Distance: 6km

Duration: 2 hours (excluding lengthy summit lunch)

Difficulty: Easy-Moderate (well marked but some ascent)

Desirability: One of our favourites! Above the clouds and much quieter than Pico Areerio

Description: You drive most of the way up the mountain.  We arrived around 10am and the carpark was already full so we copied others and parked at the roadside.  We made a beeline for the mountain cafe and savoured a coffee and brownie in the warm sunshine overlooking the mountains.  The hike is straightforward in terms of navigation and you pass a mountain hut / cafe on the way up.  Its 360 views for the whole walk with the summit being the show stopper. We enjoyed looking down to the Valley of the Nuns, a hike we'd previously done.  We sat for ages watching the clouds roll in and soaked in that unbeatable 'Im in the mountains' feeling.

What we wore

Hiking boots, three-quarter length hiking trousers, technical t-shirts, sun cream.  We had a long-sleeved layer with us too. We did the hike in early February. 

What we ate

Coffee and cake at the Achada do Teixeira cafe, then lunch was a beetroof hummus roll and salad. We had a beer back at the cafe at the end of the hike

How we felt

On top of the world! We loved this one.  Weather was perfect for us and we really felt grateful that we have the freedom to do cool hikes like this every day. 

Check out our Instagram for some footage of this walk and all the other places we've visited!