Serra de São Mamede Natural Park

São Mamede rises to 1,025 metres in the far north-east of the Alentejo, and its significance is climatic: the range catches Atlantic moisture that the surrounding plain does not, so it holds chestnut and oak woodland, ferns and running water in a region otherwise given to cork oak, wheat and heat. That makes it a biological meeting point, with more than eight hundred plant species and Atlantic and Mediterranean species overlapping and a bird list including Bonelli's eagle, griffon and Egyptian vultures, eagle owls and a substantial bat population in the caves and old mine workings. The park contains the walled hill towns of Marvão and Castelo de Vide, the city of Portalegre, and a scatter of granite villages with dry-stone walls and terraces. Walking routes run through chestnut woods and along the ridges, and the Spanish border is a few kilometres east.

The landscape

• The green range - chestnut and oak woodland above a dry plain.
• The raptors - Bonelli's eagle, vultures and eagle owls on the cliffs.
• The hill towns - Marvão and Castelo de Vide inside the park boundary.
• The overlap - Atlantic and Mediterranean species meeting in one range.

When to go

March to June for flowers and birds; September to November for chestnuts and colour. Two to four days. Summer is very hot on the lower ground.

Things to know

A car is necessary - public transport between villages is minimal. Trail marking is inconsistent in places. Summer heat on the plain is severe. Accommodation is concentrated in Marvão, Castelo de Vide and Portalegre.

Nearby

Marvão and Castelo de Vide are inside the park; the Spanish border is east.

Key facts