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The IFCN's official status, read every day. Green only when the IFCN writes « aberto » with no reserve.

● Partially closed« Pico do Areeiro – Pico Ruivo * Vereda oeste (pelos túneis) * Vereda este (pelo Pico das Torres) - Encerrado » — IFCN

The three-peaks trail. It leaves the Pico do Areeiro viewpoint (1,818 m), skirts Pico das Torres (1,851 m) and ends on Pico Ruivo (1,862 m), the highest point of the archipelago, in the heart of the Maciço Montanhoso — the central range, a regional Natural Monument and Natura 2000 site whose high-altitude flora counts some fifty endemic species. Since the full reopening on 1 May 2026 (daily since 26 June), there are two options: the out-and-back to the Pedra Rija viewpoint (1.2 km + 1.2 km, two-way traffic) or the full 6.1 km crossing, one-way Areeiro → Ruivo from Pedra Rija onwards with no return along the same path; you come down by PR 1.2 to Achada do Teixeira or by PR 1.1 to Ilha. On the way: tunnels dug through volcanic tuff that once sheltered shepherds and cattle (a torch helps), steep slopes, a staircase cut into the rock around Pico das Torres, then the final climb to the Casa de Abrigo do Pico Ruivo and the rock known as "Homem em Pé", where the path to Achada do Teixeira begins. High-altitude heath, endemic Macaronesian birds. Official altitudes 1,491 to 1,857 m, moderate, about 3 h. You enter at your slot time from Pico do Areeiro, never from the Pedra Rija gate. Official length: 6.1 km; the route's trace measures 5.3 km on the map. Access 2026: booking exclusively on SIMplifica; €4.50 for the out-and-back to the Pedra Rija viewpoint, €10.50 for the full crossing to Pico Ruivo — that ticket also covers PR 1.1, 1.2 and, once reopened, 1.3; the 1-, 3- and 7-day passes do not include PR 1; free for residents and children up to 12, registration compulsory. No return transport to Pico do Areeiro is provided: plan your own logistics. Closures are decided by the regional forestry institute; refunds only for an official closure (10 working days). Safety advice: never walk alone, tell someone your plan, finish before dark, carry spare water and food, and give up in heavy rain, wind or hail.

Highlights

  • Pico Ruivo 1862 m
  • Pico das Torres
  • Tunnels in the tuff
  • One-way from Pedra Rija
  • Natura 2000
Difficulty
Moderate
Length
6.1 km
Elevation gain
366 m
Duration
3 h (crossing)
Price
€4.50 to Pedra Rija · €10.50 full crossing (includes PR 1.1, 1.2, 1.3) · free for residents and under-13s
Municipality
Câmara de Lobos
🎟️ Book on SIMplifica🗺️ See the route on the map📍 Start🏁 End

Track for guidance only.

Places within 2 km of the route

  • 🌿 Nature

    Maciço Montanhoso Central

    The whole central range above 1,400 m, about 8,200 hectares classified a Natural Monument. Two blocks make it up: to the east the island's highest peaks, Pico Ruivo (1,862 m) and Pico do Areeiro (1,818 m); to the west the high points of Paul da Serra, Pico Ruivo do Paul (1,640 m) and Bica da Cana (1,620 m). The ragged relief comes from the differential erosion of water on pyroclastic rock. It is also a geological and high-altitude vegetation reserve, and the only known nesting place of Zino's petrel.

    🗺️ See it on the map
  • 🔭 Viewpoint

    Miradouro do Pico Ruivo

    The highest point of the archipelago, 1,862 m, Portugal's third-highest summit, and the island's widest panorama: the Curral das Freiras valley and Câmara de Lobos, the villages of Santana, the Ribeira Grande and Ribeira de São Jorge valleys, Ponta de São Lourenço, Paul da Serra and, with good visibility, Porto Santo and the Desertas. It is reached only on foot, by PR 1 from Pico do Areeiro (one-way from Pedra Rija, €10.50 ticket) or by PR 1.2 from Achada do Teixeira (2.8 km, €4.50) — SIMplifica booking compulsory in both cases. High-altitude heath and monumental rock formations that often pierce the cloud layer; it is also the nesting ground of Zino's petrel. The lookout itself has no fee.

    🗺️ See it on the map
  • 🔭 Viewpoint

    Miradouro do Pico do Areeiro

    The island's third-highest peak, at 1,818 m, and the most visited thanks to its road and facilities: from up here, the whole Maciço Montanhoso, Ponta de São Lourenço, Curral das Freiras and, on clear days, Porto Santo, with the Atlantic as a backdrop. The sunrise spectacle, weather permitting, draws ever more onlookers and photographers — the best hour, provided you wrap up. It is the start of the Vereda do Areeiro (PR 1) to Pico das Torres (1,851 m) and Pico Ruivo (1,862 m), fully reopened on 1 May 2026. Access: car park charged at €4.00 per hour; a shuttle is run by Horários do Funchal (timetables on their site). The lookout itself is free.

    Lookout free · car park €4.00/hour
    🗺️ See it on the map
  • 🔭 Viewpoint

    Miradouro do Ninho da Manta

    A few metres from the start of the Vereda do Areeiro (PR 1), next to the Pousada do Pico do Areeiro, this lookout is named after the buzzard (Buteo buteo, the "manta") said to have nested here. It reveals the parish of São Roque do Faial and the Fajã da Nogueira valley, nesting place of the Manx shearwater, and part of the central range, with rock formations that often rise out of the clouds. This is also where Zino's petrel, Europe's most endangered seabird, nests. A compulsory stop for hikers setting off towards Pico das Torres (1,851 m) and Pico Ruivo (1,862 m).

    🗺️ See it on the map