In Portugal, a natural park is a protected area of importance for conservation. There are 10 natural parks in Portugal and they protect unique ecosystems and habitats. They are home to rare and endangered species, some of which can only be found there. The most famous ones are also UNESCO World Heritage Sites:
1. Peneda-Gerês National Park
Peneda-Gerês National Park is located in northern Portugal. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest national park in mainland Portugal. The park has a rich cultural heritage, including Neolithic rock art, medieval castles, and monasteries built by monks who lived here during the Middle Ages.
Peneda-Gerês National Park offers some of the most beautiful hiking trails you can find anywhere in Portugal! There are also several lakes within its borders that are popular with fishermen looking for trout or salmon during the summer months (April through October).
The park also boasts fauna not seen anywhere else in Europe: wolves were reintroduced into this area back in 1991 after being extinct since 1910; wild boar was reintroduced around 2000; ibexes have been here since 1993; roe deer were introduced about twenty years ago as well; red deer have been living here since 1984…
2. Serra da Estrela Natural Park
The Serra da Estrela Natural Park is one of the most famous natural parks in Portugal, located in the center of the country. The park covers an area of about 10 thousand hectares and is home to some beautiful views, historic buildings, ancient villages, and other interesting attractions.
Located more than 2000 meters above sea level, this park offers many activities including hiking through its trails or riding horses along them as well as climbing peaks if you’re up for it! It’s also possible to go skiing during winter months when temperatures drop below zero degrees Celsius (32 F).
The best time to visit this park would be during springtime when there are fewer tourists around due to warmer weather conditions but still plenty of snow on top peaks so you can enjoy skiing down them without worrying too much about getting injured by falling rocks or trees beneath your feet while trying not to slip off track because there isn’t any trail left behind after it melts away during summer months when temperatures rise above 30 C (86 F).
3. Ria Formosa Natural Park
Ria Formosa is a natural park in the Algarve, Portugal. It’s one of the best places for birdwatching in Europe and is home to over 200 species of birds including flamingos, storks, and egrets. The area also boasts a rich marine life with dolphins, turtles, and whales visiting its waters regularly. The rare loggerhead turtle nests on its beaches every summer between June and October.
4. Douro Valley National Park
The Douro Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located in the northeast of Portugal. It’s known for its beautiful landscapes and wine production.
The park covers an area of approximately 25,000 hectares along the river Douro, from Pinhão to Porto. It has a great diversity of landscapes: from natural forests to cultivated lands (vineyards). You’ll also find mountains with an altitude between 300 and 800 meters above sea level; extensive plains; hillsides covered with olive trees and vineyards; steep slopes covered with dense vegetation; small rivers & streams that flow into the Douro River; marshlands at its mouth where salt water mixes with fresh water resulting in unique ecosystems rich with wildlife such as dolphins & seals!
5. Cascais Natural Park
Sintra Cascais Natural Park is close to Lisbon, this park is known for its breathtaking castles, amazing forests, and panoramic coastal scenery.
The park is constituted of two areas: the Sintra-Cascais National Park and the Costa de Lisboa. The Sintra-Cascais National Park covers an area of about 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) and contains many historical monuments. The Costa de Lisboa stretches from Ericeira to Cascais and has many popular beaches.
6. Arrábida Natural Park
Arrábida Natural Park is located in Setúbal and Évora districts. It’s one of the most beautiful national parks in Portugal, with an area of about 4,670 hectares.
The park was created to protect a wide variety of ecosystems including beaches, cliffs, and canyons along the coast; pine forests; oak groves; cork oak groves; juniper trees; scrubland and many others that have been preserved for centuries by traditional farming methods such as grazing livestock or growing olives or grapes for wine production.
The Arrábida Mountains are home to some rare animals like the Iberian lynx (lince-ibérico), wild boar (sangueiro) or red deer (cerdo-cereja). There are also several species of birds such as eagles (águia), hawks (gaviões) or vultures (abutre).
7. Montesinho Natural Park
The Montesinho Natural Park is a protected area in the north of Portugal. It’s located in the municipalities of Carrazeda de Anciães, Cabeceiras de Basto, Fafe, Guimarães, and São João da Pesqueira.
The park covers an area of 5342 hectares and its highest point is at 1430 meters above sea level (the Pico do Montesinho). The landscape is marked by gentle hills covered with dense vegetation and forests as well as valleys that are fertile agricultural lands or pastureland.
8. Alvão Natural Park
Alvão Natural Park is one of the largest protected areas in Portugal, covering over 3,000 square kilometers. It has a very rich biodiversity and a wide variety of landscapes that include mountains, forests, and pastures. The natural park has many different types of flora and fauna including wolves, wild boar, and deer. There are also archaeological sites scattered throughout Alvão Natural Park such as Neolithic dolmens (burial chambers) dating back thousands of years ago!
9. Pico Island Natural Park
Pico Island is the westernmost point of Portugal and is a nature reserve, a protected area of outstanding natural beauty, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The island’s highest point is the Pico do Arieiro at 982 meters above sea level. It has been uninhabited since 1720 when its last inhabitants left to settle on São Jorge Island.
The surrounding waters have been designated as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International because they support breeding colonies of Cory’s shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea) and Audouin’s gulls (Larus audouinii).
10. Serra de São Mamede Natural Park
Serra de São Mamede Natural Park is a natural park in the municipality of Vila Verde, Braga District, Portugal. The park is located in the highlands of northern Portugal and covers most of the Serra de São Mamede mountain range (Portuguese for Saint Matthew’s Range). It has an extension of about 1,600 km2 (620 sq mi) and was created to protect its fauna and flora from becoming extinct.
The mountains are covered with forests made up mainly of oak trees mixed with beech trees at lower altitudes; above 800 meters there are chestnut trees as well as remnants from ancient forests made up of species such as holly oak or wild cherry tree.
