PICO RUIVO TRAIL RUNNING TOUR

Pico Ruivo trail running tour route

Eira do Serrado – Curral das Freiras – Fajã Escura – Boca das Torrinhas – Pico Ruivo – Pico Arieiro

This trail starts in Eira do Serrado, next to a local hotel. We start the descent by a stone trail in zig-zag mode always with a view of Curral das Freiras village. Reaching the center of the Curral das Freiras, we follow through some paths to the place of Fajã dos Cardos where we enter a trail surrounded by agricultural plantations, there we start ascending to Boca das Torrinhas. Here we can stop a few minutes to admire the Curral das Freiras valley and mountains that surround it. After that, we continue running towards Pico Ruivo. We have to climb the 200 metres to the peak, where we can see almost the entire Madeira island. Coming back down, passing through the Pico Ruivo shelter, we continue run by alternative trail. We pass through several tunnels dug by hand across some of the highest mountains of Madeira, and upon arrival at the Pico Gato, we face one of the steepest staircases that can be found on the island, entirely constructed with basaltic rock fragments. After the strenuous ascent, through the crest of a mountain with an abyss from both sides, we reach the viewpoint of Ninho da Manta where we can see the entire hydro-graphic basin of Poiso.

We finish this trail running climbing towards the Pico do Arieiro, the third highest peak of Madeira.