Hiking on the rocky terrain in Serra da Estrela Natural Park allowed us to get a close-up view of this rugged landscape. Tight cirques, granite pillars and boulder fields are just some of the fantastic features in the park. We did a couple of hikes in Serra da Estrela and found them to be an excellent way to explore this picturesque park.
Serra da Estrela is the highest mountain range in mainland Portugal. Its highest point is Torre (Tower) at 1993m (6,539 ft) of elevation. Rather than being a dramatic mountain, it reaches its lofty spot more gradually and at the top is more of a high plateau than mountain.
You can find Serra da Estrela in the middle of the country in the map below.
There’s a ski hill on top of Torre, but since we visited in September, we weren’t there to ski, we wanted to hike. There are many hiking trails in the park to choose from. Some are very long, going from the base of the hill to the top. Most though, are very short and only taking you a couple of kilometers from the road. It’s easy to link up some of the short hikes to make a longer day of you like. When selecting a hiking trail remember that the best views are around Torre. The bottom of the hills are not as picturesque.
Here’s a description of the hikes we did in Serra da Estrela Natural Park.
Upper Plateau Lagoon Trail
Our fist hike was a section of Upper Plateau Lagoon Trail. It is an easy walk on a fairly good trail that winds around the granite mounds as it travels between the artificial lagoons. We found the barren landscape quite pretty, in a rugged way.
Most of the lagoons were almost completely dried up this late in the season, but a couple of them still had water.
The trail works its way across the plateau to the ski resort’s base. When we were driving on the road earlier, we saw 12-foot-tall (3.6 m) snowplow road markers . We were surprised and thought that the area must get a lot of snow. Our road markers aren’t even that high in most parts of the Rocky Mountains in Canada.
Then we learned that the average annual snowfall is only 11 cm (4 1/3 in). Someone must have ordered the wrong markers since these are a little excessive. After learning about this small amount of snow we realized that they must make a lot of artificial snow on the ski resort. Eleven centimeters wouldn’t be provide much coverage in this rocky terrain.
Hike Details
Access – The trail head is on the side of ER338 highway, a little northwest of the ski hill. The trail is marked by cairns and the occasional red marker. The full name of the route is Torre – Cântaro Raso – Cântaro Magro – Lagoa do Covão do Quelhas, although many call it Upper Plateau Lagoon. You can find it on Mapy.cz and AllTrails.
Distance – 10.9 km (6 ¾ miles); Elevation gain – 277 m (900 ft).
Central Massif Route (Rota do Maciço Central) PR5 MTG Trail
The second hike we did went through our favourite section of the park, Glacier Cirque. It begins well below the peaks where it traverses across goat and sheep meadows. We could hear their bleats and baas in the distance, but didn’t see the animals up close.
It was very cloudy in the morning and the mountain tops were shrouded in fog when we began.
The route then heads toward the rougher terrain in Glacier Cirque. Dark clouds circled around us, but blue skies remained above.
The trail doesn’t gain a lot of elevation until it reaches Glacier Cirque. After rounding the cirque’s outer rim, the route is almost vertical as it scales the wall to get to its top. In some places a few easy Class 3 scrambling moves are required.
Hike Details
Access – The trail can be done in either direction and can be started on either side of Torre. Depending on where you want to start, you have a couple of pullouts on ER339 to choose from. The trail is rough at times, but is well marked with red and yellow paint on rocks. You can find it on Mapy.cz and AllTrails.
Distance – 10 km (6 ¼ miles); Elevation Gain – 510 m (1,670 ft).
There are also a few hikes to see waterfalls and natural pools. We had intended go to one, but the water levels were so low in the lagoons so we decided not to bother. Spring is likely the best time to do these hikes.
Driving Tours of Serra da Estrela
If you don’t want to hike, you can still get amazing vistas of these mountains from the road. The two highways, ER339 (Main highway) and N338, have quite a few pullouts where you can stop to admire the rugged landscapes. Most of the the best views are near Torre (the highest point).
We entered the park on the west side and drove the ER338 highway towards the ski hill. We think this is the best way because then the views slowly reveal themselves to you; it’s like saving the best for last. If you prefer to eat your dessert first, then drive it east to west.
The first part of the drive slowly climbs up the barren hills with a couple of lagoons adding colour to the landscape. At first we thought the mountain park was going to be disappointing, but the further we drove, the scenery became more and more spectacular.
As we reached the top of the park we had our first glimpse of Serra da Estrela Ski Resort in the distance.
A popular stop, even in the summer, is the top of Torre. You can find the Serra da Estrela Ski Resort chalet and an astronomical observatory.
On the other side of Torre, the terrain is much more dramatic. We first saw Glacier Cirque from above which is why we opted for a hike that would take us through the rugged bowl.
A little further is a pullout at Covão do Boi where huge granite columns fill in the small cove. There’s also a 1941 Virgin Mary shrine sculpted into the rock. It is said to protect shepherds who bring their herds to the mountains
As you make your way down this side of the mountain, don’t forget to stop and look back up at this rugged terrain. This is where you are rewarded for saving the best for last.
Covilhã
The main city to access Serra da Estrela Natural Park is Covilhã. Even though it’s in the centre of the country, people from this town were very involved in Portugal’s Age of Discovery. Both explorers and financiers hailed from this town.
It has a lovely city centre with a few historical buildings between the modern city. Hidden away in the tight, hilly roads is a lovely surprise. Church of Santa Maria Major is covered in magnificent azulejos (tiles). There has been a church on this spot since the 1300s but this current building is from 1872.
To get between the top and bottom of the city use one of the free elevators or funiculars.
Where to stay in Serra da Estrela
We stayed at the base of the mountain in the small city of Covilhã. There are many hotels and restaurants in or near its downtown. You can also stay in Manteigas, on the northeast side of the park, but the drive is a little further. As well, there are a few resorts scattered along the mountain slopes that would provide great views. Many of those are located near Penhas da Saúde. In autumn though it didn’t look like many restaurants were open.
How to get to Covilhã
This mountain city is 320 km from Lisbon, and 204 km from Porto. You can reach Covilhã by bus, but you would need a car to reach the park. There’s enough to do in the park to make it a great weekend getaway, summer or winter.
Best time to visit Serra da Estrela
Being located at higher elevations means that temperatures are much lower, ranging from 4 or 5° C in the winter months and the mid twenties in the summer. The best hiking season is between May and September because they have warmer days and less rain. For winter sports, January and February will provide the most snow.
We’ll link this post to our friend Jo’s blog, Restless Jo. She has a weekly post entitled Jo’s Monday Walks. She’s not posting until the New Year, but I’m sure she’ll be happy to include a link to the hikes then.
To read more of our hikes from around the world go to Treks.
To read more of our adventures in Portugal, click here.
Coming Next – Fortified Towns of Monsanto and Marvão
For pictures from other blogs go to Gallery at monkeystale.ca
To read about more of our adventures go to Destinations.
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