The Montesinho Natural Park is one of the places you will have to visit if you want to know more about Portuguese wildlife. It has several features that nature lovers will enjoy.
Location
The park is located in Braganca. Parts of it are also in the municipality of Vinhais. This is in northeastern Portugal. Some portions of the Serra da Coroa southern slope can be found in the park.
What to See
The park encompasses an area of over 75,000 hectares. Some of the wildlife in the area are the European otter, red fox, common genet and the iberian lynx. The wild boar, roe deer, and Iberian wolf are also seen in the Montesinho Natural Park.
There are also several birds in the area. There are also some wild cats in the site. Other animals you will see there are the field thrush, hunting kestrel and the eagle. You will also find the horned viper in the site.
History
The top of the granite mountains are set in the heather. The lower portions are covered in forests. It is through these that the rivers go through. The rivers also go into the mountain valleys.
The mountains are made up of granite outcrops and calcareous rock at the highest peaks. Pyrenean oak and chestnut dominate the woodlands. The woodlands here are also some of the best preserved in the European continent.
At the lower altitudes you will see Holm oak. Rare plants like mock privet, peony and wild jasmine can be seen in the area as well. The geology of the park is diverse and the climate is also varied.
In spite of the passage of time, very little has changed in the area. This means the cultures that have been established there have not been affected by the progress of civilization. Some of the paths in the site go back to the Visigoth times or earlier.
Cost
Travel tour packages to Portugal have different prices. Most of the time, a tour will cost about 60 Euros daily.
Other Info
There are also streams and rivers in the park as well. They are populated by barbels, snook, bass and trout. One of the most attractive features of the park are the forests, the black oak and the sweet chestnuts.
The Montesinho Natural Park also has rocky slopes. These are filled with broom, heather and birch. You will also find poplars, hazels, willows and alders by the riverbanks.
