Day hike in Madeira to the summit of Pico Ruivo

The certified guides from Explore Nature will lead you on this striking and impressive day hike in Madeira to the summit of Pico Ruivo, the highest point on the island, and along the way we will pass some epic landscapes and be exposed to gorgeous and exquisite views back out over Madeira and the ocean.

Group

1 Day

All year

Fit

Intermediate

Highlights

Hike between Madeira's 2 highest points - Pico do Arieiro and Pico Ruivo!
Admire the stunning and unique landscape, scenery and terrain of the island
Take in the breath-taking views from the summit of Pico Ruivo out to the ocean

Description

Hiking to the summit of Pico Ruivo, Madeira’s highest point, from its second-highest point, Pico do Arieiro, is a stunning and beautiful way to spend a day on this glorious island, and I will lead you on this route as we hike past incredibly vast and enchanting scenery, the mountainous terrain over-looking lush green valleys and the Atlantic Ocean in the distance.

Madeira is an autonomous region of Portugal located in the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of Africa, and consists of 4 main islands. It is known for its warm climate all-year-round, and has become somewhat of an outdoor activity mecca, with hiking and trail running proving particularly popular.

Our day hike begins when we meet in the morning at a designated pick-up spot, before going to the summit of Pico do Arieiro, which is easily accessible by car.

We then set off in earnest, with the rocky terrain and steep inclines taking some time to get used to.

One of the highlights for many is the section of the hike that takes us through the awe-inspiring and magnificent central massif of the island, an otherworldly and astonishing place that gives us great views out over the mountains.

Along the way there will also be sections entailing tunnels, belvederes and tricky rocky ridges, so you will have to keep your concentration for long stretches.

The pay-off for all these exertions is evident once we reach the summit of Pico Ruivo, as the sweeping panoramic views out over the entire island take the breath away, the raw natural beauty and sumptuous scenery making it all worthwhile.

Our adventure ends when we drop you back off at the meeting point, thrilled and satisfied at having conquered the highest point on the island and seen the best this special place has to offer.

This is one of the most scenic and interesting ways to spend a day on Madeira – book now and you won’t regret it!

For those who want to see a different part of the island, check out our Day hike from Bica da Cana to Encumeada in Madeira, here!

Price includes

- Guiding fee

- Transportation start and back

- Personal insurance

Price details

Price is per person in a group.

Itinerary

Day 1: Meet, hike, finish

Pick-up between Santana, Machico, Santa Cruz and Funchal, head to summit of Pico do Arieiro, hike for approximately 5 hours to summit of Pico Ruivo, head back to pick-up point, finish.

Details

Meeting point

Between Santana, Machico, Santa Cruz and Funchal.

Equipment you will need to bring

Backpack

Watter bottle

About the guide

Explore

Hiking Guide

Languages

Portuguese

What people are saying about Explore-Share

Kumari Selvakumar

5.00

Sept 14, 2022

I’m extremely happy with the ease with which I could book via your site reliable and experienced guide. Thank you so very much, and I’ve started to recommend your site to my friends. Dimitris is not only an awesome guide, but a wonderful person who was always looking out to give me the best experience I can have when he found out how much I love climbing! He is the Best!

Niklas Warren

5.00

Sept 6, 2022

I am very pleased with Explore-Share! This was my first international climb, and the communication and response time were great. Herbie is a very skilled guide and very efficient. The entire booking process & payment was smooth. I will definitely use Explore-Share again. Thank you.

Greg

5.00

Aug 23, 2022

I was looking for a local guide for a hike I was planning and came across Explore-Share. They seemed to have good reviews and so decided to give them a try. The experience was very positive and completely happy with their service. I will be using them again for next trip.

Colin Finnegan

5.00

Aug 17, 2022

Easy to set up and find the perfect trip. Informative site that is easy to use. Guides are all great to work with and communicate all arrangements needed. As simple as can be!

Lesley Weber

4.00

July 16th, 2022

Thank you explore-share for a wonderful via feratta experience. We have been wanting to learn for a long time but don't have the facilities in Scotland. The guide Mitja was extremely helpful and knowledgeable, answering all my many questions and providing advice. On the day head to take another group but he quickly arranged another guide Borut, who was brilliant. We had a fantastic morning learning via ferrata at Hvadnik in the gorge. It gave us the confidence to later hire our own equipment and go out in Mojstrana. Altogether a five star + experience. Thank you.

Richard Scrivener

5.00

July 20, 2022

Hello! I have been thoroughly impressed by the service and assistance that explore-share have provided the past couple years in helping to plan my trip to the High Tatras in Poland. I really appreciated the flexibility that they provided in allowing me to rearrange my trip twice owing to covid. They were responsive and communicative throughout. This trip was part of my Stag weekend celebrations and explore-share connected me with an outstanding guide in the form of Marcel - he was an excellent recommendation and we really enjoyed our guided hike in the High Tatras with him. Marcel was an outstanding professional, placed a high focus on preparing well and staying safe, and was also a great guy! Highly recommend. Many thanks and best wishes - Richard

Yvonne Morrison

4.00

May 8, 2022

Our first time with Explore-Share. An absolutely fantastic experience from start to finish. Extremely good value, very well organised with attention to detail. We travel widely and this has by far been the best of experiences. Well done to all concerned. We are already looking at booking another trip!

Mark Stone

5.00

April 14, 2022

Great service by explore share. Our guide, Fred, gave us a fantastic day. Totally wild adventure that would be impossible on our own. I’m really impressed. Thank you very much.

James Dempster

5.00

March 9, 2022

I can’t recommend this enough. Great service, great price and the on the ground team was top notch. Top marks all round.

Leonardo Rodriguez

5.00

March 4, 2022

Everything went very well! Above our expectations! Thanks Explore-Share and Thanks Kiliholidays! Great support from all you! Thanks for the hard work and excellent level of commitment.

Daniel Martinez

5.00

Feb 2, 2022

Excellent job making your platform available to all mountain lovers. Our guide Gabrielle was an excellent companion