Alvão Natural Park: What to Visit
Created in 1983 and now also part of the Alvão/Marão Special Conservation Area, Alvão Natural Park protects the Iberian wolf, the otter, and landscapes such as the Fisgas de Ermelo waterfall.
Alvão Natural Park, created in 1983 under Decree-Law No. 237/83, is a protected area in northern Portugal spanning the municipalities of Mondim de Basto and Vila Real, with altitudes between 260 and 1,339 metres. In 2025, Decree-Law No. 28/2025 formalised part of its territory as the Alvão/Marão Special Conservation Area (PTCON0003), part of the Natura 2000 network.
Wildlife, flora and landscape
- Emblematic wildlife: the Iberian wolf, the otter, cave-dwelling bats and the golden eagle.
- Characteristic flora: native oak woodlands (Pyrenean oak and Alvarinho oak) and rare species adapted to siliceous soils.
- Landscape: steep mountains, deep valleys and plateaus, including the Fisgas de Ermelo waterfall, one of the largest in Europe.
The Alvão/Marão SCA Management Plan (Portaria No. 135/2025/1), approved in March 2025, restricts activities with significant impact, such as mining and new construction on rural land, while encouraging traditional good farming and forestry practices.