Pico Ruivo

Pico Ruivo is the high point of Madeira at 1,862 metres, and the short way up is from Achada do Teixeira on the northern side: a paved path of about 2.8 kilometres, rising some three hundred metres, taking well under an hour and a half each way, with a mountain refuge shortly before the top. The harder and more famous approach is PR1 from Pico do Arieiro, a ridge traverse of about seven kilometres with tunnels, stairs cut into rock faces and long exposed sections, which is ticketed and has been closed for extended periods after rockfalls and fatalities. What draws people either way is the altitude relative to the cloud: the trade-wind inversion often sits below the summit, so the ridge stands in sun above a solid white floor with only the highest peaks emerging. Sunrise from here is the standard photograph.

What you actually see

• The summit - Madeira's high point at 1,862 metres.
• The cloud floor - the inversion layer sitting below the ridge on many mornings.
• The paved path - the short approach from Achada do Teixeira with a refuge near the top.
• The Arieiro traverse - the harder PR1 ridge route with tunnels and cut stairs.

When to go

Year-round; early morning gives the clearest air and the best chance of standing above cloud. Two to three hours return from Achada do Teixeira; a long day for the Arieiro traverse.

Honest expectations

Cold and windy at the top even in summer - people arrive underdressed. The Arieiro traverse is exposed with long drops and has been closed repeatedly after rockfall and deaths; check its status rather than assuming. Cloud can cover the summit too. Sunrise crowds fill the small car parks.

Nearby

Achada do Teixeira is the trailhead; Pico do Arieiro is across the ridge.