Pico do Areeiro

Pico do Areeiro, at 1,818 metres the third-highest summit of Madeira, stands roughly halfway between the island's northern and southern coasts, in the heart of its volcanic interior. From the top the island falls away in every direction in a chaos of knife-edge ridges, dark basalt walls and plunging ravines — a landscape that looks raw and primeval for a place so close to the gardens and terraces of Funchal. On a clear day the view reaches as far as the island of Porto Santo, about 48 kilometres to the northeast.

Unusually for a mountain of such drama, the summit can be reached by road, with a large car park and a restaurant at the top, and on busy days up to a thousand people come up. The summit also carries an air-defence radar station of the Portuguese Air Force, built in 2011. For cyclists the road is a legend in its own right: it gains about 1,810 metres in only some 22 kilometres from sea level, counted among the toughest cycling ascents in the world.

The peak is best known as the start of the PR 1 Vereda do Areeiro, the path that crosses the high ridges to Pico Ruivo, Madeira's highest point. The 6.1-kilometre route is one of the most spectacular mountain walks in the Atlantic islands: it clings to the crest, climbs a steep staircase cut into the rock near Pico das Torres and passes through tunnels dug into volcanic tuff, once used to shelter cattle and shepherds, before reaching the Pico Ruivo shelter and the rock pinnacle known as Homem em Pé, the Standing Man. Walkers must register in advance through the regional online system.

Getting there

Pico do Areeiro is about 8 km from Funchal in a straight line, reached by a mountain road that climbs from the city through the island's interior. Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport (FNC) is about 15 km away. There is a large car park at the summit; the PR 1 trail to Pico Ruivo begins at the viewpoint.