Since the April 2026 reopening, the hike runs Pico do Areeiro → Pico Ruivo only. You come off the mountain at Achada do Teixeira — a car park with no bus, a long way from where you started.
Transfer companies drop you at Areeiro for sunrise and collect you at Achada do Teixeira at an agreed time. Book the day before at the latest — sunrise pickups fill up. This also solves the "no parking at Areeiro at 6am" problem entirely.
IFCN protocol operators bundle the permit (discounted to €7 on PR1), guide, and both transfers. The most expensive option, but the only one where the trail closing or slots selling out becomes someone else's problem.
Achada do Teixeira sits above Santana. Taxis don't wait at the car park — arrange one in advance or call from the trail end if you have signal (save the number before you hike). For scale: taxis between Pico do Areeiro and the Funchal area run around €70, so split it if you've made friends on the ridge.
Leave one at Achada do Teixeira the evening before or at dawn, drive the other to Areeiro. Costs you an hour of shuttling but nothing in cash. Only sensible with 4+ people and two rentals.
No bus reaches the trailheads. From Achada do Teixeira you'd first need to get down to Santana (taxi or a long road walk), where buses run toward Funchal — infrequently, and slowly (Madeira's rural buses serve villages, not hikers). Treat this as the backup to the backup, not the plan.