Hey Actifitters,
For our last full day in Madeira, we had again several activities on the schedule. It started rainy though and we were a bit worried about the first one: hike Pico Ruivo, the highest peak on Madeira Island at 1861m. I think the official name for this hike is PR1. You can see in the distance the Observatory at the top of Pico do Areeiro where we were just two days ago.
The rain mostly stopped luckily and we could start our ascent.
That stairway led us to the first tiny shelter along the way.
And another one...
It was still not raining but the fog started to reach the top of some of the mountains.
Will Pico do Areeiro disappear?
Not yet, as the fog continued to come and go.
Just like the path from Pico Areeiro to Pico Ruivo is closed, it is closed the other way around too. So we had to stop when we reached this small bar at the top. I have to say I'm very disappointed we couldn't do this iconic hike between both peaks, but it is what it is. Fire and landslides damaged the trails and it needs to be fixed so it is safe again.
Anyways, even on the reduced route we followed down, the misty views were amazing. Some Lord of the Ring vibe sometimes.
I'm glad we started our hike relatively early because it became a bit crowded.
I guess people wanted to go higher than the clouds, it looks like a sea of clouds from up there!
We finished as the rain resumed, good timing! All included, the hike was just about 3 miles.
Good start to another big day, as next on the plan was a hike at PR8 Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço at the East end of the island. Very different scenery, but fantastic too!
I really liked all these cliffs above the ocean.
We went down all the way to the water and had lunch on this volcanic rocks beach.
More massive cliffs after we started again.
And beautiful rock formations.
Don't need words to express this beauty.
At some point, we started to see this 'oasis'. Just some kind of bar just before the last steep incline.
But we didn't stop there yet, as we wanted to quickly reach the top.
The view behind us was also really good.
After a photo break at the top, it was time to walk back down, with of course a stop at that bar.
I'm not much of a boat person, but being able to sail to this kind of places probably makes it so worth it.
We made a few more stops at the same spots we hit on the way in.
And we were soon back at the parking lot.
With almost 6 miles, it was twice longer than the morning hike, with twice as much elevation gain too! So, in order to relax the muscles, we thought swimming in the ocean would be perfect and quickly drove to the closest beach we could find.
Just in time before the sunset.
It was already a very full day with hiking and swimming, but after a bit of rest, we went one last time to Funchal for a great dinner. Like I already mentioned, nightlife in Madeira may not be great, but to celebrate the end of these great short vacations, we did have fun in town until very late.
As always, thanks for stopping by and see you tomorrow.
[//]:# (!pinmapple 32.74347 lat -16.70079 long d3scr)
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