North Portugal Tourism Guide - Estramadura & Ribatejo Wildlife

Serras de Aire and Candeeiros Natural Park

The Park stretches south from Porto de Mos covering about two thirds of the Estremenho Limestone Chain, a range of hills with typically sparse vegetation constituting olive trees and shrubs and bright white limestone rocks jutting out. It is one of the most important nesting places of the red billed jackdaw although numbers have fallen in recent years. Because the geology of the area lends itself to natural cave formations this is a very important area for bats and one of the country's largest colonies roost in the caves here. There are ten species of bat recorded in the Natural Park and is featured on the logo for the park.

Check our Estramadura Natural Park page for more information.

Names of Famous Caves: Mira de Aire, Grutas de Alvados and Grutas de Santo Antonio

The PNSAC area is widely known for its cathedral-like caves which form through the gradual erosion of water over years that create wonderfully architectural formations. Portugal's largest cave system is at Mira de Aire on the north east of PNSAC. Guided tours take you through the caves and the different rock formations.

The Grutas de Alvados and Grutas de Santo Antonio were discovered by workmen in 1964 and are smaller than the Mira de Aire caves. Guided tours are offered take you through the different caves with names like Lake of Wonder, Room of Statues, Beautiful Bedroom; The Cypress Room, The Lake with the Bridge, and the Wonderful Planet. You can see the Lake of Happiness at the Santo Antonio caves.

Check our Estramadura Natural Park page for more information.

Dinosaurs Footprints

The dinosaur tracks are in Pedreira do Galinha east of Alcobaca approximately 10 kilometres from Fatima. These lie in a former limestone quarry and are fossilised dinosaur footprints. They are the oldest and longest series of sauropod tracks found anywhere else in the world.

Check our Estramadura Natural Park page for more information.

Lourinha Museum

Carrying on the dinosaur theme is the Museum of Lourinha near the coast. Here they have Portugal's most impressive collection of fossils and a fossil treatment lab. Portuguese and international archaeologists have found a wide variety of remains in western Portugal that have built up a picture of how the dinosaurs would have roamed this area in prehistoric times.

In 1993 Paimogo was the site of the discovery of the largest nest of dinosaur eggs in the world and the only eggs ever found in Europe to contain embryos. An incredible find that you can find out all about at Lourinha Musuem, Rua Joo Luis de Moura, 2530-157 Lourinha. Tel: 351 261 414 003. Fax: 351 261 423 887. Email: museulourinha@mail.telepac.pt

Tejo Estuary Nature Reserve

The Tejo Estuary is the largest estuary in Portugal and is an internationally important nature reserve and Ramsar site around the rivers Sorraia and Tejo. This is a great area for birdwatching where flocks of waterbirds come to roost and feed as well as other interesting species including greylag geese, flamingo, teal, white stork, little bittern, purple heron, marsh harrier, Montagu s harrier, booted eagle. The Reserve covers 14.560 ha and is important as part of the migration route for a wide range of bird species on their way to West Africa.

Nearby are the fields of Giganta - enormous paddy fields of rice. There is an Information Office at Avendia Dos Combatentes da Grande Guerra, 1, 1-A 2890 Alcochete. Tel: 351 212 341 742. Fax: 351 212 341 654