most apparent option is to drive up in your automobile, but don't worry if you don't have one. Your Pico do Arieiro morning fantasy is still alive and well. One of the reasons it is so popular is because it is only 30 minutes by driving from Funchal to the parking lot. The prominent dawn sight is about a 2-minute walk from the parking lot. When the sun rises at 7:30 a.m. in August, you may get out of bed just before seven a.m. and still see the nicest sunrise in Madeira without breaking a sweat!

Location: Portugal

Level of difficulty: medium
Duration of the trip: 5 hours