PR1.2 Vereda do Pico Ruivo
Hiking to Madeira's highest point should not be missing on your Madeira travel list. Practical information and tips about the PR1.2 Pico Ruivo hike can be found right here!
Hiking to Madeira's highest point: PR1.2 Vereda do Pico Ruivo
A visit to Madeira is not truly complete until you have been to the highest point on the island. The PR1.2 Vereda do Pico Ruivo hike will get you to 1,869 meters above sea level in about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
I do have to be honest and tell you that it is not the most iconic way to get to the top, which is the 6.1 KM PR 1.1 Vereda do Arieiro hike. However, this one will take you quite some more time and is even more difficult.
Make your visit to Madeira complete!
Of course, that is not to say that the PR 2.1 Vereda do Pico Ruivo hike is a boring one, on the contrary. The trails are great to hike and some beautiful views await you along the way. In doing so, this is also a hike feasible for early risers to watch the sunrise from the highest point of the island. If you take the PR 1.1 Vereda do Arieiro hike (3.5 - 4 hours), then it really becomes night work.
My alarm went off at 05:00 and after a 1-hour car ride, I was definitely not the only one in the parking lot at 06:30. Because the hike takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour, it is an excellent opportunity for many to watch the sunrise.
An overview: PR1.2 Pico do Ruivo
Total distance: 5,6 KM
Time: 1,5 – 2 uur
Classification: Relatively easy (4/10)
Elevation: 266 meters
Good to know!
Navigate to Parking PR 1.2 Achada do Teixeira. You will drive through the village of Santana (known for its typical houses), before heading into the mountains. The last part of the drive up is unpaved and not in such good condition as the rest of the roads on the island. By the way, there is no bus going up, which again emphasizes the importance of a rental car in Madeira.
What will the PR1.2 hike look like?
Is the Pico do Ruivo hike difficult? No, it's not that difficult! From the parking lot, the 2.8 KM hike begins, climbing up fairly gradually. Since you start at an altitude of 1,592 meters, you are usually lucky to walk above the clouds. So even if it is cloudy, you will then also not have a nice view from both the sunny and the shadow-covered side.
Just before you reach the top you find a restaurant, with this reference point in mind you know it is only fifteen minutes to the top. It is somewhat steeper than the rest of the route with several steps, but the 360 degree view when you reach the top is totally worth it.
Wild campers
Along the way you will encounter (perhaps not in the winter months) wild campers who were only too eager to spend the night near Madeira's highest point. As I walked up the final stretch I encountered a number of them and also woke some of them up (accidentally or not), for which I apologize.
A tip for when you start as early as I did: watch out for sleeping wild campers, but above all have fun on the PR1.2 Pico do Ruivo hike to Madeira's highest point!
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