Pico do Facho () is the highest peak on

Porto Santo Island Porto Santo Island () is a Portuguese island and municipality northeast of Madeira Island in the North Atlantic Ocean; it is the northernmost and easternmost island of the archipelago of Madeira, located in the Atlantic Ocean west of Europe a ...

, with in altitude. Its name comes from , a

light beam A light beam or beam of light is a directional projection of light energy radiating from a light source. Sunlight forms a light beam (a sunbeam) when filtered through media such as clouds, foliage, or windows. To artificially produce a li ...

created by a

bonfire A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used for waste disposal or as part of a religious feast, such as Saint John's Eve. Etymology The earliest attestations date to the late 15th century, with the Catholicon Anglicum spelling i ...

, which was used to signal both the local population and

Funchal Funchal () officially Funchal City (), is the capital, largest city and a Municipality (Portugal), municipality in Portugal's Madeira, Autonomous Region of Madeira, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. The city has a population of 105,795, making it ...

of pirate ships. The bonfire could be seen from

Ponta de São Lourenço Ponta de São Lourenço (Portuguese for the "Point of Saint Lawrence") is the easternmost point of the Madeira Island, island of Madeira. It is inside the town of Caniçal and forms a part of the Machico, municipality of Machico. Its terrain are ...

on the main island of Madeira. There are no roads leading to the top of the peak, however there is a path from Pico do Castelo to Pico do Facho and to some nearby peaks about 1.5 - 2 hours walk.

References

Landforms of Madeira Mountains of Portugal Bonfires {{Madeira-geo-stub