Vale Glaciar do Zêzere

The Zêzere valley above Manteigas is the best glacial landform in Portugal and among the clearest in Iberia: a U-shaped trough some thirteen kilometres long and several hundred metres deep, cut by ice during the last glaciation when a glacier of around three hundred metres' thickness filled it. The road up from Manteigas runs along the floor and then climbs the side in switchbacks towards Torre, at 1,993 metres the highest point of mainland Portugal, giving views back down the whole trough with its flat floor, steep walls, hanging valleys and moraine ridges. Poço do Inferno is in a side gorge. Manteigas sits at the bottom in the valley, a town of granite houses with thermal springs nearby. In winter the upper section carries snow and chains or winter tyres are required; in summer the valley floor is used for walking and the Zêzere river for bathing.

The landscape

• The U-shaped trough - thirteen kilometres of textbook glacial valley.
• The hanging valleys - side valleys cut off above the main floor.
• Torre - the 1,993-metre summit at the head, the highest point in mainland Portugal.
• Manteigas - the granite town at the valley bottom.

When to go

May to October for walking and clear roads; winter for snow, when chains may be required and roads close. Two to four hours to drive and stop; a full day to walk sections.

Practical notes

The upper road closes in snow and ice without much warning. Torre itself is disfigured by a radar dome, shops and car park - the view is better from the valley. Fog is common on the plateau. Summer weekends bring heavy traffic on a narrow road.

Nearby

Poço do Inferno is in a side gorge; Covão dos Conchos is on the plateau above.