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The mountain that the inhabitants of the island (the picarotos) do not call Pico mountain, but simply mountain, is the image that represents the island. Pico Mountain is today one of the biggest attractions due to the number of tourists from all over the world who come here for the adventure and unique experience of climbing this mountain, the largest in Portugal with its 2351 meters high. The starting point for the ascent of Pico Mountain is the mountain house, which in itself already represents practically half the height. To climb the mountain you need to pay attention to some conditions. First of all you need to be in very good physical shape, the duration of the ascent and descent lasts around 4 hours, forget those who think that going down is easy, it is not, maybe going down is even harder than going up because I often if you go up you have to help with your hands, imagine going down. Another condition is that you need to book, even if you don't go with a guide and don't forget that in high season you should make your reservation to make the climb well in advance. To be able to go up, you also have to go to the Mountain House to receive the GPS device that you will have to use throughout the journey and that will save you in case you get lost or need to be evacuated, knowing your location. To go up, you must observe the timetable so that you can be back before nightfall, unless you are doing the route with an overnight stay. It is recommended to make the ascent accompanied by a guide. Another thing you cannot forget is taking out special insurance for adventures because evacuation, if necessary, is very expensive.

If you visit the island of Pico with the intention of making the climb, you should stay for several days to be able to climb on a day with good weather conditions, so you should stay at least a week

If you don't want to make the climb, you can always go to the mountain house and watch the videos and explanations about Pico Mountain.

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