Vereda Pico Branco & Terra Chã Hike On Porto Santo Island

The Vereda Pico Branco and Terra Chã hike is the most popular hiking trail on Porto Santo Island. The route leads you to the second-highest peak on the island, Pico Branco. The other viewpoint on the trail is Terra Chã, which has coastal views and is one of the greenest areas on the entire island. The hike is just a 5-kilometer round-trip and is a perfect sunrise adventure.

HOW TO GET TO THE VEREDA PICO BRANCO & TERRA CHÃ HIKE

This trail is actually one of the two official hikes on the island. Because it is only one of two recognized trails on the island it is quite easy to find. On the northern side of the island, you will find the red and yellow sign next to the road. The trail is marked with a pin location on the map below so you can plan your transit route. There is a gravel parking lot at the base of the hike. I actually rode my bike here from the southeast area of the island, which was a pretty uphill ride but definitely possible if you can climb a few hundred meters of elevation on the bike.

MY EXPERIENCE ON THE VEREDA PICO BRANCO & TERRA CHÃ HIKE

The hike begins from the main ring-road that wraps around the entire island of Porto Santo. You will see a sign, which is a huge whiteboard with all of the hiking details posted right next to the road. This is also where you can park the car on the gravel parking lot. It can be a bit odd to park in the dark in the wide-open gravel parking lot but really just park anywhere there won’t be much traffic in this parking lot.

I decided to do this hike for sunrise, so all of the photos I am showing about the trail were taken on the hike back. For me, the walk to the summit was in the dark with a headlamp in the hour before sunrise. If you do plan to be at the summit for sunrise, I suggest leaving an hour before the official sunrise time as it is just less than 3-kilometers to the top but it is all uphill so that should be enough time to be at the top for sunrise.

The trail is quite rocky and covered in gravel but there is almost always a railing when there is a drop to your side. I found the trail quite moderate and would suggest it for families (maybe during the day) as a great little adventure. The early parts of the trail wind around the side of the hill before you reach the switchbacks and begin to climb up toward the peaks.

The unique part about Vereda Pico Branco and Terra Chã hike is that it’s very green. Porto Santo is a pretty barren island except for a few trees on the nearby Pico Castelo. The contrast of the rich blue from the ocean and the crisp green trees is a refreshing change from the dry, dusty orange and earthy tones Porto Santo is known for.

The trail is just 2.5 kilometers to the summit so while it is pretty steep on the uphill journey, it isn’t too far. Before you know it, you will be rounding the corner to one of the best viewpoints on Porto Santo Island.

At the summit of Terra Chã, you will be under a canopy of trees as you look out over the ocean to the peak of Pico do Concelho and the small island in the distance, Ilhéu de Cima. There’s a little house at the summit and a picnic table so you can really set up and enjoy the view.

On the day I visited, I had to wait two hours after sunrise for the clouds to properly clear, and as you can see they never really left me alone with the view. Nonetheless, it’s one of the best views on Porto Santo and with just a 2.5-kilometer journey to the top, it should be on your bucket list while visiting the island. Below are my photos from the summit and of a drone flight from the summit where I explored the view from the ocean looking back to Terra Chã.

PICO BRANCO HIKE

After visiting Terra Chã, the hike then backtracks to the intersection where you would have seen the three red and yellow signs. I recommend being at Terra Chã for sunrise and then going back up to Pico Branco after sunrise to check out the view from that viewpoint. The view is different as you can see out to the north where you have a few spectacular bays.

The summit area of Pico Branco is a bit bare and not quite as pretty as Terra Chã but the views are still quite good and it’s worth the little 400-m hike to the top. On the way down, you don’t need to backtrack from the top back to the intersection, you can kind of loop around the edge but it is a bit of a scramble so if you prefer safety, just head back on the path you came up.

The walk back down follows the same trail and as you can see from the photo below, it’s quite a spectacular trail along the mountain. This photo was taken as I came down from Pico Branco as I began the descent back to the parking lot and the beginning of the hike.

I hope you enjoyed this guide about the Vereda Pico Branco and Terra Chã hike on Porto Santo Island.