Porto makes a fabulous base for exploring further afield, set in an area of spectacular natural beauty featuring dramatic mountains, high plateaus, and lush green forests where wolves, storks, pink hoopoes, eagles and even vultures live. Not far in distance but a universe away from life in the town, there are several wonderful wildernesses to explore including all 270 square miles of the magnificent Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês, paralleling the border with Spain. Here are some of the best places to enjoy the wonder of nature around Porto.
Parque Biologico de Gaia
The beautiful Parque Biológico de Gaia isn’t very big compared to some but it makes up for its small size with a fantastic 3km walk taking you through a landscape offering more than 200 species of animals, mostly rescue animals, some in special enclosures, others running free, and all really well cared for. Great value, lovely and peaceful, stacked with interesting exhibits and close to Porto, it’s a big hit with families.
Description: A pretty walk and an easy one on well laid out paths, great when you have little ones with you. You can feed some of the animals, there’s shelter from the heat thanks to trees and shrubs, and it has a lovely warm, kind and welcoming vibe. You can easily while away a whole day here, just wandering around and chilling out with your fellow creatures.
Aveiro, Paiva Walkways and the Suspension Bridge
The spectacular Paiva Walkways are another small yet perfectly formed attraction for nature lovers, this time with epic drama at its heart. Idyllic landscapes are the name of the game here, accessed via the spectacular Aveiro, Paiva Walkways, and Suspension Bridge. It’s an extraordinary experience as you go off the beaten path, immersed in the unique natural beauty of the quirky wooden walkways running alongside the lovely Paiva River.
You’ll enjoy stunning panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, views of cool cascading waterfalls, and endless rich greenery. The suspension bridge isn’t for the faint hearted, a dizzying experience but worth the fear as the landscape opens up not just around you, but also underneath you!
Description: A complicated network of wooden walkways with handrails for safety wind their way up and down hill through ridiculously pretty natural landscapes, zig-zagging up and down steep hills with a new view opening up around every corner. This really is an unforgettable experience, the ultimate in eye candy.
Serra de Canelas / Negrelos
Lose yourself without getting lost on this magical linear trail making its way along the dramatic Canelas or Negrelos mountain range in Vila Nova de Gaia. It’s one of a collection of glorious nature trails created through the mountains, popular with local people as well as visitors. Walking, jogging, running and cycling are on the menu here, a delight for everyone who values nature and gets a kick out of the green stuff. Don’t miss the extraordinary swing overlooking a beautiful forest pond in a quarry, so shiny and reflective it looks like a mirror. Swing out over the landscape and feel the freedom!
Description: Well-maintained hiking, walking and cycling trails reveal the beauty of this special place where nature is allowed to do its own thing. The perfect way to discover this area of Portugal in all its natural splendour.
Parque de Avioso – S. Pedro
Let your spirit fly free in this enormous green space, perfect for stealing some peace and quiet, finding sweet moments of relaxation, and enjoying an adrenaline rush thanks to some thrilling sporting and leisure opportunities. The two watchtowers give you amazing high level views of the entire sixty thousand square metres or 30 acres of sheer loveliness.
Environmental education is a big deal here, offering school kids and others a variety of nature-based experiences. As well as the cafe and restaurant there’s a shop, an auditorium, special places to chill out and rest, a smashing picnic area, beach volleyball courts, a playground, and smooth green rolling grass.
Description: You’ll find plenty of well-marked trails for bicycles and there’s a cool four and a half mile walk to take at your leisure, with greenery and trees all around you. You can walk the route in several ways depending on how fit you are, taking the Route of the Tower, the Forest Route or the Route of the Ribeira. There’s a nice restaurant with an outdoor terrace and there’s the source of the Ribeira de Avioso to marvel at. It’s a rare thing to actually see the actual source of a river, well worth it for that alone. Together with the other waterways it makes up the Ribeira do Arquinho, the Leca River’s biggest tributary
Monte Crasto
Monte Crasto is a natural fortress, hence the name: ‘crasto’ is actually the Latin name for a castle. 194m above sea level, the chapel of Santo Isidoro sits on top, defended by vast boulders. It dates back to the 1700s and as well as being a cool sight in itself, offers awe-inspiring panoramic vistas across Gondomar, Gaia, the Duoro River, Matosinhos, Maia and Porto, one of the finest viewpoints in the region. The Chapel itself sits on top of much older remains dating back to Roman times, and ancient coinage has been found here in the past – keep your eyes peeled!
Description: This little haven of nature contains some nice hiking trails, comfy places to picnic, and fascinating natural rock caves to explore. Gondomar itself, the town surrounding Monte Crasto, is famed for being the Capital of Goldsmithery, and the traditional valboeiros boats you’ll see on the Douro River were built here. In the town you’ll find lovely river beaches to relax on, a splendid church to marvel at, and the Press Museum to explore.
Reserva Natural Estuario do Douro
Fancy a heavenly and relatively easy 5.5 kilometre stroll? This is the place. Head for Vila Nova de Gaia and join the cyclists and runners who enjoy this lovely trail. The Douro Estuary Nature Reserve is on the south bank of the Douro River and covers 62 hectares, a vital stopover for many species of migratory birds, waders in particular. Here’s where you can see as many as 100 different bird species doing their natural thing. The reserve offers a coastal area, magnificent dunes, and an estuarial area with marshland, a big thrill for bird watchers.
Description: You’ll find two observatories accessible on foot via a walkway, one facing the marshland and the other with extensive views across the sands. There’s a cool visitor centre to explore on the way into the reserve, and the walkways kick off at the visitor centre so you don’t end up causing mayhem and chaos off the beaten track. Wildlife comes first here, people second, and that’s exactly the way it should be.
What wildlife can you see around Porto? Loads… and here’s an excellent place to find out more about the creatures sharing this amazing region with humans, complete with pictures leading to the fine details about each animal. As you’ll see, there’s a lot more to the Porto area than wine. We hope you enjoy the many natural attractions on offer in this unique region.
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