Pr1 Sunrise Pico Do Arieiro Self-guided Hiking Transfer

Early morning start, drive up to the mountain to watch sunrise,then walk between the two peaks. The touor guide gives good advice on where to watch sunrise from and guidance on the PR1 route today. There are some high bits with shear falls, but I felt safe throughout the route. The first bit is mainly downhill, but the second but is uphill, so make sure to take a break half way along, which is where the small caves are. Take a torch for the caves. Take clothes for both warm and cold weather. Overall and amazing experience that I would do again. Phillipe was really great with the pick and and stop offs and explained everything very well.

Our driver was on time, professional and provided clear directions at dropoff for entrance to hike, and pointed out the area to watch sunrise prior to hike. He was on time for pick up, and provided history about the island on our return to Funchal. There was a line of people waiting for a taxi in parking lot after hike. Its worth it to guarantee a quick return trip after the 5.7 mile hike!

Well organised, everything explained well and ran on time, easy to follow trail, had lots of time to complete the hike. Would highly recommend.

Everything was well-organized. The driver was very friendly, arrived right on time, gave us valuable tips for the route, and explained what to expect on the trail. The transfer was for a group of 8.

The most incredible hike! I've done a fair few big hikes in my time and this was up there with the best! I can't recommend enough how much you need to do this trip!!! Our guide was Pedro, he was friendly, professional and an overall great guy. You get plenty of time for the walk itself and the transfers were smooth and easy.

Fantastic experience. A challenging hike that really paid off. We were fortunate enough to have great conditions for the sunrise and our guide gave clear instructions so we knew exactly what to expect with target times for specific spots on the route.

Pedro was a great driver, very safe and he spent time making sure we understood the route and hike. It was a cloudy day for us but honestly still worth it, we still managed to see some of the sunrise and the weather changes to quickly it was almost like doing the hike on different days. Thank you!

The experience was absolutely fantastic and truly unique! breathtaking views that make the whole experience unforgettable. Just a small note: if you’re afraid of heights, you might find some parts a little challenging. One thing that should definitely be made clearer is that the trail fee is **not included in the price you pay for the activity**. This should either be stated very clearly on Viator when booking, or guests should be informed in advance by email that they need to purchase and pay for the trail fee separately, because availability is limited. Other than that, it was an amazing experience and definitely worth it!

Arrogant guide, no clear instructions and rushed us to start and did not log people on and off the trip and seemed to have no idea about who was on it. If you value your enjoyment and safety – use another company. There are numerous companies offering the same trip, so I’d suggest using one of those instead. We sent this complaint to the company and despite being told that it would be followed up, we heard nothing back, so we guess they just thought we’d go away. Firstly… the good points of our trip with them… We were kept informed very well prior to our trip via their messaging platform and Marco, who collected us was polite, informative and punctual, so a great experience. However, the behaviour of your employee Christiano, who we found to be rude, arrogant and passive aggressive. The briefing we received by Christiano was, we felt, very quick and a lot of information to take in (especially at 6am!). There was mention of crossing multiple trails on PR3, so that detail was very important. I asked a question during this briefing which was simply, “That’s a lot of information to take in. Is it written down somewhere? “. At this point he responded very aggressively in front of the whole group and berated me for interrupting, insisted on taking my name and told me to go wait over there whilst he continued. I’m not a child, so this sort of treatment for a simple and valid question was completely unacceptable. I refused to move away- otherwise I would not know the briefing details. Worth pointing out as well ,that although it was in English, not everyone in the group were completely fluent in English. Christiano then spoke quite aggressively and told us that he had been doing this for 3 years with no complaint. I responded by saying that it wasn’t a complaint, just a genuine request, but he was very hostile. He may have been doing this for 3 years, however the group had not done this before. My wife, asked if the trails were clearly marked (as we had to cross over more than one trail). Again, a valid question, but this was met with the response, “If you stop interrupting me and listen you would know the answer”, which is completely unacceptable!! He also told the group that we needed to get to the end by 12pm or they would leave us behind and we’d have to get a taxi. Wow, thanks for that. So you’ll just leave people then?! The only safety instruction we received was to call them if we had issues. Now, this assumes there was phone signal throughout, and not everyone has roaming call & data plans and may rely on a Wi-Fi connection so whilst on trail, that is unlikely to be the case and without a proper safety and emergency strategy, then they might not be able to call or text. At the end of the trail, there were 3 girls in our party who had not yet completed and Marco and Christiano asked if anyone knew where they were. Neither seemed to know what their names were or any contact details. Fortunately, they did eventually arrive, so everyone was back safely. In summary, we found Christiano’s behaviour and attitude throughout completely unacceptable and a very poor ambassador for them My wife and I are accomplished trail marathon runners, with 45 trail marathons we understand importance of a pre-trail briefing and safety instructions and of course logging people on and off and these risky practices and poor attitude are unacceptable. Don’t recommend.

Incredibly beautiful hike!!! It truly was the experience of a lifetime! Our guide/driver was so nice and helpful! Highly recommend!!!

Really friendly driver. Amazing hike. And very convenient, with drop off at the start of the hike, and pick up at the end. This was parcticuly useful given difficulty parking, being able to access the top car park without worry. Perfect timing for sunrise. Overall a wonderful experience.

Great service, Pedro was excellent. Arrived in xactly on time for pick up, he provided some great tips for the hike, and made sure we all got back to Funchal on time.

Firstly… the good points:- We were kept informed very well prior to our trip via your messaging platform. Marco, who collected us was polite, informative and punctual, so a great experience. The briefing we received by their guide, Christiano was, we felt, very quick and a lot of information to take in (especially at 6am!). There was mention of crossing multiple trails on PR3, so that detail was very important. I asked a question during this briefing which was simply, “That’s a lot of information to take in. Is it written down somewhere? “. At this point he responded very aggressively in front of the whole group and berated me for interrupting, insisted on taking my name and told me to go wait over there whilst he continued. I’m not a child, so this sort of treatment for a simple and valid question was completely unacceptable. I refused to move away- otherwise I would not know the briefing details. Worth pointing out as well ,that although it was in English, not everyone in the group were completely fluent in English. Christiano then spoke quite aggressively and told us that he had been doing this for 3 years with no complaint. I responded by saying that it wasn’t a complaint, just a genuine request, but he was very hostile. He may have been doing this for 3 years, however the group had not done this before. My wife, Catherine asked if the trails were clearly marked (as we had to cross over more than one trail). Again, a valid question, but this was met with the response, “If you stop interrupting me and listen you would know the answer”, which was so very rude and unnecessary as a response. He also told the group that we needed to get to the end by 12pm or they would leave us behind and we’d have to get a taxi. We think there are better ways to express the importance of completing on time than just saying we are going to leave you., The only safety instruction we received was to call them if we had issues. Now, this assumes there was phone signal throughout, which we didn’t know. Also, not everyone has roaming call & data plans and may rely on a Wi-Fi connection so whilst on trail, that is unlikely to be the case and without a proper safety and emergency strategy, then they might not be able to call or text. At the end of the trail, there were 3 girls in our party who had not yet completed and Marco and Christiano asked if anyone knew where they were. Neither seemed to know what their names were or any contact details. Fortunately, they did eventually arrive, so everyone was back safely. In summary, we found Christiano’s behaviour and attitude throughout completely unacceptable and a very poor ambassador for your company. People’s lives are at risk here if there are any issues, so he did not make us feel confident or prepared.

Great communication great day out - flexibility also on arrival times back to bus. Pedro was a great guy and got the group talking which was super …………….

Smooth transfer to the hike and back. Pedro our driver was really nice and friendly. Perfect for a stress free experience!

It’s self-guided tour but the driver offered excellent guidance prior to the trail. We did the partial hike as it wasn’t open and completed PR. 3 after.

Very well organised. I would book with them again anytime I am in Madeira. Communication was excellent.

My husband and I rented a car and almost did this on our own. I’m SO glad we didn’t. Phillipe was an amazing help—telling us the best spot for sunrise, explaining the hikes, what to look out for, etc. Even the parking and driving up to the mountain etc in the time before sunrise-just not worth doing alone. He not only gave me a heavier jacket for the hike, he gave my husband the sweatshirt off his back since we were not really prepared for how cold it would be. Definitely book this-it’s worth every penny even if you have your own car.

Great experience with Henrique. He was punctual, friendly and informative. We would recommend him anytime!

Don't miss it! The sunrise is unbelievable and the peaks.... P3 tour is a little challenging. Come and see

I booked a full transfer and guided hike to PR1 for sunrise while on a cruise port stop on vacation ( well in advance). Several days later this was canceled by the company. I then booked a "tour" for just the transfer to the start of the hike for sunrise - no guide- and you really don't need one. Communication with local tour provider through viator was difficult. Tour company advised of ocal country hike tax that was required to do the hike. Similar to NPS permit process in the states. The directions provided did not match up with the country website dropdown instructions where you purchase the tickets. In fact of 3 choices, we purchased 2 of the 3 through separate hikers in my group of 2. Each hiker bought a different one that was good for 2 hikers just to make sure we were covered. We did not buy the right one which is the exact one the tour provider said we didnt need! Of course we learned this when we got to the restricted pass only trail entrance. Secondly, we never would have made the sunrise with the 5:30 in town pickup point. That was false advertising. There was 0% chance of making that unless the van went directly to the point. ( impossible). Third issue, was due to being turned back we had to find a way back down to town. The night before we were sent all logistical confirmation info which was great. It included a whats app contact should we need any assistance or communication with the tour company during this time. I thought that was wonderful! So I used it when we got turned back. Problem was no one answered it and learned later the tour company office isn't open on Sundays! THEN WHY PROVIDE THAT IF THERE IS NO COVERAGE? dumb and irresponsible quite honestly. We wound up cohearsing the 1 taxi in the parking lot to drive us down and got raped for 4x what it should have cost us.

The trip to the start of the hike was smooth and we got clear instructions from our driver Pedro on how to begin the walk and the plan for pick up. He was really friendly, helpful and informative. Great communication throughout the whole process! Would use this company again.

PEDRO was wonderful guide. He explained everything in detail at the beginning of the hike, a couple of times and I didn't feel like it was a self guided hike at all. Definitely worth it

Filipe is an incredible wealth of knowledge! He was more than we could have asked for as a transfer. This has to be the nicest and funniest transfer on the island!!

The service was reliable, and our driver was nice. A little more information on how the hike operates would have been very helpful. He just pointed us toward the trail and gave the time for pickup. However, We ended up having to wait for 40 minutes for them to open up the gate (we were not told that 8 am is the earliest it opens) We would have stayed longer for the complete Sunrise, but we started early, hoping to beat the crowd. We ended up finishing the hike with about 45 minutes to spare, because we really weren't sure how long it would take. We would have taken more time for photos and stops if we had known. Fortunately we had cell service and the office answered a couple of our questions regarding these things, but it was all after the fact.

It's a scam, they lie in their advertising and the staff provides terrible service. They left me stranded at the beginning of Areiro and the response was to take a taxi. I lost my entire day.

This was such an amazing experience, Marco gave us all the information we needed and rough times to start trails which ended up being timed perfectly for getting to the pick up point.

We were in Madeira and arrived by cruise ship the day before. We had two days in port. The pick up location was easy to get to, and was about a 15 min walk from the ship. Our transfer/driver/guide was Pedro, and he was great. He was very professional and informative, his English was good too. The only issue we had was hear him during the drive up to the start point, he wasn’t loud enough, the noise inside the van was overwhelming at times. The only workable solution would be to have an in vehicle intercom/PA and the driver would wear a headset microphone. The good thing was, Pedro did gather all the hikers from this excursion in front of the map upon arrival and basically gave all the details again, which I was thankful for, because I missed a lot in the van because we were in the back. The company was very good at communicating all the details before hand, and during the hike about the pick up, including the day before sending us the map location for pick up, the van type and plate number, the drivers name, everything we needed. Great job, keep up the good work. The only issue we had was the government taxes that needed to be paid for trail access. The company was clear, and sent a website link and what time to purchase for, but what to purchase was not exact. The PR1 trail pass/tax that we needed to purchase was not exactly available on the government website. I’m referring to the PR1 trail name (from start and to end). None of the eight people in our bus had purchased the correct pass, and two were actually sent back to the start point and we never saw them again. The others were allowed to pass the security guard at the gate. I was actually standing on the trail trying to access the website on my phone to pay the tax to access the trail past the gate. We had only paid the tail tax to the gate point. Before making the purchase a month or more before the hike, I contacted the company asking for trail name clarification before purchasing because the trail pass name was not the same on the government site to purchase The government may have changed their website, but the correct tax we were told to pay was not available on the website, and the excursion operator should clarify and update their wording in their correspondence. Other than that, wow it was a beautiful hike and well run transfer. The trail was well marked. The self guided hike was perfect, and allowed everyone to hike on their own, as long as they met the driver at the pick up time at the end point. Thank you for the opportunity and we were so happy we didn’t get turned back like so many others did. We highly recommend this transfer once the glitch is sorted out. Thank you!

Had an amazing hike trip! The tour guide Flipe was fantastic — really friendly, knowledgeable and made the whole experience enjoyable from start to finish. The company also kept in great contact throughout, so everything felt easy and well organised with no worries at all. Would definitely recommend!

Reliable, communicative, and the driver had some really helpful/critical tips and support.

Picked us up on time. Gave useful information about the hike on the journey and at the hike site.

The sunrise hike was amazing. The instructions were very detailed and easy to follow. The guides were very helpful. The views were spectacular.

The hike was amazing, there were a few others that went on the excursion so feel free to pair up with others if travelling solo. The tour guide was great and I would definitely do it again.

Pick up was on time and communication ahead was very good and detailed. The tour arrived in time for sunrise and we were lucky to have a great day for it. Pedro gave a good overview of the hikes involved. He left no question unanswered. My only criticism is that I would have wanted to have been there a bit earlier because by the time he had finished the briefing there wasn't that much time to find a good place for taking photographs (it might be fine for people taking photos with a phone but with a camera you need a bit of time to find the best location and set everything up. Additionally and that's nothing to do with the tour company but I think it should be in the information upfront to manage expectations: the toilets up there are only open from 9am onwards and basically to find a quiet spot when it is heaving with people is very tricky. The PR 1 hike itself was of course also busy but still worth it. The PR 3 hike was very quiet and beautiful.

We would not have believed how cold it was!!! The wind literally whipped through you. We did the hike mid March … my advice, woolly hat, gloves, layers & raincoat! We were blessed, no clouds & the sunrise was spectacular! The stairway to heaven was fun but the stairway to hell return was tough with the cold, wind & as more people arrived little room to manoeuvre. We then transferred to the PR3 as PR1 was partially closed & started the steep descent. We were fortunate that we had the trail mostly to ourselves. It was beautiful, peaceful & we were surrounded by nature. Lots of water & some scrambling at times but very enjoyable! Our Driver Miguel was helpful, communication was good & transfers went well!

It was a great hike but conditions were less than perfect!! High winds, rain and fog! It was freezing and we were not prepared for the cold and wet! We didn’t do PR1 as it was too windy and we couldn’t see a thing but we took the extra time coming down PR3, which was pretty cool, great views when the cloud and fog cleared. But no one warned us about the 5 streams you need to walk through!! The cafe at the end was amazing - great food and comfy to rest! Amazing adventure! Also shoutout to Christiano, our driver, great guy! He said he’d done PR1 in worse weather haha!!

Great pick up at hotel and trailhead. We were well informed on what to expect, shown maps, and felt very prepared.

Perfect pick up and drop off. Loved the driver Pedro. Loved the views and loved the hike. Highly recommend.

Fantastic!!!!! Thank you so much to Filipe who provided us with great recommendations for what to do on the island (which we took and had a great time doing!). Pick up was punctual, everything went perfectly. Highly recommend.

Great way to do walking trips on Madeira. Most are not circular so to be dtopped off and picked by people who have great knowledge of the island and up to the minute information about the state of the trails, etc, is ideal. My driver, Felipe, a Madeiran himself, knows the place intimately,clearly, and could answer any questions you might have. I'll definitely use this comoany again next time I come.

Everyone going to Madeira needs to experience this hike at sunrise and take the guided car ride! The traffic for parking at that hour is a nightmare, especially in the dark. Our driver was a park ranger and also went over the trails, dos, and don’ts of the park. He dropped us right where we needed to go for the sunrise. Dress in lots of layers, because at 6:00AM, it was 32F on the mountain… and you are waiting about 45 minutes for the sun. We lucked out our day too because there was no wind or rain and the clouds parted for us to experience this magnificent nature show. After, we hiked PR1, which had the Stairway to Heaven. This hike is an absolute must, but strenuous. We also hiked PR3; this one could be skipped as it looked like every other hike my husband and I have done in places like Iceland, Colorado, and Alaska. Plus it is a 3 hour hike and about 5 miles of constant down hill. The autumn and winter is also very wet and slippery (I fell once)! If you are doing the driver up to the park though, you get picked up at the end of PR3. But a fantastic cafe awaits you at the end! Be prepared… I work out a lot and am in shape and my halves still hurt me after 3 days… but worth it!

Amazing experience - make sure you have the correct clothing & footwear, it’s bitterly cold up there!

Pedro was very knowledgeable and gave us good advice before the hike. Punctual and nice car. No stress at all! Great excursion for anyone who likes hiking.

This experience is a hit and miss. Be very aware the photos are one in a 100 event. If you do get lucky then the views are good otherwise it is not as described.

We were very lucky as we have seen the sunrise ! :) The guide - Filipe was very knowledgeable, great food and drink recommendations:) He explained all in a very clear manner.

The whatsapp communication was excellent! Pour driver Pedro was very kind. The hike itself was unexpectedly in the rain, fog and windy, but it's nature so it happens. Great experience overall!

Great tour company, very helpful, informative and friendly hike organizers and drivers, very punctual pickups

First off, our driver was awesome as was the transfer/pick up and drop off process. In terms of the hike, the stairway to heaven (part of PR1) was spectacular, even with pretty terrible weather (wind, rain, lots of cloud cover). Highly recommend visiting that part of the hike at sunrise. However, a significant portion of the trail that is included in the posted description was closed so unfortunately, we had to do an alternative hike, PR3, which wasn’t great. They did give us a heads up a few days out, but it would have been nice to know before booking. The weather definitely affected it, but the trail was fairly muddy/slippery and really didn’t seem to have the best viewpoints (though, again, it was quite cloudy). Lots of up and down through grassy and rocky areas tracing the highway.

Great hike! Adriana was very nice, instructed us on the whole trail, gave us some advice on where to go to watch the sunset. PR1 was amazing, but be careful if you are afraid of heights, your fear might be triggered. As trail to Pico Ruivo was closed, we followed PR3 which was amazing, you go down most of it, but this gives you an amazing oportunity to enjoy and admire the nature step by step, starting with raw rocks at the summit of Pico do Arieiro, as well as the forests and bushes below it. You need some stamina to do it, but you have so much time that you can take breaks and you'll surely be on the pick-up time. Really unique experience!