How to climb Mount Pico – Portugal’s Highest Peak – Açores

Climbing Mount Pico has been a bucket list item and a personal objective for a couple of years for me. It’s the highest peak in Portugal and of course, just like every other tall mountain, represents an idea of personal achievement and satisfaction for those of us who like to believe we’re winners. So, how hard is it to climb Mount Pico?

Preparation

For those of you who are not regular hikers, you’ll have a bit of work set out for you but by no means is Pico out of your range. For about 6 weeks before the trip I was running and hiking almost daily, especially up and down steep hills, easy for those of us living in Madeira 😜

The next time I climb Pico I will adopt a similar strategy but i will add in some gym work as well. Carrying the tents, sleeping bags, food, water and all the gear is tough. I recommend some work in the gym strengthening your core, back and legs. The knees take a pounding on the way back down the mountain so you’ll want to find a workout programe to strengthen the muscles around the knees.