We had reached the Serra da Estrela, which are the highest mountains of the Portuguese mainland with a height up to 1993 m. With the Rother online guide downloaded, we were eager to do some hiking in these mountains.
The first hike was taking us to countless weathered granite rocks at the plateau of the Serra at about 1.500 metres. Already from the distance we could see that even in the middle of April the mountains were still covered in snow. We parked at a big parking for a cable car which was never built (40.315185, -7.574445)
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| The guide knows the way |
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| We passed a lot of beautiful stone formations called Poios Brancos |
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| The way back led us through a forest where the snow was still deep |
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| Crossing this plain, we had to look out for little rivers of meltwater |
It took us 3,5h for the circular route, which was one hour longer than indicated! The reason was probably the snow, as it was harder to walk and we had to look more carefully to find the correct route.
After a shower and some lunch we took the road up to the highest point called Torre, which is easily reachable by car and also any type of camper. The chairlift of the only skiing area of Portugal ends here and many Portuguese come up to enjoy the snow with their kids.
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| Good road leading up to the highest point of Portugal |
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| Still snow in April @ the highest point of Portugal at the Torre – 1993 meters |
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| Let’s go shopping ! |
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| Of course we couldn’t resist the offered cheese and ham |
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| So soft and warm ! |
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| Radar towers out of use |
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| Portugal’s skiing area |
Up here, we met another couple from Germany with their camper: Albert and Kerstin, who had travelled to China and back and could tell us a lot of interesting things. Of course the main topics to discuss between long term travellers are: water, energy, toilet and heating.
As it was getting late, we decided to spend the night here to enjoy the view as long as possible.
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| Sunset at the Torre |
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| Parking for the night |
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| Flowers of the day |
