THE ONLY NATIONAL PARK IN PORTUGAL

Visitors of the only Portuguese national park Peneda-Gerês usually admire beautiful scenery or the remains of Roman civilization. However, they can also ride a horse, go kayaking or even play paintball.

The only Portuguese national park Peneda-Gerês is full of wonderful views. It is worth visiting because of its beautiful waterfalls, lakes, oak forests as well as archeological sites. The northeast is also known for its picturesque villages. It is a very peaceful place as tourists can wander for hours in the park not meeting any other human being. With other creatures, however, it is different. In forty years of its existence, the park has helped to preserve unique ecosystems and protect many animals as well as plants. There are eagles, wild cats, horses but also wild boars and wolfs living in Gerês.

As server Ihned.cz suggests, the best starting points for tours are the villages of São João do Campo and Lindoso. The latter is a sleepy village full of dilapidated stone houses which also has an interesting medieval fort Castelo do Lindoso where tourists can see espigueros, the stone granaries that the locals are still able to use even nowadays. Campo is a small village with only 150 people which, however, offers a surprising variety of accommodation services as well as possibilities to eat or sport. There is also a museum where visitors can buy maps of the area. The reservoir Vilarinho das Furnas is also interesting. During summer droughts, tourists are able to see the ruins of the village Vilarinho das Furnas that ended at the bottom of the reservoir, which was built in 1971.

Those intrigued by Roman history will like the Geira trail which follows an ancient Roman road going from Braga to Spanish Astorga. There are numerous sights of historical interest along the trial such as bridges, walls, houses and twelve unique milestones. Apart from hiking and visiting places interesting to archeologists, tourists can also ride a horse or a bike. Others can even try kayaking or paintball.