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The Natural Park of Serra da Estrela is the largest in Portugal and has the highest mountain peaks in Portugal. Both the Rio Mondego and the boulder strewn Rio Zezere start here and cut through the Natural Park. These are the only two rivers that start and end within Portugal's boundaries.
The Park was designated in 1976 to protect the rural character of the serra villages and its landscape. In the process some important wildlife has also been conserved.
The Serra da Estrela Natural Park (PNSE)is to the east of the Central region of Portugal. It stretches 55 kilometres from Celorico de Beira in the north down to Vide in the south west, covering 1,000 square kilometres. All land over 1,200 metres is designated protected countryside so camping, lighting fires or picking flowers or plants is all forbidden.
The Park is accessed from several points along the northern and southern boundaries.
The west to north side is accessed by taking turns off the N17 road. Several traditional villages can be accessed from here including Linhares, Gouvia and Seia.
From the east and south the N18 and the faster IP2 road between Guarda and Castelo Branco skirt the eastern slopes and off this are several roads into the Park proper. A fantastically scenic route is the E18-1/E232 road from Guarda to Manteigas and then following the Vale do Zezere, a rather narrow route along the glacial valley with stunning views of the mountains - be prepared to pull in to the few passing points along the way!
Being such a rugged and wild area the mountains are home to a wealth of wildlife including mountain thrift, great yellow gentian and juniper, all valued for their medicinal properties.
If birdwatching is more your thing look out for black stork, Montagu's harrier, eagle owl, black kite, chough, rock thrush and peregrine falcons. Other more familiar species you're likely to encounter are dipper, pied wagtail and wheatear.
The mountain range is also home to endangered species such as ten species of bats, Iberian rock lizard, Iberian frog and European tree frog.
Much of the landscape where it is not dominated by the rocky outcrops and boulders has been affected by agriculture or plantation. There are, however, remnants of the once widespread native Pyrenean oak woodland and the mountain grasslands which are often used for sheep grazing still contain a wide range of native plants. The wildest habitats are probably the mountain rivers and streams. The Zezere is a classic boulder strewn glacial river.
The area is renowned for its wool and cheeses that are produced by smallholdings all over the Natural Park. Much of the culture of the mountains is tied up with sheep farming. The milk is used for the cheese, the wool is produced from them and the rare Estrela dog is the traditional sheepdog of the area. The landscape is a harsh one to survive and where possible farmers have tried to live off the land using cultivated terraces to get around the difficulties of farming on the mountain slopes.
The Estrela Mountain Dog breed was almost extinct until a local breeding programme ensured its survival. It is a big strong dog that is thought to originate from Roman or Visigoth times where it was introduced from the Tibetan mountains. They were used to protect sheep and cattle and are so big that they even managed to protect them from wolves that once roamed the area. The former isolation of the Serra da Estrela area meant that it became a particular breed only from this region. Check the link right for photos of this magnificent dog.
There is now quite a market for the tasty Serra da Estrela cheese, a highly regarded cheese that has been made from sheep's milk for centuries. It is a Denominacao de Origem Protegida (DOP) cheese which means authentic Queijo da Serra da Estrela is produced according to particular methods. It is a cured, handmade cheese that has a creamy taste resulting from the slow draining of curdled-milk and coagulated with cardoon thistle. The ewe's milk from which it is made has a distinctive flavour resulting from the mountain pastures on which they graze that contain wild herbs. The cheese is encased in a rind, but once at room temperature is almost spreadable. The traditional way of eating the cheese is with friends and family, slicing the top off the rind of a whole cheese round, spoon out the cheese and spread on locally made bread. Rye-bread and corn bread are particular local specialities. Local markets held from November to mid-April are the traditional places to buy both bread and cheese, but you'll have to be up with the larks as they're often over by 9am. Markets are held in Carrapichana (Mondays), Fornos de Algodres (every second Monday) and Celorico da Beira (every second Friday). Carnaval weekend in Seia, Gouveia and Manteigas also hosts some big cheese fairs in February or March.
The traditional lifestyle of the Serra da Estrela farmers has also been cause for concern and one which is being lost with modern agricultural methods and the attractions of the towns. Traditionally they lived in one-roomed stone-built casais, usually located next to watercourses in more sheltered areas that were thatched with rye straw and dotted all over the mountain peaks and valleys. However, many have now moved to more modern accommodation in the valley floors.
The main Natural Park Information Office for Serra da Estrela is in the pretty mountain town of Manteigas. This has the most comprehensive collection of information: Rua 1 de Maio, 2, 6260 - 101 Manteigas. Tel: 351 275 980 060/1. Fax: 351 275 980 069. Email: pnse@icn.pt. Open Tues-Sat except holidays 9 am-12.30 and 2-5.30 pm.
Other Information Offices are at: Seia, Gouveia and Guarda and open Tues-Sat except holidays 9 am-12.30 and 2-5.30 pm: Seia: Praca da Republica, 28, 6270 - 496 Seia. Tel: 351 238 310 440. Fax: 351 238 310 441.
Gouveia: Casa da Torre, Avenida Bombeiros Voluntarios, 8, 6290 - 520 Gouveia. Tel: 351 238 492 411. Fax. 351 238 494 183.
Guarda: R. D. Sancho I, 3, 6300 - 548 Guarda. Tel: 351 271 225 454. Open Mon-Fri 9 am-12.30 pm and 2-5.30 pm. You'll be forgiven for not finding it - as seems to be the custom - park offices are not well signed! It is on the corner of Rua Dom Sancho 1 and Rua Dr Francisco de Passos in a non-descript building but you'll notice wildlife pictures and leaflets stuck to the windows of the door. Not all staff speak English but are all very helpful regardless. Equip yourself with a few key words and you'll get by.
The Information Offices have a wide range of leaflets and information including the English language books "Discovering Serra da Estrela" and the book, "Estrela: A Natural Approach".
The "Discovering Serra da Estrela" is the most comprehensive guide to the hiking trails that have been waymarked for the entire Natural Park. There are three main routes - T1, T2 and T3 and then six additional routes that split off from the three main ones -T11, T12, T13, T14, T31 and T32. In total this is a 357 kilometre network of hiking trails - probably the most comprehensive in any national park in Portugal.
The Visitor's Guide to the Sensitivites of Serra da Estrela leaflet, "Guia de sensibilizacao do visitante da Serra da Estrela", is only in Portuguese but it does have lots of maps with symbols and the hiking trails marked on so you can gain some understanding if you can't speak the language.
Not all staff at the Natural Park offices speak a lot of English but they are very helpful nonetheless.
There are three main hiking trails - T1, T2 and T3 - which you can try to attempt in stages or pick short sections to follow. Splintering off these main trails are six other routes - T11, T12, T13, T14, T31 and T32. The book "Discovering Serra da Estrela" is the main English language book detailing the routes and the sights you'll see along the way as well as a bit about the wildlife of the area.
You will definitely need to make sure you've got a good topographical map before heading out and the weather can get pretty harsh so make sure you're well prepared clothing and provision wise. More information on the Serra da Estrela Tourism link right. The Natural Park information offices have the 1:50,000 Carta Turistica Serra da Estrela map, but you should also get a more detailed topographical map such as the 1:50,000 Gouveia 17D, Guarda 18C and/or Covilha 20C maps, the 1:10,000 Viseu Fl17, Guarda Fl18, Covilha fl20, or the 1:200,000 Beiras Fl14 maps. These are available from the Instituto Geografico e Cadastral in Lisbon or its regional offices in Porto, Coimbra and Castelo Branco. Walking and hiking isn't an overly popular Portuguese pastime so if you're heading for the hills you're likely to have them pretty much to yourselves.
The Park is popular for weekend drives and holiday excursions so it can get quite busy at its western end at these times.
The Serra da Estrela Tourism website has a range of tourist routes themed by Cultural Routes, Environmental Routes and Snow Routes, link right. These include both driving and walking routes. Unfortunately there is no English version as yet, but you might be able to glean enough information to plan your own.
There is every kind of mountain biking route from easy riding on the gravel roads, to long technical downhills connecting the higher reaches to the deep valleys below. Turistela can provide information on routes, maps and emergency back-up for either solo riders or organise tours for groups. There is also a bike park with 3 downhill routes, serviced by a 1000 metre cable car ride with bike hooks to store your bike on the way up. Check the Turistela website for more information.
In the winter Torre has a small ski resort with a range of blue and red runs and one black run. Check the link right for a piste map and rates for ski passes and equipment hire. Equipment hire is from a building on the Seia road. The skiing season runs from January to March with the best snow usually in February. There are no bus services to Torre although it can be reached by taxi from Covilha, Seia or Manteigas.
Just outside Manteigas is the Skiparque. This has a dry slope ski run for skiing and snowboarding and you can book lessons if you ve never tried it before. They also offer other activities including paragliding, 4x4 tours and mountain biking. Skiparque , Relva da Reboleira, 6260-311 Manteigas. Tel.: 351 275 982 870. Email: 18 and Open 9 am-5 pm.
In Gouveia there is the Vivaventura Adventure Park where you can have a go at all sorts of crazy activities including bucking bronco, bungee run, the gravity defying Aerotrim, or slightly more commonplace activities like paintball, climbing, abseiling, canoeing and windsurfing. ViVaVentura Lda, Apartado 182, Sra dos Verdes, EN 232, Cativelos - Gouveia, 6290 Gouveia. Email: info@vivaventura.com. Mobile: 351 961 350 810 and 351 963 910 293. Open 9 am-midnight.
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