Pedestrian walk to Pico da Vara

Duration

8 hours

Overview

We go to the highest point of the island (1105 m) where we have a privileged view over the whole island, on days with little cloudiness, or even a mystical experience in the mist of the Azores. Crossing the Pico da Vara Nature Reserve, we follow a dirt track with great landscape diversity, starting in a naturally flavored cryptomeria forest. We will move on to a typical mountain route in the Azores, with low vegetation. This is an area with a rich biodiversity, of great importance for the recovery of the Laurissilva forest and the priolo, one of the few species of fauna endemic to the Azores. Most of the route is easy, with some stretches of greater demand in areas with greater gain in elevation. We will make the return path on the same trail, which can be a little slippery especially during the winter. After the trail, we go to the Ribeira dos Caldeirões Natural Park to enjoy the beauty of the natural waterfalls and the old water mills.