Pico do Arieiro sunrise, dropped at the top
Your driver picks you up at your hotel and drops you at the top before first light, with no hunt for a parking space.
€140 per car for 1 to 4 people, €160 for 5 or 6. Pickup about 90 minutes before sunrise, back by mid-morning.
- Up to 6 passengers in one car
- 40–45 min from Funchal
- 1,818 m at the summit
Your driver speaks EnglishPortuguêsРусский
Sunrise tour prices, per car
| Route | Time | Price per car, 1–4 people | Price per car, 5–6 people | Status | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pico do Arieiro sunrise Private tour | 06:20pickup | €140 | €160 | On request | Book: Pico do Arieiro sunrise |
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Private tour
Pico do Arieiro sunrise
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| PR1 PR1.2 PR1 drop and collect: Pico do Arieiro to Achada do Teixeira Hiking transfer | Your timesdrop-off and pickup | €160 | €180 | Closed | Why |
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Drop-off
Pico do Arieiro car park
Pickup
Achada do Teixeira car park
IFCN closed the one-way section from Pedra Rija to Pico Ruivo (check of 25 Sep 2026). Sold again only when IFCN reopens it.
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| PR1 One-way drop at Pico do Arieiro Hiking transfer | Your timedrop-off | €401–6 people | On request | Book: One-way drop at Pico do Arieiro | |
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Drop-off
Pico do Arieiro car park
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| Sunset insteadAsk us | Ask | On request | Ask: Sunset instead | ||
| Sunrise and the east dayAsk us | Ask | On request | Ask: Sunrise and the east day | ||
Pickup is included in Funchal, Caniço, Santa Cruz, Machico, Câmara de Lobos and Ribeira Brava. A pickup further out adds the fixed supplement for your area, listed on the price list.
Prices checked on 25 September 2026. Every price is per car, in euro, for the whole group.
Sunrise and pickup times by month
These are sea-level times for the 15th of each month, Madeira time, and the summit sees the sun a few minutes earlier.
| Month | Sunrise | Pickup | First light |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 08:08 | 06:35 | 07:43 |
| February | 07:49 | 06:15 | 07:25 |
| March | 07:16 | 05:45 | 06:53 |
| April | 07:36 | 06:05 | 07:12 |
| May | 07:07 | 05:35 | 06:41 |
| June | 06:57 | 05:25 | 06:30 |
| July | 07:09 | 05:35 | 06:42 |
| August | 07:30 | 06:00 | 07:05 |
| September | 07:50 | 06:20 | 07:26 |
| October | 08:10 | 06:40 | 07:47 |
| November | 07:36 | 06:05 | 07:11 |
| December | 08:01 | 06:30 | 07:35 |
How the morning runs
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90 min before sunrise
Pickup at your hotel
At a hotel your driver waits at the main entrance, and for a holiday rental in a narrow street we send a map pin the evening before for the nearest point where the car can stop.
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+40–45 min
The mountain road
From Funchal the road climbs to 1,818 m in the dark. If mountain bends make you uneasy, say so, and your driver takes them slowly.
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Before first light
Dropped at the top
Your driver stops at the top car park and you walk up to the viewpoint. You don't search for a space on a dark verge, and the car waits nearby.
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Sunrise
Pico do Arieiro viewpoint
You watch the sun come up from the viewpoint. On a clear morning the first sun reaches the peaks towards Pico Ruivo.
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After sunrise
A walk towards Pedra Rija Optional
When IFCN has the section open, you can walk PR1, the Vereda do Areeiro, towards Pedra Rija after sunrise. The stepped stretch on the ridge is the one people call the Stairway to Heaven. It needs a SIMplifica booking at €4.50 a person. IFCN had the section open on 25 September 2026. Tell us how far you want to walk when you book, and we tell you whether it fits the morning or what the extra time costs.
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Before the drive down
Coffee at the summit café Optional
Warm up at the café by the car park if it's open, or ask your driver to stop for coffee on the way down.
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Mid‑morning
Back at your hotel
The drive down takes about as long as the way up, and you have the rest of the day free.
When IFCN has the crossing to Pico Ruivo open, hikers can take the PR1 drop and collect instead. It starts with a dawn drop at the top, timed to your SIMplifica slot, and ends with a pickup at Achada do Teixeira, below Pico Ruivo. The crossing was closed on 25 September 2026 (status below).
Or keep the car after sunrise for the east island day, on to Santana and Ponta de São Lourenço. Ask us for the price of the two together.
The rules for a sunrise run
- Sunrise weather
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We check the summit forecast the evening before and message you go or no-go by 20:00, and if cloud is forecast you move or cancel free.
- Pickup time
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We pick you up about 90 minutes before sunrise, so you're at the top before first light.
- What's in the price
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The price is for the whole car and includes fuel, parking and child seats, and on your own route and tours also waiting at your stops, with no kilometre count.
- Where we drop you and collect you
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At trailheads your driver stops at the car park named in your confirmation, and we send you its map pin.
- Cancellation
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You can cancel free up to 24 hours before pickup, with a full refund, and after that, or if you don't come, we keep 50% of the price.
Terms reviewed on 25 September 2026
Trail and car park status
Summit webcam: NetMadeiraBefore sunrise the access roads were jammed by visitors again in September 2025, with cars parked on the verges. The car parks, the bus and the road up are covered in parking and getting to Pico do Arieiro.
- Pedra Rija to Pico Ruivo (one-way section)
- closed
- Pico do Arieiro to Pedra Rija and back
- open
- Spaces in the top car park, about
- 70
- Drop and pickup
- Your driver drops you at the top, waits nearby and collects you at the same spot
What to bring
At 1,818 m it is cold and windy before sunrise, even in summer. The Areeiro weather station, lower down the mountain, averages 5.5 °C in January and 14.8 °C in August. Those are averages over day and night, so the hour before dawn is colder.
- A warm layer and a windproof jacket, in every month.
- A hat and gloves in winter.
- A torch or a phone light for the path up to the viewpoint.
- Shoes with grip, because fog often leaves the rock wet.
- Water and a snack if you plan to walk towards Pedra Rija.
Sunrise questions
Can you see the sunrise every day?
Not every day, because some mornings the summit sits inside the cloud, and even a clear forecast can be wrong at 1,818 m. If cloud is forecast the evening before, you can move or cancel free.
What time is sunrise at Pico do Arieiro?
Sunrise at Pico do Arieiro is at about 06:58 on 21 June and 08:04 on 21 December, Madeira time. Those are sea-level times, so the summit sees the sun a few minutes earlier. The table above gives every month with its pickup time, and the latest sunrises come in late October, before the clocks go back.
Is the Pico do Arieiro sunrise worth it?
It is worth it on a clear morning, for anyone who doesn't mind a very early start and an hour in the cold. You stand at 1,818 m while the sun comes up, and you're back at your hotel by mid-morning. The east island day also stops at Pico do Arieiro later in the morning, if the summit is clear.
Do I need a ticket for Pico do Arieiro?
No ticket is needed for the viewpoint at the top of Pico do Arieiro. Walking PR1 beyond it, as far as Pedra Rija, needs a SIMplifica booking at €4.50 a person, which you make yourself on the SIMplifica site.
What if it's cloudy?
We check the summit forecast the evening before and message you go or no-go by 20:00, and if cloud is forecast you move or cancel free. If you're on the island for several days, book one of your first mornings, so there is time to move it.
Can you hike after sunrise?
Yes, when IFCN has it open, a sunrise hike works on the PR1 section from Pico do Arieiro towards Pedra Rija, with a SIMplifica booking you make yourself. IFCN had that section open on 25 September 2026, and a walk past the booked time is charged as extra time. Going on to Pico Ruivo means the one-way crossing beyond Pedra Rija and the PR1 drop and collect, and IFCN had that crossing closed on 25 September 2026.
Can you go up for sunset instead?
Yes, a sunset tour to Pico do Arieiro works the same way, and the drive down is after dark. Send us your date on WhatsApp and we reply with the pickup time and the price for the car.
Can children come?
Yes, children are welcome on the sunrise run. Child seats are free, so tell us each child's age when you book and we fit the right seat. Bring a warm layer and a hat for them, because the top is cold before sunrise even in summer.
Tell us your date and we'll send your pickup time.
We reply within 60 minutes, 07:00–22:00. Booking is on request, and we confirm your date in that reply. The evening before, by 20:00, we tell you whether the summit forecast is good enough to go. For tomorrow's sunrise, message us before 21:00.
Pico do Arieiro sunrise €140 per car for 1 to 4 people, €160 for 5 or 6