Sunrise & Walk To "Stairway To Heaven"

This was a great trip. Great communication & on-time early pickup. Small group & Sofia was very clear with her instructions & was very knowledgeable. Be aware it was very cold as it was so early & you are high up - so be prepared!

The Sunrise and Stairway to Heaven hike at Pico do Arieiro with Madeira Free Spirit Walks was breathtaking. Our guide, Sofia, was absolutely fantastic and made the early morning trek a seamless and highly memorable experience. Highly recommended!

This was a great experience and would totally recommend it, although it is a bit of an early start and weather dependent. Our pick up was on time and at the location specified. When we arrived at Pico do Ariero it was dark and Elton, our tour guide, was unsure if we were going to see the sunrise. He therefore suggested that we start to hike to the first viewing point and wait for the sun to come up at that location. We were all provided with lights and Elton guided us to the viewing point, were we watched the sunrise above the clouds. After watching the sunrise we proceeded to hike the Stairway to Heaven. The views on the hike are stunning but would not be for anyone scared of heights! Along the hike we were guided by Elton and occasionally stopped so that he could give us information on the area, local fauna and wildlife. After we returned to Pico do Ariero, the tour took us to a local cafe to buy some refreshments and then took us on to Ponta do Garajau to see the 'Christ is King' statue and the viewing point. Overall this was a great tour and I would highly recommend it.

I could not speak more highly of our experience with Madeira Free Spirit! Me and my fiancé went on tours with them for 2 days- the Levadas/25 Fountains, as well as a private tour to Pico Arieiro at sunrise. We were both left speechless- both were highlights of our whole trip to Portugal. Over the course of each day, my fiancé and I each had our own minor health complications we were working through, and we both felt extremely cared for by our guides, and confident they would be able to help us if needed. I think that is a very important quality for travelers to look for in a guide and tour company, as these hikes can be long days, and strenuous on the body. We never doubted help was there if we needed it. More importantly, our guides, Maria and Sofia, were extremely caring, informative, generous, and clearly strong and passionate advocates with love to share for the beautiful island they call home. It was an honor to share our time on the island with you both! Sending love from Boston! 💜 Adam and Andrea

Very early start with pick up at 5:10am, However once you get over that it was well worth it to have the experience of being above the clouds with an amazing sunrise. Memorable experience with great videos and pics!!

The weather changed quickly into a really foggy morning which made the sunrise impossible to see. Fortunately our guide was really quick with improvising and suggested we made our way to the stairway to heaven before sunrise. This, in the dark together with the fog, made one of the most unforgettable and amazing experiences of our whole vacation. Even though we couldn't see the sunrise (which is very rare around this time of the year) she made it worth all the money by taking us through something even more awesome. Recommend this tour above all! Funny driver as well haha :)

The most amazing experience, our guide was fantastic. 100% would recommend the views were spectacular 😍😍😍😍

We had an amazing experience with Maria! She was very knowledgeable, patient, and kind! She showed us all the best spots to take photos and took some great photos for us as well! Thank you Maria!!

This was an AMAZING tour! We did this tour with my family, which included two kids, ages 14 and 10. We were picked up promptly at our hotel and taken to the viewpoint for the sunrise. Words cannot describe the beauty of this place. After the sunrise, we did a total hike of 5 km which included the “stairway to heaven.” Beautiful views all around as we hiked. Dress in layers. Our tour guide and driver were great. We got plenty of information about the area before, during, and after the hike. 100% recommended! Just book it!

Superb trip with our guide Maria and driver Albert. Perfect sunset with spectacular views. Great scenery en route and good door to door service. Would definitely recommend.

We were picked up on time at 5.30 and had a lovely hot chocolate before watching the sun rise at Pico Arieiro which was beautiful. Unfortunately it was extremely cold and windy and then the cloud came down so we were unable to do the planned peaks walk. Julia took us to walk along the Levada da Serra do Faial instead, which was great and she was very knowledgeable about the flora and the history of the island. We had a nice coffee stop on the way. And finally we drive to the Christ the Redeemer statue before heading back to the hotel. Had a great time and would use this company again.

We had perfect clear views, we also managed to do the stairway to heaven! Magical experience. We were given a lovely hot chocolate by the tour company before our hike, it was a lovely touch.

This Free Spirit sunrise Pico Do Areeiro walk was amazing. Spectacular scenery and well worth getting up early for. Iulia, our guide, was very knowledgeable and shared her knowledge of the regions flora with enthusiasm. We watched the sun rise from Pico Do Areeiro. Then were offered hot chocolate and cake before starting the hike to Pico Ruivo. We found hiking at this altitude difficult so opted for the alternative safer and less strenuous walk from Teixeira to meet at Iulia and the group at the top. This was a very enjoyable and scenic walk. We all ended the walk together. A very well organised experience, highly recommended.

What a great trip! Julia & Alvaro our guide and driver were fantastic. They were very knowledgeable, entertaining and encouraging. We arrived at Pico Arieiro where we had hot chocolate and cake! Sadly the weather wasn't great so we couldn't see the sunrise at Pico Arieiro, but they offered a plan B to see the sunrise at the coast instead (which was beautiful), and afterwards climb Pico Ruivo. We enjoyed both parts of the trip thoroughly. We hope to come back to Madeira and join them for another hike in the future :)

The two guides were wonderful. The area we were to hike was under horrendous weather, which led them to state we needed to go to an alternate hike, and cancel this specific one. What I appreciate is the confidence of the guides to know when to say no, rather than worry about the frustrations of the paid customers and risk their safety to satisfy their expectations. The hike we ended up doing was still great, with beautiful views and challenging paths. Would to recommend anyone to book with this company.

Amazing day! We booked this walking tour on Sunday and got picked up at our hotel at the day of the tour (Tuesday) at around 5:30 A.M. We drove to our lookout point to see the sunrise - which was breath taking! - and after that started our hike. Our guide Philippe told us loads of interesting things and facts about Madeira and the nature of and around the Picos. To do this walk in the mountains with the amazing views and nature was so beautiful and incredible to do. Once in a lifetime experience! Also Philippe was very kind, knew a lot of interesting information and was funny. I would recommend this to everyone! Worth waking up for at early hours.

Up early, but it was worth it. Sophia guided us very well, paid close attention to everyone and showed us more of the area besides the Stairway and sunrise. Also a nice bus driver, who knew the area like the back of his hand. The information in advance via the app was very pleasant; we knew exactly where we stood.