Pico Ruivo

The figures below come from the IFCN register and trailhead boards, the IFCN fee schedule and Visit Madeira. The durations are attributed because no source labels its figure as one way or return, and the table shows who has to solve the return leg. For the wider fee system see Madeira trail fees.

The asymmetry is the point. From Pedra Rija onward PR1 runs in one direction only, a rule IFCN adopted after a rockfall on the trail and has kept. You cannot walk back the way you came, and IFCN states plainly that it does not ensure your return to Pico do Areeiro.

If you park at Pico do Areeiro and cross to Pico Ruivo, your car is 6.1 km of ridge behind you. That is why this page spends more words on exits than on summits.

PR1.2 is the mirror opposite. Achada do Teixeira has a car park marked on the IFCN board map, the trail climbs 2.8 km to the summit, and you descend the same line. No shuttle, no taxi, no tour required.

If your priority is standing on the top of Madeira rather than crossing the ridge, start here. The hikes overview compares it with the island's other summit walks.

Pico do Areeiro to Pedra Rija, the Two-Way Section

You enter at your slot time in the Pico do Areeiro area, not at the Pedra Rija gate, because the full route starts there. Between Pico do Areeiro and the Pedra Rija viewpoint the trail is two-way, so this is the only stretch you can sample and return from on a $5.17 (€4.50) ticket. Expect tunnels dug in volcanic tuff that Visit Madeira says once sheltered cattle and shepherds, and steep slopes from the first hour.

More on the start point in our Pico do Arieiro guide.

Pedra Rija to Pico Ruivo, One-Way Only

From Pedra Rija the trail is one-way toward Pico Ruivo, and a Pedra Rija ticket does not allow this stretch. Visit Madeira describes a steep staircase cut into the rock to get round Pico das Torres, and calls the final climb to the Casa de Abrigo do Pico Ruivo, the mountain shelter, the hardest part of the whole trail. From the shelter the summit is a short climb, and the PR1.2 path down to Achada do Teixeira begins there.

The section shuts on announced works days, such as 14 to 17 and 21 to 22 September 2026 for a boardwalk installation, so check the IFCN register before you book.

What You See, and What You Must Sort Before You Start

Visit Madeira lists views over Curral das Freiras, Câmara de Lobos, the achadas of Santana, the Ribeira Grande and São Jorge valleys, and on clear days Porto Santo and the Desertas. Flora on the crest is high-altitude heath, and the small birds include the firecrest, chaffinch and linnet. Before any of that matters, sort the far end: IFCN does not bring you back, so read Leaving Pico Ruivo and Getting back to your car first, or book the sunrise and PR1 hike transfer with its Achada do Teixeira pickup.

The Climb and the Shelters

The IFCN trail board records a lowest point of 1,592 m and a highest point of 1,862 m, so you climb about 270 m (our sum). The board says several shelters stand along the climb because the weather changes suddenly and the area is often in cloud, and its caution line is blunt: take warm clothing. The area is part of the Natura 2000 network.

At Achada do Teixeira, past its shelter, look for the basalt column called Homem em Pé, the Standing Man.

How Long It Really Takes

The sources disagree and you should know it. The IFCN board gives 1 h 30 min and does not say whether that is one way or return. Visit Madeira's PR1.2 page says 1:30 round trip, while Visit Madeira's own Pico Ruivo page says a walk of about 45 minutes.

Our estimate is to allow the board's 1 h 30 min each way at a relaxed pace, and treat anything faster as a bonus. At the Pico Ruivo shelter the board notes a 360 degree view over Curral das Freiras, Ponta de São Lourenço, the Desertas and Porto Santo on clear days. For a first hike at altitude read Madeira safety and health.

Compare the three ways off the mountain below. The first two are the FAQ-listed exits. The third is a long option IFCN has announced but does not yet list as a standard exit after PR1, so treat it as one for experienced walkers with their own logistics.

1. Book a Transfer Tour With a Far-End Pickup

The sunrise and PR1 hike transfer drops you at Pico do Arieiro for sunrise and collects you at Achada do Teixeira after the hike. It costs $38.00, lasts 8 hours, includes help booking the permit, and the hike itself is unguided. The Funchal Pico do Arieiro sunrise hiking transfer is transport only at $56.00, with pickup in Funchal and Caniço and a later collection at Achada do Teixeira, and the permit is entirely your job. The first is rated 4.7 from 1,294 reviews, the second 4.8 from 4,851.

2. Take a Taxi From Achada do Teixeira

The IFCN PR1.2 and PR1.1 boards both print the number Táxis Santana +351 291 572 540. Arrange the pickup before you set out, because you will be depending on it after a full ridge crossing and there is no published bus at the trailhead. Compare taxi options in our Madeira taxi guide.

3. Bring Your Own Car and Walk PR1.2 Instead

If the logistics outweigh the romance of the ridge, drive to Achada do Teixeira, which the IFCN board map marks as having parking, and do PR1.2 out and back. Car hire in Madeira makes this the cheapest and most flexible option, and the only one that puts you back at your car without a phone call.

4. Make It a Linear Day to Ilha

Descend PR1.1 to Ilha and end by the north coast instead. This only works with a pre-arranged pickup at Ilha, again using the Táxis Santana number from the board, or a second driver. Read the general options in getting around Madeira before committing.

The descent drops 1,274 m, so it is a long day after the ridge.

The figures in the Time on record column come from Visit Madeira and the IFCN trailhead boards, attributed in each row. Our estimate is our own addition for a realistic day plan.

Our sum of the published figures for the crossing with the Achada do Teixeira exit is about 4 h 30 min of walking: about 3 hours for PR1 per Visit Madeira plus the board's 1 h 30 min for PR1.2. Breaks, photos and the wait at either end come on top. The sunrise and PR1 hike transfer runs 8 hours door to door.

The coast forecast says little about the top, so read the weather page and then look at the cloud.

- The full route starts at Pico do Areeiro, not at the gate. IFCN tells walkers to enter at their slot time in the Pico do Areeiro area, not near the Pedra Rija gate. [IFCN fees FAQ] - The one-way rule came from a rockfall. It was adopted as a safety measure and remains even after the calendar restriction ended on 26 June 2026. [IFCN notice] - Three trails start at the summit shelter. The IFCN PR1.2 board lists PR1 to Pico do Areeiro, PR1.3 west to Encumeada at 11.2 km, and PR1.1 down to Ilha at 8.2 km, all from the Casa de Abrigo do Pico Ruivo. [IFCN PR1.2 trail board] - The summit is in Santana. Visit Madeira places Pico Ruivo in the municipality of Santana, and its viewpoint can only be reached on foot. [Visit Madeira] - PR1.1 crosses into a different world. The IFCN board says the trail starts in high mountain heath, passes through the Vale da Lapa tunnel where it meets PR9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde, and finishes in Laurisilva past terraced fields with traditional thatched houses. [IFCN PR1.1 trail board]

The crossing is a full day and deserves one, ideally early in a trip so a cloudy morning can move to another date. Book the slot early, because slots are capacity limited. It slots into the 5-day Madeira plan as the mountain day, with a gentler levada walk the day after.

For more summit and ridge options browse the hikes overview or the wider things to do in Madeira.