Pico Ruivo. ⛰️ Along the PR1 ridge to Madeira’s highest peak

Pico Ruivo is Madeira’s highest peak, and the PR1 trail from Pico do Arieiro is said to be the most beautiful route on the island. You walk along a ridge above the clouds, through tunnels cut into the rock, with views of the jagged peaks of the central massif. After the wildfires of August 2024 the trail was closed for almost two years. Since 1 May 2026 it has been fully open again, but with new rules: a paid ticket with a set start time and one-way traffic.

I haven’t walked the PR1 trail itself yet. I was on Pico do Arieiro at dawn in March 2025 and stood at the start of the trail, so the photos in this guide are from that morning. I describe the route, tickets, getting there and the rules based on IFCN notices, the trail board and timetables, which I checked on 16 October 2026.

The PR1 route: from Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo

The trail starts by the viewpoint on Pico do Arieiro. Just after the start is the Ninho da Manta viewpoint (“Buzzard’s Nest”), looking over the Fajã da Nogueira valley and the north of the island. At km 1.2 you reach Miradouro da Pedra Rija. Up to this point you can walk in both directions; beyond it, traffic only goes towards Pico Ruivo (IFCN).

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1: The start of the PR1 by Pico do Arieiro, 2: The PR1 below Pico do Arieiro, 3: The ridge by Pico do Arieiro, 4: The peaks of the central massif at dawn. Photos: Ewelina Podrez-Siama, 2025

Beyond Pedra Rija the path follows a narrow ridge, in places with drops on both sides, and goes through several tunnels in the volcanic rock. IFCN tells you to bring a torch or head torch. You reach the lowest point, about 1500 m, roughly halfway, and the last 1.7 km is a steady climb up to Pico Ruivo. Just below the summit is the Casa de Abrigo do Pico Ruivo mountain hut, with a bar (coffee, tea, drinks) and a paid toilet. I haven’t been able to confirm its opening hours (IFCN board, Visit Madeira).

Tickets, start times and booking

Booking is online only, on the SIMplifica portal. You choose a day and a half-hour slot, and arriving up to about 15 minutes late is tolerated. You only get your money back if IFCN officially closes the trail. Rain, illness or a cancelled flight are not grounds for a refund (IFCN FAQ).

On the trail, tickets are checked by IFCN staff and the forest police. According to DNoticias, in May 2026 the fine for not having a ticket was €50, and for entering a closed trail €250 (DNoticias, 13 May 2026). The rules allow fines of up to €2500.

Read nextMadeira hiking trail ticketsBooking in SIMplifica step by step, with screenshots.

How to get back from Pico Ruivo

The PR1 is a linear trail, and one-way from Pedra Rija, so you can’t walk back from Pico Ruivo to Pico do Arieiro. IFCN says plainly that getting back is up to the walkers. You have two ways down:

• PR1.2 to Achada do Teixeira: 2.8 km downhill to the car park at the end of the ER218 road above Santana. This is the most common choice. The whole Arieiro → Ruivo → Achada route is about 8.9 km.
• PR1.1 to Ilha: 8.2 km and about 3 h of long descent to the north, to the village of Ilha in the municipality of Santana.

No bus goes to Achada do Teixeira. From the car park down there to Pico do Arieiro it’s about 38 km and about 50 minutes by car via Santana. A taxi costs about €57 by day and about €68 at night and at weekends, and to Funchal about €74 and €88 (my calculation from the IMT fare table in force since 1 January 2026, without waiting time). The Santana taxi number from the IFCN board: +351 291 572 540.

How to get to Pico do Arieiro

The 6:00 bus gets you to the summit at 6:45, so in winter you’ll make it in time for sunrise. In summer the sun rises earlier. After walking the PR1 you can’t take this bus back, because you finish the route at Achada do Teixeira.

The shortest way up Pico Ruivo: PR1.2 from Achada do Teixeira

If you want to stand on Madeira’s highest peak without doing the whole ridge, choose the PR1.2 Vereda do Pico Ruivo. It’s 2.8 km one way: you start at 1592 m at Achada do Teixeira, by the Homem em Pé rock, and climb to 1862 m. Along the way there are a few shelters in case the weather turns suddenly. The IFCN board gives 1 h 30 min. Here you can walk in both directions, and the ticket costs €4.50 (Visit Madeira, IFCN).

• Getting there: from Funchal about 49 km and about an hour on the expressway via Santana; from Santana about 10 km on the ER218. There’s a café by the car park.
• Availability: in mid-October 2026 there were plenty of free slots on the PR1.2, including in the morning, unlike the whole PR1.
• Weather: the ER218 is closed when it snows, as it was on 3 March 2026.

At the top of Pico do Arieiro

Pico do Arieiro is 1818 m high and Madeira’s third-highest peak. At the top there’s a viewpoint – in good weather you can see all the way to Porto Santo – a bar with a small shop and a toilet for €0.50. There’s also the IFCN’s Centro Freira da Madeira, with an exhibition about the rare Zino’s petrel, open from 9:00 to 16:00 (IFCN). The white dome on the summit is a Portuguese Air Force radar station, not a weather radar.

Crowds come up here for sunrise. According to USNO data, on 16 October 2026 the sun rises at 8:12, after the clocks change on 26 October at 7:20, on 15 December at 8:02, and on 15 June 2027 at 6:59. The trail starts by the viewpoint, so only continue towards Ninho da Manta with a ticket and in your slot. You’ll find the sunrise cloud forecast in my Pico do Arieiro guide.

Safety and weather

• Cold and wind: in January and April 2026 temperatures on Pico do Arieiro dropped to −2.8 °C, and wind gusts reached 125 km/h. Take a warm jacket even when it’s 20 °C in Funchal.
• Cloud and fog: the peaks are often lost in cloud, and the weather can change within an hour.
• Weather warnings: when IPMA issues warnings, IFCN often closes trails (it decides case by case; in 2026 it closed all of them several times), and when it snows the roads to Pico do Arieiro and Achada do Teixeira are closed too.
• Emergencies: the emergency number is 112. Rescues around Pico Ruivo are usually carried out by the Santana fire brigade via Achada do Teixeira, and a helicopter can’t always help. Tell someone which way you’re going and when you’ll be back.
• Before you set off, check the trail status. You’ll also find today’s and tomorrow’s forecast for the central massif there.

The freira, Madeira’s rarest bird

Between Pico do Arieiro and Pico Ruivo, on rock ledges above 1600 m, the freira da madeira (Zino’s petrel) nests. This is the only known breeding site of this bird in the world, and it’s one of Europe’s rarest seabirds: about 65–80 pairs live here. The birds arrive in April, and the chicks fledge by October. According to IFCN, the population has been stable since the 2024 fire (IFCN, DNoticias, 3 September 2026). On the trail, stay on the path and don’t leave any litter.

Read nextMadeira trail statusWhich trails are open, mountain weather and bookings, updated daily.

Pico Ruivo and PR1: frequently asked questions