Considered one of the world’s most beautiful volcanoes, Pico, when seen from afar, looks easy to climb and therefore presents an obvious challenge to many visitors to the island.

The footpath begins close to Cabeço das Cabras (roughly 1200 metres). After this, you are faced with a climb that calls for experience and some physical preparation, appropriate clothes and footwear, and the further absolutely essential requirement of being accompanied by a guide. Altogether, the ascent and descent of the mountain will take 4 to 5 hours, allowing you to appreciate natural phenomena and landscapes of rare beauty.

Furna is a hollow inside the cone of the volcano, covered by thick endemic vegetation, which becomes scarcer and scarcer until it disappears at an altitude of roughly 2000 metres.

The central crater or Pico Grande, roughly 700 metres in diameter, is truly majestic. From inside this, there springs the Piquinho, a volcanic cone that rises some 50 metres above the edge of the crater, with three or four fumaroles at the top.

If there are no clouds, you can see the other islands of the central group (Faial, São Jorge, Graciosa and Terceira). Even though you may be feeling tired, we are sure that the wonderful panoramic view that you enjoy from the top will more than make up for your great effort. We’d just like to make one more small suggestion, however: Sunrise seen from the very top of Pico is an absolutely unforgettable spectacle!