Peneda-Gerês National Park
Peneda-Gerês National Park, National park in Vila Real, Portugal
Peneda-Gerês is a protected area in northern Portugal that extends along the Spanish border and covers portions of multiple districts. The terrain features mountain ranges, granite outcrops, deep valleys, and rivers flowing through oak and mixed forests.
The Romans built a road through this region, leaving about 60 milestones scattered along trails near Campos e Gerês. It became Portugal's first national park in 1971 to protect the forest from erosion and preserve traditional mountain community ways of life.
Villages such as Castro Laboreiro and Lindoso display traditional stone architecture that reflects how people adapted to steep mountain terrain. Terraced fields and communal ovens reveal the daily rhythms of communities that still honor their pastoral heritage.
Waymarked trails of different lengths guide visitors through the area, and visitor centers in Melgaço and Ponte da Barca offer information about hiking routes and terrain. Hikers should note that climate changes sharply with elevation and the landscape contains concentrated granite formations.
Herds of Garrano horses roam freely across mountain meadows and represent an old breed that has lived wild in this region for centuries. These hardy, smaller horses are adapted to the harsh mountain setting and were historically raised by shepherds.
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Portugal extends well beyond its main tourist centers. Away from the established routes lie medieval villages like Monsanto, where granite houses wedge themselves between massive boulders, or the fortified hilltop town of Marvão overlooking the Spanish border. Peneda-Gerês National Park spreads...
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