Montesinho Natural Park

With an area of about 75 thousand hectares, the Montesano Natural Park is the biggest park in continental Portugal.

Located on the extreme northeast of Portugal in the so called “Terra Fria” (cold land”), it is situated in between the border with Spain and a line that links Bragança to Vinhais.

The Montesinho Natural Park was created in 1979, being one of the first protected areas in Portugal.
In its limits inhabit about 9.000 inhabitants distributed by 92 small villages.

The Park is constituted by a succession of round elevations and valleys profoundly fitted, with altitudes that vary from 438 metres and 1481 meters high where the small villages, nestling in sheltered and discrete places.

The landscape encloses oak and chestnut trees woods, and in the river banks alder, ash and willows. On the higher grounds, we come across birches, on the sunny slopes we find rock-roses, woodwaxens and brushwoods.

The Fauna is also quite rich, with species such as the Wolf, as well as several bird species, like the Golden Eagle.

This is a region occupied by men since ancient times, still conserving many archaeological vestiges in several villages.
This Park presents unique features as it perfectly shows how people have been wise along the centuries, integrating perfectly in the landscape, despite all the geo-climatic peculiarities.