Pico da Vara

Pico da Vara is the highest mountain on the island of São Miguel, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, and principal special protection of the Nature Reserve of Pico da Vara. The area around the mountain includes the largest remaining stand of the native laurisilva forest on the island, home to the critically endangered endemic Azores bullfinch.GeographyIt lies in the eastern part of the island, in the Serra da Tronqueira range, within the confluence of the municipalities of Nordeste and Povoação.The nature reserve begins a dirt road, that connects the region to the plateau of the Graminhais to Pico da Vara, in an area that the road intersects para of the Ribeira do Purgar. The border inflects towards the northwest, passing to an area 947m, until the 900m isoline, then continues to the east until the pedestrian trail from Malhada, where it heads north to Grota Escura. From this grottoe is descends until the Ribeira do Guilherme, inflecting to the south to another grottoe that separates the spikes of Francisco Pires e dos Bodes, until the roadway of Tronqueira. The border continues to the north until Serreta, descending later to the west again, until the roadway once again, following it until the crossroad of Grotinha do Pico Verde. Continuing on the valley west until the 775m isoline, it ascends until the 800m elevation until the ravine west of Pico Verde. The frontier descends the ravine until the 700m elevation, following a northerly trajectory terminating at the afluente of the Ribeira do Purgar.