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The area is part of the Douro Internacional Natural Park, which runs along the border between Portugal and Spain, through the valleys of the Douro and Águeda rivers. With 130km long and within an area of 85.150ha, the river valleys shapes a deep canyon with steep slopes, mainly cliffs. The region is included in an even larger area created by UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere program, known as the Meseta Ibérica Biosphere Reserve.
At the Mosteiro Stream valley there’s an old paved and sinuous path with about 1km in lenght, the Alpajares Causeway. It is a small section of what once was a much longer medieval road. This causeway straddle along a steep slope of the stream valley, a tributary of the Douro River, at the Douro Internacional Natural Park. It is part of a circular hiking, of medium lenght but it is extraordinarily rich in natural, scenic and historic heritage.
In this ancient landscape of rugged ground, with a deep valley furrowed by the Mosteiro Stream, there are traces of a more primordial human presence. The “Castro” of São Paulo, from the Iron Age períod, summits the hill of the same name, where vestiges of the Roman presence have also been found. At this highest point of the route there are still an old dovecote and some medieval graves excavated in the rock.
The geology aspects are enhanced by the quartzite outcrops that break through the schist slopes and rise above the ground, assuming strange and interesting shapes, such as folds and natural walls like the “Abalona“. These rocky formations allow the presence of an interesting diversity of cliff-breeding birds, such as the Golden Eagle, the Griffon Vulture, the Egyptian Vulture, the Black Stork, the Black Wheatear, the Blue Rock Thrush and the Crag Martin. On the bottom of the valley, by the water, we can find the Spanish Terrapin (Mauremys leprosa) and the Iberian Water Frog (Pelophylax perezi). Here is also one of the best places to find the Nettle-Tree Butterfly (Libythea celtis), a particular butterfly of mediterranean distribution.
Mosteiro Stream valley is characterized by an interesting set of plants, some of them endemic from this region of the Iberian Península. Plants like the Anarrhinum duriminium, the Linaria saxatilis or the Erysimum linifolium. Some mediterranean plants are also common in the valley. The Prickly Juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus) or the Nettle Tree (Celtis australis).
Thousands of years of human activity have led to changes in the ecosystem, but today much of the valley is undergoing renaturalisation, with ancient olive and almond groves being replaced by holm oaks, prickly junipers, turpentine trees and other plants that make up the region’s original botanical cast. The imposing cliffs that define the landscape serve as a refuge for several endangered bird species. At the bottom of the valley, the Mosteiro Stream keeps a level of humidity that allows for a rich variety of flora. In this rewilding area, managed by Rewilding Portugal, the aim is to ensure and facilitate the process of renaturalising the landscape, reconciling existing agricultural practices with biodiversity and reducing the risk of large fires – one of the main threats to the heritage of Mosteiro Stream valley.
Duration: 4 to 5 hours
Extension: 7,6km
Type: circular
Altitude diferences: 233m (151m to 384m)
Accumulated ascent/descent: 286m
Recommended season: Spring, Autumn and Winter
RECOMMENDATIONS AND PRACTICAL ADVICE
For this activity you need comfortable footwear (preferably mountain or sport boots), pants, windbreak and other clothing adapted to the season and weather forecasts. Hat and sunscreen. Take water (at least 1,5L) and individual snack consisting, among others, of sandwiches, fruit or energy bars, nuts.
The planned program may undergo some changes if the weather conditions are too adverse.
FULL DAY: up to 4 participants – 220,00 €
HALF DAY: up to 4 participants – 185,00 €
For bigger groups and other conditions, contact us.
The price indicated includes guidance, transportation from Guarda and insurance.
Booking a place is only guaranteed if 50% of the registration fee is paid.
A discount equal to VAT is available for private clients.
VAT will be added to the indicated prices for companies and other entities.
Through the contacts available, indicating your name and cell phone contact/email.
The reservation is only guaranteed upon payment of 50% of the registration fee.
Email:info@wildlifeportugal.pt
Mobile/WhatsApp: +351 918 068 872
(call to the national mobile network)
In the course of our activities, we are committed to safeguarding the environment, minimising environmental impacts and reducing pollution.
By carrying out this activity, we support the management and conservation actions that promote the coexistence and return of wild species to the Greater Côa Valley,
under the management of Rewilding Portugal, through a financial contribution.
