Peneda-Gerês National Park

Peneda-Gerês National Park is Portugal’s only national park, established in 1971 and located in the northwest of the country. It protects a rugged landscape of granitic mountains, river valleys and traditional villages and covers over 700 square kilometres.

Visitors come for hiking routes, waterfalls, mountain viewpoints and to see traditional stone villages and small-scale pastoral landscapes. The park also contains reservoirs and historic features such as fortified village sites and traditional granaries.

The park was created to preserve biodiversity, landscape and cultural heritage and has since been managed for both conservation and low-impact tourism. Ongoing efforts focus on habitat protection, visitor management and support for traditional activities in the villages.

Peneda-Gerês lies in northwest Portugal along the border with Spain, within Viana do Castelo and adjacent districts, and is reachable by road from several regional towns and cities.

• National park status: Portugal's first and only national park, established in 1971, covering over 700 square kilometres of mountains, rivers and valleys.
• Landscape and heritage: The park includes granitic mountain ranges, river gorges, waterfalls and traditional schist and granite villages with cultural heritage features.

What to See #

• Gerês (village and visitor area): A mountain village and visitor centre area near the park's more frequented trails and thermal springs, serving as a base for many itineraries.
• Vilarinho das Furnas reservoir: A reservoir created by a submerged village and now a scenic water body used in many park photos and hikes.
• Soajo and Lindoso: Traditional mountain villages such as Soajo and Lindoso, known for granite construction and high, ventilated grain storage racks.