Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pico do Arieiro
Mountaineering equipment is not needed to get to the top of Madeira's third
highest peak, because a road takes you all the way from the bustle of
Funchal to the silence of the summit in less than an hour. The mountain top
provides a viewing platform from which to look out over the multiple peaks
and ravines of the island's central mountains. Standing aloft here, you have
a chance to study the astonishing range of rock formations left over from the
violent volcanic upheavals that led to the creation of the island.
Top 10 Features
1 EcologicalPark
2IceHouse
3SheepPens
4 TrigPoint
5Footpath
6 Café
7 ViewtotheWest
8 VolcanicDykes
9 ViewtotheEast
0 Wildlife
The view from Pico
do Arieiro
There is a covenient
café at the summit.
Pico do Arieiro can
be wrapped in cloud
for much of the day.
The best times of
day for fine weather
are before 10am and
after 5pm. Alterna-
tively, you can take a
chance on the clouds
clearing for your
visit. It is often possi-
ble to drive up
through the clouds
and emerge to find
the summit basking
in sunshine.
!
Ecological Park
Some12km(7miles)
outofFunchalonthedrive
up,youpasstheentrance
totheEcologicalPark,
whereprimevalforestis
beingrestored.Withits
viewingpointsandglades,
itispopularforpicnics.
£
Sheep Pens
Livestockhasbeen
bannedfromtheEcological
ParktoallowMadeiranbil-
berryandheathertothrive,
butsheepandgoatsgraze
aroundthesummitandtheir
circularpensareseenhere.
Even at the height of
summer, it can be
cold and windy at the
summit, and in win-
ter, ice and snow are
common. It is best to
take warm and water-
proof clothing.
$
Trig Point
Ashortscrambleup
fromthecafébringsyouto
theactualsummit,1,818m
(5,965ft)abovesealevel.It
ismarkedbyaconcrete
postusedformeasuringalti-
tudeandlocation
(below)
.
@
Ice House
Thisigloo-shapedbuild-
ing
(above)
,2km(1mile)
southofthepeak,iscalled
PoçodaNeve(“Snow
Well”),andwasbuilt
in1813byanItalian
icecreammaker.Ice
frompitslikethisone
providedwealthy
hotelguestswith
“snowwater”inthe
heatofsummer.
• Map G4
Buses do not go to the peak, but taxis will take you there and
back for a fixed fee.
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