The best walks and hikes around Santa Cruz

The Vinhais Biological Park is a protected natural area and conservation center located in the municipality of Vinhais, in northern Portugal, within the Montesinho Natural Park. This park plays an important role in the conservation of local biodiversity and in the promotion of environmental education.

This is a beautiful reservoir, with calm waters where you can even spot big fish, although fishing is prohibited. On sunny days (which is almost always), the view of the lake is simply breathtaking. You can cycle along the entire western side of the lake.

Nice break location

Located in the heart of the Montesinho Natural Park, the Vinhais Biological Park invites you to discover the local landscape in all its forms, from fauna and flora to geology, culture and history. A space dedicated to conservation, biodiversity and ecotourism.

At this point, the trail invites you to embark on a little adventure: crossing the bed of a stream on the Baceiro River. When the rain lets up, the crossing is easy. And with a touch of excitement!

Along the Baceiro River, three community-run mills still stand, two in Vilarinho and one in Cova de Lua. This is one of them, a living relic of local ingenuity, which uses the power of water to grind grain and tell stories of a time when sharing and ingenuity went hand in hand.

The chestnut tree is a tall deciduous tree that can reach 35 m in height, generally imposing when adult and isolated; it has a broad, leafy crown, wide in isolated individuals. The trunk, thick, covered by rhytidome that changes color and texture with age, is thick and straight; the lower branches are compact and wide-spanning, while the upper branches are twisted.

Vilarinho is located 16 km northwest of Bragança, within the Montesinho Natural Park. It belongs to the parish of Espinhosela, which includes the villages of Terroso and Cova de Lua. An autonomous parish and a leaseholder of the king in the Inquisitions of 1258, it was taxed by D. Dinis at 70 pounds per year to fund the war against the Moors. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, the College of Jesus of Bragança held heritage assets here. Both the main church of São Cipriano, built within the village, and the Chapel of Santo Amaro, located 1 km southeast, on a hill of 819 m, have existed for centuries. The current Chapel is located in an ancient and fortified Iron Age settlement, with attested archaeological remains. It was later Romanized and Christianized. In the mid-16th century, the Temples were in a deplorable state in terms of sustainability and dignity. In 1699, with the facade in ruins and the doors open, it was decided to demolish the Chapel and use and sell materials to renovate the Church.