Canico Trip Overview
The trail starts at the second highest mountain of Madeira, at 1818m high on Pico do Arieiro. Standing on top of this mountain means beautiful vistas in all directions. From here you can see the volcanic peninsula Ponta de São Lourenço, Ilhas Desertas islands, the Paúl da Serra plateau and of course all the high mountains directly surrounding Pico do Arieiro. Needless to say, you require a clear sky to be able to see this far, or else you’ll see only clouds. Pico do Arieiro is a great location to see the sun set on Madeira. Early birds can participate in special tours, dropping you off at Pico do Arieiro while it’s still pitch-dark. We are not that early, but still early enough to avoid the crowds. This trail is very popular and can get pretty crowded, especially during high season
Additional Info
* Duration: 8 hours
* Starts: Canico, Portugal
* Trip Category: Shore Excursions >> Ports of Call Tours
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What to Expect When Visiting Canico, Madeira Islands, Portugal
The trail starts at the second highest mountain of Madeira, at 1818m high on Pico do Arieiro. Standing on top of this mountain means beautiful vistas in all directions. From here you can see the volcanic peninsula Ponta de São Lourenço, Ilhas Desertas islands, the Paúl da Serra plateau and of course all the high mountains directly surrounding Pico do Arieiro. Needless to say, you require a clear sky to be able to see this far, or else you’ll see only clouds. Pico do Arieiro is a great location to see the sun set on Madeira. Early birds can participate in special tours, dropping you off at Pico do Arieiro while it’s still pitch-dark. We are not that early, but still early enough to avoid the crowds. This trail is very popular and can get pretty crowded, especially during high season
Itinerary
The Pico Ruivo is the highest point on the mountainous Madeira and standing at 1,862m above sea level the summit provides spectacular views over the entire island. The climb to the top of Pico Ruivo provides for a challenging hike and there are two excellent routes of varying degrees of difficulty. The most popular and more challenging course is from the summit of Pico do Arieiro, which is easily accessible by car and is the third highest peak of Madeira. This route is not for the faint hearted as it traverses steep ridges, passes through tunnels and steep slopes.
The round trip takes around 5-6 hours and covers 12km. The second route is much easier accessing Pico Ruivo from the east and the village of Achada do Teixeira, the round trip takes between 2.5-3 hours but still climbs up 300 meters over the 3km route
