In the extreme southeast of Down Alentejo, very close to the Algarve and the Spanish province of Andalusia, hides a wonderful center of biodiversity, which the Iberian lynx calls home. I write about the Guadiana Valley Natural Park, one of the most surprising nature destinations in southern Portugal. The landscape diversity of the Guadiana Valley is simply amazing! In this little corner of Alentejo await you undulating plains, majestic quartzite elevations, exciting valleys and mountains, a grandiose waterfall, Mediterranean scrubland, and imposing escarpments carved out by the Guadiana river.
To the unquestionable landscape beauty of the Guadiana Valley Natural Park we can also add a thousand-year-old village-museum full of secrets, a mysterious abandoned mining complex, one of the best fluvial beaches in Portugal, seven of hiking trails with between 3,5 km and 14 km.
The Guadiana Valley Natural Park covers an area of approximately 70 thousand hectares, and is located in the Down Alentejo region, about 30 km from the city of Beja. To give you a reference, from Lisbon to the Guadiana Valley is approximately 200 km. Its territory is spread over the municipalities of Mértola and Serpa and follows the Guadiana River, from the area of the Pulo do Lobo Waterfall (to the north) to the mouth of the Vascão Stream, the natural border between the Alentejo and the Algarve (to the south). The Pulo do Lobo Waterfall is fed by the waters of the Guadiana and is the most impressive waterfall in southern Portugal. But if you are expecting a placid Guadiana, like the one you saw in Mértola, be mistaken. Here the Guadiana is wild, untamed, like the schist lands it winds through.
Overall, the landscape is characterized by the two main rivers and their tributaries. Here lives the Iberian midwife toad, but also some snake species, such as the invertebrate viper, but also still some Iberian lynxes , plus storks (including the rare black stork that resides here), lesser kestrel (especially around Castro Verde), gray harriers and the Bonelli’s eagle.
Nevertheless, at least until 2009, hunting was allowed in the park.
Numerous plant species can be found here, such as Festuca duriotagana, a fescue species, Marsilea batardae, a clover fern, Narcissus bulbocodium or Narcissus fernandesii, narcissus species, but also the stinging butcher’s broom or the summer turning-wort.
There are about 100 archaeological sites in the park. They start from the Upper Paleolithic period. The settlement of Mértola dates back to around 1000 BC, Serpa may also date back to pre-Roman times. The Romans called Mertola Iulia Myrtilis, relics of this epoch were found mainly at Largo da Câmara. Remains of a Roman villa were found near Serpa. Strongly fortified by the Moors and economically prosperous (the water art of Mértola dates from this period), Mértola was increasingly developed in the 13th century after the conquest by the Portuguese kingdom, but lost its importance in the 16th century.
If you want to go hiking, the best seasons are undoubtedly spring and autumn. In summer, the high temperatures that are felt in this region (they are among the highest in Portugal) are not at all inviting for trekking activities. The average annual temperature in the park is 16.5 °C, with extremes varying from 4.7° in January to 33.8° in August. The wind blows mostly from the northwest, and the sunshine duration is up to more than 2,800 hours per year.
Photos & Text: Rainer Georgius
Nature & Culture 