Transfer to Pico do Arieiro Self-Guided Hike (Morning slot)

Absolutely amazing experience! From meeting our driver, Nuno, on the morning of the hike, (most charismatic and friendliest driver, made our trip ten times better) to the breathtaking views of Pico do Arieiro and the delicious food (beef stake sandwich with a side of Madeira’s traditional drink ‘Poncha’) at the lovely cafe awaiting at Funchal’s Ecological Park, I personally, could not recommend booking this trip more! One thing to keep in mind is PR1 and PR3 trails included in this trip are for people with relatively good fitness levels, as you get a meeting time set before you begin your self-guided hike. Although, we did get quite lucky with the weather in January, PR3 tends to be more wet and full of slippery rocks and steps so bring your best non-slip, waterproof trainers/boots.

My group of 5 were keen to go on the PR1 trail, which starts at Pico Arieiro, passes Pico Ruivo and ends at Achada do Teixeira. The driver, Filipe, was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the island, its laws, the best hikes (PR1, PR6 and PR8), best places to visit and eat. The entire group were thoroughly enthused by Filipe's knowledge and love of the lsland.

The pick-up point was agreed in advance as was the time--the group left Funchal at 08:10, which meant that they arrived at Pico Arieiro before the tour buses. Even if you are fit, doing part of the trail in blazing sun can be challenging. It is well worth doing this hike but I would fully recommend taking water, a head lamp and snacks with you.

It took 3 hours to hike from Pico Arieiro to Pico Ruivo. We rested a bit at the base of Pico Ruivo and bought some cans of drink from the kiosk. It took 15 minutes from the kiosk to climb to the top of Pico Ruivo. The walk to Achada do Teixeira took longer than expected, but there was a decent cafe near the car park. We took up Filipe's suggestion of ordering a passion fruit cheesecake and beer, which was the right thing to do after such a challenging hike. We met Felipe at the car park ~14:30. He gave us 5 hours to complete the one-way hike, which was was more than sufficient. Thank you Felipe for a great day out!

We can definitely recommend 'do it madeira'. Communication was reliable and quick. The organization and pickup was good. The driver was very nice and gave some tips about the island. The times were kept perfectly.

Felipe was an excellent driver and host, very knowledgeable and friendly. Unfortunately the cloudy and rainy weather meant the hike was disappointing, but it means I will have to come back and do it again to get the amazing views!

Really great self transfer company- great communication on day, Adrianna the driver was punctual, gave lots of info and very nice to chat with, smooth running Pico to pico tour. Made the walk affordable and possible with no car hire. Had enough time to comfortably do walk and would recommend for other walks you can’t access without a car.

I recommend everyone to wear special shoes, because ordinary sports shoes are not suitable for this, because I experienced this myself and had a problem. When traveling with a guide, there is enough time to go from one point to another. Amazing views, interesting experiences and self-examination.You must to have water more than 1.5 liters

Views are amazing however the hike is quite challenging, especially for people that do not hike regularly. If you had any leg injuries it’s better to choose another, easier hike.

When it comes to the tour operator it was awesome experience. The driver was on time, was very friendly, shared a lot of knowledge about the Madeira, it’s culture and gave us many tips regarding restaurants and other stuff. He even stopped on the way back to show us some great cliff views! 6/5 experience!

The trips was really good organized and we had plenty of time to do the hike. It was great and i woud recommend to do it

It was an extremely challenging hiking experience for me but I made it to the end. The drivers were amazing. He made you feel very safe and sound. He also introduced interesting facts about the island along the way to the mountain and back to our hotel. If you are not a hiking fan like me, I suggest you prepare in advance, climbing stairs up and down for practice and bring hiking poles. I don’t regret booking this trip but if I were to come again, I would probably choose to take PR 1.2 to the summit instead. Anyways, it was a once in a lifetime experience for me.

Well organised and efficient. Aside from a minor issue with the website when it came to book this transfer before our holiday, which was dealt with efficiently by Logan, I can very much recommend Do It Madeira.

Communication before we arrived was good and as stated at the time of booking, I was contacted the day before with details of our pick up. Our driver was early to collect us, entertaining, knowledgeable and gave us some very useful information for the remainder of our stay. The walk itself was spectacular and certainly one to recommend and our pick up was on time and repeat of the drop off. Later that day, Logan sent through some restaurant recommendations for the rest of our stay.

If you are happy to walk self guided (and this walk, PR1, is a very clearly marked path), Do It Madeira provide the ideal service. When we get chance to visit Madeira again, we will be using them again for another walk.