Do you want to feel the magic of the four elements – earth, water, air, and fire – then do a night climb of our neighbour Mount Pico. Feel the basalt rock formations cracking under your feet while looking for your way in the dim light of your headlamp. Leave the vast Atlantic Ocean below you while ascending meter by meter. Chilling in the fresh breeze at the top before starting the steep final climb to Piquinho. Sweating when scrambling over the damp rocks heated by the volcano’s heart.Climbing Pico is an unforgettable experience, even more when doing a night climb to reach the top before sunrise. With 2351m of altitude Pico is the highest point of Portugal one of the major landmarks of the Azores. As long as you are free of vertigo and reasonably fit, you should not miss climbing the mountain when visiting the Azores. The crater can be reached from the Casa de Montanha mountain house in a steep 3-4 hours ascend, from there it will take you another half an hour to Piquinho, the top of the mountain. With clear weather you can spot the islands of Faial, São Jorge, Graçiosa and Terceira all surrounded by the Atlantic. This weekend I had the chance to experience all this with my friend @hugorombeiro and our new friend @azoreanwanderer picked up on the way up. We really deserved the cold beer afterwards.
