Pico Arieiro To Pico Ruivo / Highest Peak Challenge

Badge of Excellence

Funchal, Portugal

8 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Madeira is famous for its beautiful landscapes and walks. Embark on the island's most challenging hike on this full-day tour, from Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo, the island's highest peak. This challenging hike is not for the faint of heart and winds through rock formations and lush forests alongside an experienced guide.

Enjoy views of Madeira and its surroundings from the peak
This hike is suitable for people with a good level of fitness
A small group means more attention from your guide
No-hassle transfers included from your accommodation

What's Included

Entrance fee - A fee of €4–€11 per person must be paid directly to the Madeira Regional Government’s official authority. Payment is made at the start of the walk at the ticket booth located at the trail entrance.

€11.00 per person

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

** IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING PICK-UPS ** Please note that pick-ups are available from Funchal city centre and the main tourist area. We also provide pick-up from hotels in Caniço de Baixo and Garajau. If your accommodation is not within these areas, we will direct you to the nearest meeting point in Funchal.

Operating hours
.8:45 am

Itinerary

Pico do Arieiro (Pass By)

Pico Ruivo (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Infants must sit on laps
Infant seats available

Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
If the route is closed due to landslides, other natural factors, or safety reasons, the hiking route may be partially or fully diverted to an alternative path
Children over 5 years
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Rosie_Q

A very exciting and dynamic walk with fantastic views and a great guide. The bus driver did a great job too.

Reviews

4.5

based on 55 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

A very exciting and...

Rosie_Q, Sep 2025

A very exciting and dynamic walk with fantastic views and a great guide. The bus driver did a great job too.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Dear Rosie, Thank you so much for your review! We’re absolutely delighted to hear that you enjoyed the “Pico Arieiro to Pico Ruivo” experience. We are happy to know that the walk was exciting and dynamic, and that both the guide and the bus driver contributed positively to your day, we’ll be sure to pass along your kind words to them! We truly appreciate your choice to explore the island with Feeling Madeira, and it brings us great joy to know that the activity met your expectations. We hope to welcome you back soon for more unforgettable adventures in Madeira! Warm regards, The Feeling Madeira Team

Must try!...

Sumit_S, Sep 2025

Must try! We were lucky with the weather and met new friends :) Sérgio and Alex were great! Sérgio was great to make everything feel included and Alex was good spotter! Especial thanks to him for showing me great places to take videos!

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Dear Sumit, Thank you so much for choosing Feeling Madeira for your Pico Arieiro to Pico Ruivo adventure! We are delighted to hear that you had such a fantastic experience, enjoyed the weather, and even made new friends along the way. Sérgio and Alex will be thrilled to hear your kind words, they truly love sharing the best spots and making every guest feel included. Your special thanks has been passed along with great pride! We hope to welcome you back soon for more unforgettable Madeira experiences. Warm regards, The Feeling Madeira Team

A great excursion.

Jason_N, Aug 2025

Great tour!! Sergio our guide was very friendly and made sure everyone was safe. The group was from all over the World & we all got on very well. Great value for money.... weather not ideal, but was a great day!!

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Dear Jason, Thank you so much for choosing Feeling Madeira for your Pico Arieiro to Pico Ruivo adventure! We’re thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the tour and that Sergio made the experience both safe and enjoyable for everyone. He truly is a valuable member of our Team! It’s wonderful that your international group got along so well despite the weather, truly a memorable day! Your kind words mean a lot to us, and we’re so happy you had a great experience exploring Madeira’s highest peaks. Warm regards, The Feeling Madeira Team

Up and away !

Pat_R, Feb 2025

Enjoyed the trip .Great guide ,the goat. Weather can change very fast making visibility uncertain .but just enjoy the hike anyway , enjoy what you have !

Journey from Pico Ruivo...

Mukesh_C, Dec 2024

Journey from Pico Ruivo to Pico Arieiro was by a van. This was not communicated in the marketing literature.

Breathtaking Views

Arista_C, Jul 2024

We had so much fun with Nestor, he was funny, very knowledgeable about the mountains and made sure everyone was safe at all times. I loved how he would speak in different languages to have everyone understand what was going on. Nestor took breaks in between for everyone to catch up, and for those who had harder time, he went back and helped them out. The hike is only difficult in the last part ( before the picnic place, it's a small house/shop with snacks to buy) because of the endless stairs but that was it. Once you arrive in the small house for a break ( 1 hr) it is super easy. The hike was slow and steady so I believe you don't need to be in super shape to do it. Thank you Nestor and the driver for the amazing time, this hike was the highlight of my trip!! We will come back and visit you! Cheers

Not what I wanted or expected

Angela_S, Mar 2024

We never got to do this. We were told the weather wasn’t good and too foggy. It’s difficult as at home this is normal and I would have gone up but in a group you are dealing with people wearing jeans and trainers - they should not be allowed on these hikes. We were taken a different walk which was fine. But nowhere near the same and a very large group meaning it was slow and not the experience I expected. The guide was great and it’s not his fault but with people who actually hike in all weathers this could have gone ahead. Hikes are not just about the views, it’s also conquering the hill/ mountain.

Amazing experience

FionaJane_H, Oct 2023

Excellent walk and guide Johnny kept the group together and kept the pace nice and steady Would highly recommend

Not worth paying for

Anh_B, Jun 2023

Mmm. They say free pick up from all hotels and houses but that is not true. The guide smoked a lot throughout the hike which was off putting. I’d suggest hiking on your own and arranging transit from either side to save time and money.

Elena ,Vlad

Elena_T, Jun 2023

We have had fabulous day out ! Absolutely beautiful mountains and views ,which you must see ! Thanks to the Viatour!

Top peak in Maderia

graham_s, Feb 2023

Very challenging for some older people but our guide Johnny got us all up and down safely. Great memorable day

A must do!

JJ_M, Jul 2022

An incredible hike. Some warning / advice on what gear to being for the day would have been welcome as it was very hot, very sunny. Some poeple on the tour struggled, but our guide was very professional and took control of the situation.

Great tour and tour...

devantetravels, Apr 2022

Great tour and tour guide, worth the trip! The hike may be a little tough for some but I’d recommend it to all ages and fitness levels! Beautiful views.

Response from Host, Apr 2022

We are so grateful for your review. Thanks for sharing your rating with us and the community. Feeling Madeira

Mountain and Coast

Jon_T, Apr 2022

The hike and views are great. Sadly, the path to Pico Arieiro was closed, so we could only do a straight ascent/ descent of Pico Ruivo. The cloud started closing in on our way back, so Gonzalo, our guide, suggested we do a coastal hike from Santana to Sao Jorge, a change in location and scenery that ensured we hade a good day's walking

Response from Host, Apr 2022

Thank you so much for this review. We really appreciate you being a customer. We’re here for you anytime. Feeling Madeira

Amazing views with great guide.

RochSylvestre, Mar 2022

Our tour guide was wonderful. Very knowledgeable of throughout the journey and spoke many languages. Great communicator as well. He provided a fun and safe excursion all day. As a side note, you need a good set of legs for this excursion as the climb is definitely demanding.

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Hi Sylvestre! We're happy you had a fantastic time with us! Thanks for your trust, we're thankful for amazing customers like you. We hope to see you again soon! Feeling Madeira

Exciting peak to peak trail

Samantha_C, Aug 2021

This is possibly the most famous hike in Madeira and its easy to see why. The views are quite simply stunning. The tour team were friendky and knowledgeable and pointed out lots of things we might have missed. There was 15 in our group which was quite large but actually didn't seem to matter at all as most of the walk is single file and we just followed a sensible pace and absolutely weren't all bunched up. The walk itself is pretty tiring, nothing too extreme but you're going to need to be reasonably fit. We had perfect weather and I'm not sure how you guarantee this, but low visibility/cloud cover would spoil things.

Response from Host, Aug 2021

We are grateful that you took the time out to leave us a review. Your feedback helps us to improve service for everyone. Feeling Madeira

Unforgettable experience.

Chris_C, Sep 2020

Challenging but Unforgettable experience. Outstanding views . A picture postcard scene awaited at every turning . Knowledgeable guides ensure that this tour will stay with you always.

Response from Host, Sep 2020

Hi Chris! We're happy you had a unforgettable experience with us! Thanks for your trust, we're thankful for amazing customers like you. We hope to see you again soon! Feeling Madeira

The disappointment of our trip to Madeire

MarieLuce_H, Aug 2025

Already, namely the trail that joins the 2 summits is closed, the hike can not be done ... you just do the Pico Ruivo (same way out / back) then by van we leave on Pico Ariero, moreover we did the excursion in the rain and clouds so we saw nothing at all in terms of landscapes! This excursion should have been cancelled in my opinion because apart from if you are passionate about intense hiking , there was no point in walking in the cold and rain on arduous paths! I would not recommend it at all! Luckily thanks to Viator for allowing us compensation for this horrible day...

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Response from Host, Aug 2025

Chere Cliente, Nous vous remercions pour votre commentaire et nous regrettons que votre expérience n’ait pas été à la hauteur de vos attentes. Le sentier reliant le Pico do Areeiro au Pico Ruivo est actuellement fermé par les autorités compétentes pour des raisons de sécurité, une situation totalement indépendante de notre volonté. C’est pourquoi nous avons adapté l’itinéraire afin que vous puissiez tout de même découvrir les points accessibles lors de cette journée. Cependant, bien que les conditions météorologiques et la fermeture du sentier ne dépendent pas de nous, c’est nous, Feeling Madeira, qui avons pris l’initiative de contacter directement Viator afin de demander le remboursement intégral de votre réservation. Nous l’avons fait car nous estimons qu’il est essentiel de toujours respecter et valoriser nos clients, même dans des situations indépendantes de notre responsabilité. Nous espérons avoir le plaisir de vous accueillir à nouveau dans de meilleures conditions afin que vous puissiez découvrir toute la beauté de notre île. Cordialement, L’équipe Feeling Madeira

Balade au sommet

Valerie_f, Jan 2025

Très bon guide, Emanuel Tout était bien organisé pour pouvoir faire les deux sommets malgré l’impossibilité de les relier à pieds( feux de l’été 2024). Donc moins physique que prévu.

Muy chulo

Marta_P, Jun 2024

Destacar al guía turístico, persona muy amable y se adaptaba a los idiomas del grupo. Destacar la puntualidad en recogida.

Die Wanderung war super...

Marco_B, Aug 2022

Die Wanderung war super und die Aussicht is einfach hervorragend. Der einzige Nachteil war, dass die Gruppe relativ groß war und man sich sehr an das Tempo der anderen halten musste.

Es war eine tolle...

Gero_K, Mar 2022

Es war eine tolle Wanderung. Sie war schon anspruchsvoll, aber die fantastischen Ausblicke haben dafür entschädigt. Besonders gut hat mir der Guide gefallen. Er war professionell und doch auch freundlich, humorvoll, persönlich etc. Ich würde diese Tour gern wieder buchen.