Description of the attraction
The territory of the Montesinho Natural Park begins in the northern part of Bragança and ends at the border with Spain. The park occupies a huge territory of 75 thousand hectares and is located far from highways.
The territory of the park is considered one of the wildest areas in Europe. There are villages on the territory of the reserve, but many of them are now abandoned, because most of the youth left for the cities. Most of the local population is concentrated in the villages of Montesinho, Rio de Honor and Guadramil. The houses are built from slate and granite.
It is also worth noting that the name of the park comes from one of these villages - the small village of Montesinho, which is located 20 km north of Bragança. The population of this village is 50 people. The park also has another name, Terra Fria, which means "cold land".
Truly unique trees grow in the park. There is an oak forest, many chestnuts, firs, poplars, willows and many other types of trees grow. Among mammals, wolves, wild boars, roe deer, and deer are common. There are also rare species of birds, for example, golden eagles. In total, about 240 species of animals live in the protected area. The territory of the park is hilly, in some places there are many boulders, and the upper zones of the park are covered with heather and gorse. In the vastness, there are also many stone structures in the shape of a horseshoe, which are called dovecote or pombal. There are about 650 of them in the park.
The local population in the narrow valleys grows corn, potatoes, vegetables and grapes. Many of them are engaged in sheep breeding, goats.
