Pico do Arieiro, 1,818 m

Sunrise on Pico do Arieiro, with a walk to Pedra Rija

4.8/5

About 5,000 reviews on GetYourGuide

A shared van from Funchal or Caniço to Pico do Arieiro for sunrise above the clouds, then the walk that is open today: 1.2 km to Pedra Rija and back. 47 euros, rated 4.8 from about 5,000 reviews. Book the 4.50-euro trail slot yourself.

Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, with a full refund
Reserve now, pay laterHold your place today and pay nothing yet
Duration: 8.5 hoursStart times show in the calendar
Pickup includedFrom the pickup points listed when you book

The van collects you from your hotel in Funchal, Caniço or São Gonçalo in the dark. It is shared, with up to eight guests, and the operator puts the drive up at about an hour and a half on average, pickups included. It ends at Pico do Arieiro, 1,818 metres up, where the road stops at a viewpoint on the summit. On a clear morning the cloud lies below you in a white sheet, and the sun comes up out of it: at about 07:00 in June and about 08:10 in January, at sea level. The driver gives you a map, route instructions and a schedule. There is no guide on the trail: you walk at your own pace.

The walk is PR1, the Vereda do Arieiro, the paved path that runs from the summit towards Pico Ruivo, at 1,862 metres the island's highest peak. It closed for works in August 2024. On 26 October 2026, the trail status page of IFCN, Madeira's forestry and nature institute, last updated on 2 October, listed PR1 as open in both directions between Pico do Arieiro and the Pedra Rija viewpoint only; the route on to Pico Ruivo, and the eastern path by Pico das Torres, were closed. Visit Madeira, the regional tourist board, puts Pedra Rija 1.2 km from the start, so the walk you can do is 2.4 km out and back, on a paved path that drops off the summit between the peaks. The GetYourGuide listing still describes the full 10 km through to Pico Ruivo and Achada do Teixeira, and that walk cannot be done while the path is closed.

Since January 2025 IFCN has charged for every classified trail it manages, and every walker needs a timed slot booked online on the SIMplifica portal. For visitors in 2026, PR1 to Pedra Rija and back costs 4.50 euros; the 10.50-euro full route is sold only for when it reopens. The listing asks you to choose the 08:00 to 08:30 slot and says the operator will reserve it on request. The 47 euros pays for the van and the driver; the trail ticket, food and water are extra.

Pico Ruivo itself is still open from the other side: PR1.2, the Vereda do Pico Ruivo, climbs 2.8 km from the car park at Achada do Teixeira and comes back the same way, on its own SIMplifica slot. Ask the operator when you book whether its driver can take you there after Pedra Rija.

Why this one

Of the Pico do Arieiro sunrise transfers sold on GetYourGuide, this one had by far the most reviews on 26 October 2026: 4.8 from about 5,000, with transport and guide scores of 4.9 out of 5 and value for money 4.7. For a trip that depends on a van arriving at your door before dawn, that track record is what you are buying. The nearest rival, a sunrise or morning transfer from Funchal or Caniço, was also rated 4.8, from about 1,500 reviews, at 50 euros. The cheapest, at 33 euros, was rated 4.6 from about 1,400, and its listing says the trail permit is not included and cannot be booked through it; it is the better buy only if price decides it and you will book the slot yourself anyway.

If you would rather see the sunrise without walking at all, a small-group sunrise tour by minivan that goes on to Faial and Machico was rated 5.0 from about 200 reviews at 51 euros. If you would rather sleep, our page The east, in comfort stops at Pico do Arieiro in daylight on a day that also takes in Santana and Ponta de São Lourenço. For a longer walk on a trail that is open end to end, The classic levada, at Rabaçal, and The forest levada, to Caldeirão Verde, both come with transfers. With a hire car you can drive to the summit yourself: 41 to 48 minutes from our Funchal, São Gonçalo and Caniço hotels.

Good for

Fit walkers who want the sunrise without driving a mountain road in the dark
Couples staying in Funchal or Caniço, where pickup is included
Photographers who want the summit and its peaks at first light

Not for

Children under 12, who are not permitted
Anyone afraid of heights or prone to vertigo
Walkers set on Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo end to end: that path is closed

When to go

What the summit of Pico do Arieiro is like at 08:00, around sunrise, month by month. Temperature is the median at 08:00 with the coldest morning in ten after it; clear sky is the share of mornings with little mid or high cloud overhead, the cloud that hides the sun, leaving out the low cloud that usually lies below the summit; gusty, the share with gusts over 50 km/h.

Month	Temperature	Clear sky	Gusty
Jan	3°C / -1°C	50%	30%
Feb	2°C / -0°C	57%	30%
Mar	2°C / 1°C	54%	35%
Apr	4°C / 2°C	55%	17%
May	6°C / 4°C	70%	30%
Jun	8°C / 6°C	83%	21%
Jul	9°C / 8°C	98%	20%
Aug	10°C / 8°C	92%	9%
Sept	9°C / 7°C	71%	11%
Oct	8°C / 5°C	52%	19%
Nov	5°C / 2°C	57%	11%
Dec	3°C / 0°C	54%	30%

Modelled from Open-Meteo's historical weather for 2021 to 2025 at 1,818 metres. Temperature is the median at 08:00, with the coldest day in ten after it. Clear sky is the share of days with little mid or high cloud above the summit at 08:00; low cloud is left out because it usually sits below. Gusty is the share of days with gusts over 50 km/h at 08:00.

Summer mornings are the clearest

In the five years of weather we looked at, the sky above the summit was clear at 08:00 on 98 mornings in a hundred in July and 92 in August, against 50 to 57 from November to April. Summer mornings are also the mildest, about 9°C to 10°C, against about 2°C to 3°C from December to March. Sunrise is at about 07:00 in June and about 08:10 in January and in mid October, before the clocks change.

From our Madeira hotels

Drive times are routed on clear roads from each hotel in our Madeira edit to the car park at the summit of Pico do Arieiro. The shared van collects from hotels in Funchal, Caniço and São Gonçalo only, which covers eight of our ten; the operator says the drive up averages about an hour and a half with the pickups.

Casa Velha do PalheiroSão Gonçalo41 min by carHotel pickup
Sentido GalomarCaniço de Baixo41 min by carHotel pickup
Barceló Funchal OldtownFunchal42 min by carHotel pickup
Hotel MadeiraFunchal44 min by carHotel pickup
Savoy PalaceFunchal45 min by carHotel pickup
Reid's Palace, A Belmond HotelFunchal46 min by carHotel pickup
The Cliff BayFunchal47 min by carHotel pickup
VidaMar Resort Hotel MadeiraLido48 min by carHotel pickup
Hotel Quinta do FurãoSantana51 min by carDrive or taxi
Estalagem da Ponta do SolPonta do Sol60 min by carDrive or taxi

The facts

Duration: About 8.5 hours, hotel to hotel, starting before dawn
The walk: PR1 from Pico do Arieiro to the Pedra Rija viewpoint and back, 1.2 km each way, self-guided; the route on to Pico Ruivo was closed on 26 October 2026
Language: English
Group: Shared van, up to 8 guests
Included: Hotel pickup and drop-off in Funchal, Caniço and São Gonçalo, the driver, a map and route instructions
Not included: The trail ticket, a guide on the trail, food and water
Trail ticket: 4.50 euros for PR1 to Pedra Rija and back, booked online on SIMplifica for a timed slot; the listing asks for 08:00 to 08:30, and the operator reserves it on request
Not suitable for: Children under 12, over-70s, fear of heights or vertigo, heart, back or breathing problems, low fitness
Bring: Walking shoes, warm and waterproof layers, a sun hat, sun cream, water and snacks
Cancellation: Free up to 24 hours before; reserve now and pay later
Price: From 47 euros on GetYourGuide on 26 October 2026; the calendar shows today's price
Run by: Do it Madeira, Funchal

What guests keep saying

Recurring themes in the tour’s reviews, in our words, never quoted.

Praised

Punctual pickups and comfortable transfers in the dark
Clear route tips from the driver, and help with the trail permit
The sunrise above the clouds, on the mornings it shows

Complaints

A tight schedule, with little time to linger on the mountain

The catch

Walk to Pedra Rija and back: the ridge to Pico Ruivo is closed
On 26 October 2026 IFCN's trail status page listed PR1 open in both directions between Pico do Arieiro and the Pedra Rija viewpoint only, with the route on to Pico Ruivo closed. The listing still describes the 10 km through to Achada do Teixeira, which cannot be walked while the path is shut.
What to do. Plan on 2.4 km out and back from the summit, and ask the operator when you book where and when the van will collect you.
Book your trail slot, and pick the right one
Every walker on PR1 needs a timed slot on the SIMplifica portal, booked online only. The listing asks for the 08:00 to 08:30 slot; IFCN says it allows about 15 minutes either side, and slots close when they fill.
What to do. As soon as your date is fixed, book PR1 to Pedra Rija and back for 4.50 euros, or ask the operator to reserve it for you.
Dress for winter, whatever the month
In the five years of weather we looked at, the median at 08:00 on the summit was 2.5°C in January and 9.9°C in August, and on the coldest morning in ten in January and February it was below freezing.
What to do. Bring a warm jacket, a hat and gloves for the wait at sunrise, and a waterproof layer: the operator lists rain gear.
Book early in your stay for a second chance
The sky above the summit was clear at 08:00 on 98 mornings in a hundred in July, but on only 50 to 57 from November to April, when cloud can hide the sun.
What to do. Book for one of your first mornings; if the forecast is poor, move it while the 24-hour free cancellation still applies.
Check the wind the day before
From December to March, gusts over 50 km/h blew across the summit at 08:00 on 30 to 35 mornings in a hundred in our data, against 9 to 11 in August, September and November. The path runs along an exposed ridge.
What to do. Look at the mountain forecast the evening before, and if gales are due, reschedule before the 24-hour deadline.
Pickup covers Funchal, Caniço and São Gonçalo
The van collects only from those three areas. From Santana the summit is 51 minutes by car, and from Ponta do Sol 60.
What to do. Outside the pickup area, drive yourself, or choose our page The east, in comfort, which stops at Pico do Arieiro by day.

Questions people ask

Good questions about Sunrise on Pico do Arieiro, with a walk to Pedra Rija

Is the Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo hike open?

Not end to end. On 26 October 2026 IFCN listed PR1 as open only between Pico do Arieiro and the Pedra Rija viewpoint, 1.2 km from the start, in both directions. Pico Ruivo can still be reached on PR1.2 from Achada do Teixeira, 2.8 km each way.

Do I need a ticket to hike at Pico do Arieiro?

Yes. Every walker on PR1 needs a timed slot booked online on the SIMplifica portal; in 2026 the walk to Pedra Rija and back costs visitors 4.50 euros. It is not in the price of this transfer, though the operator will reserve it on request.

What time is sunrise at Pico do Arieiro?

At about 07:00 in June, 07:30 in August, 07:50 in September and 08:10 in January and in mid October; after the clocks go back at the end of October it moves to about 07:20. These are sea-level times; this is a sunrise transfer, so you arrive in the dark.

How cold is it at Pico do Arieiro at sunrise?

Cold. In the five years of weather we looked at, the median at 08:00 was 2.5°C in January and 9.9°C in August, and on the coldest morning in ten in January and February it was below freezing.

Is the Pico do Arieiro sunrise worth it?

On a clear morning, yes: you watch the sun come up over a sea of cloud from 1,818 metres. In our weather data the sky overhead was clear on 98 mornings in a hundred in July but about half of them from November to April, so book early in your stay in winter.

How do I get to Pico do Arieiro without a car?

A transfer like this one, which collects from hotels in Funchal, Caniço and São Gonçalo before dawn. By car it is about 41 to 48 minutes from those areas to the summit car park.

Can children do the Pico do Arieiro sunrise hike?

Not on this transfer: the operator does not take children under 12. On the trail itself, under-13s walk free but still need a SIMplifica booking.

The sunrise above the clouds

See dates and prices

If you book through our links we may earn a commission from GetYourGuide. It never affects which experiences we include. Operators cannot pay to be here. · Last checked: October 2026