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Serra da Estrela Nature Park: The Absolute Essentials

Serra da Estrela Nature Park encompasses mainland Portugal's highest elevations and unique glacial landscapes. The Zêzere glacial valley stretches from the Torre peak, while the Covão dos Conchos features a distinctive circular spillway within a mountain lagoon. Medieval heritage is preserved in the stone fortifications of Linhares and Folgosinho. Natural features include the Poço do Inferno waterfall and the crystal-clear glacial waters of Loriga river beach. The park also contains several hydroelectric dams, such as Caldeirão and Vale do Rossim, which have shaped the high-altitude terrain.

Rui Rocha / CC BY-SA 4.0

A

Torre

Torre is the highest point of mainland Portugal, and the second-highest of the country overall.

Anselmo Baptista / CC-BY-SA

B

Covão dos Conchos

An artificial bell-mouth spillway built in 1955. It diverts water from Ribeira das Naves to Lagoa Comprida through a 1,519-meter-long tunnel, creating the illusion of a natural hole in the lagoon.

CC BY-SA 4.0

C

Cascata Poço do Inferno

A 10-meter-high waterfall located in the Ribeira de Leandres at an altitude of 1,080 meters. The cascade flows over a geological barrier of resistant quartzitic rock within a narrow, forested valley.

Threeohsix / CC BY-SA 4.0

D

Zêzere River

The Zêzere is a river in Portugal, tributary to the Tagus. It rises in the Serra da Estrela, near the Torre, the highest point of…

E

Barragem do Caldeirão

A concrete arch dam on the Caldeirão stream near the city of Guarda. Completed in 1993, it provides the regional water supply and is surrounded by distinctive granite rock formations.

F

Barragem de Vale do Rossim

Situated at an altitude of 1,437 meters, this dam stouts the Ribeira da Fervença. It forms a high-mountain reservoir used for seasonal recreation and is surrounded by large granite outcrops.

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

G

Castle of Linhares

The Castle of Linhares is a medieval castle in the civil parish of Linhares, municipality of Celorico da Beira, in the Portuguese district…

Marina Sebastião / CC-BY-SA

H

Castelo de Folgosinho

A small medieval fortification built on a quartz ridge at 933 meters. The site features reconstructed circular walls and towers offering panoramic views of the surrounding Mondego valley.

Vitor Oliveira / CC BY-SA 2.0

I

Praia Fluvial de Loriga

A river beach located in a glacial valley, featuring a series of terraced natural pools fed by the Ribeira de Loriga. It is the only river beach in Portugal located within a glacial cirque.