The Government of the Azores will improve the access conditions to Pico Mountain, creating a new space reserved for visitors, a support area for guides and a parking area with capacity for 44 vehicles and two buses.

The public presentation of the previous study on the construction of a support area for descents and the parking area took place today at a ceremony chaired by the Regional Secretary for Agriculture and the Environment; it was included in the programme of the Government's statutory visit to the island of Pico.

The project will be launched next year and "the work will be completed by the first half of 2016," stressed Luís Neto Viveiros. However, if the weather conditions are favourable, the work may be completed sooner.

The "Casa da Montanha" (Mountain House) is a mandatory stop at Pico Mountain. Its main function is to register and control climbs to the mountain.

Nestled at the foot of Pico Mountain, about 1,200 metres above sea level, this infrastructure provides information on the geology, biology, history, climate and legal framework of the Pico Mountain Natural Reserve. The information is displayed in panels or in video format; the latter can be viewed at the auditorium.

In fact, this space in charge of controlling the climbs to Pico Mountain, through an authorisation request made by visitors that, as in accordance with the rules in force.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of visitors climbing the mountain and visiting the "Casa da Montanha." Currently, the space is too small to meet registration needs and accommodate visitors.

For this reason, it was decided to create a new area reserved for the visitors who complete the descent from the mountain with the aim of controlling the influx of visitors.