The only national park in Portugal spans granite peaks and oak forests, with ancient Roman roads, medieval villages, and rare Iberian wolves roaming its valleys.
Peneda-Gerês National Park, Portugal's only national park, covers 700 square kilometers of northern Portugal's granite mountains and oak forests. Walk along 2,000-year-old Roman roads where carved mile markers still stand, swim in 20°C mountain pools beneath the 50-meter Arado waterfall, or explore villages like Soajo where wooden granaries perch on granite pillars. Watch wild Garrano ponies graze freely across mountain meadows while golden eagles soar overhead - the park houses more than 200 vertebrate species across its four mountain ranges.
The park lies 90 minutes north of Porto by car. While public buses run to Soajo village, they're infrequent and don't reach most areas of interest. You'll need either your own vehicle or a guided tour to explore the park properly.
Four granite mountain ranges define the park: Serra da Peneda, Serra do Gerês, Serra Amarela, and Serra do Soajo. Clear rivers flow between these ranges, creating waterfalls and swimming pools throughout the valleys. The Mata da Albergaria contains Portugal's only holly forest, while oak woodlands cover other slopes. Look for the purple Gerês lily, which grows nowhere else in the world.
Several marked paths cross the park's terrain. Follow the 6.5-km Cidade da Calcedonia trail to discover Iron Age stone foundations, or take the 13-km Sobreiral da Ermida do Gerês route through cork oak forests to reach Arado waterfall. Yellow and red stripes mark most paths, making them easy to follow independently.
More than 100 granite villages scatter across the park. In Soajo and Lindoso, wooden granaries (espigueiros) stand on stone pillars, a centuries-old method of protecting grain from rodents. Visit Castro Laboreiro's medieval castle ruins and stone houses near the Spanish border, or walk to Pitões das Júnias to see a 12th-century monastery.
From March through October, when water temperatures reach 18-22°C, you can swim in multiple mountain pools. Jump into the emerald waters at Cascata Tahiti near Ermida village, or follow the trail to Cascata do Arado's series of pools. The Portela do Homem area combines waterfalls with sandy river beaches.
The Geira, an ancient Roman road, cuts through the park from Braga (formerly Bracara Augusta) to Spain's Astorga. Stone milestones still display their Latin inscriptions, and you can walk on original Roman paving stones between Portela do Homem and Campo do Gerês.
Head out at dawn or dusk for the best wildlife viewing. Garrano ponies often graze in mountain meadows, while roe deer move along forest edges. The park's wolves, wild boar, and golden eagles inhabit more remote areas, making sightings rare but possible.
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