Palheiros and Albergaria Forests Biogenetic Reserve

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Between June 1 and September 30, motor vehicles inside this forest roads have to pay a fee. For a better preservation and usufruct of the reserve, it is advisable to visit it on foot and to contact previously the National Park services in order to collect information on the visitation conditions, taking into account the protection regimes.

For thousands of years the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula was covered by oak forests, but today there are only a few more or less conserved patches highly important for nature conservation. This is the case of Albergaria woods, a climactic forest dominated by English oak, but where the Pyrenean oak also appears, as well as other species characteristic of the Galician-Portuguese oaks woods, the primitive vegetation of much of the Portuguese northwest area.

Proof of its importance is the classification as a biogenetic reserve by the Council of Europe in 1988. Although there are other important oak patches in the National Park - Castro Laboreiro, Cabril, Beredo and Mau river - the Albergaria woods is quite important due to its extension and because it is unique in Portugal and one of the best preserved in the Iberian Peninsula. It has an area of 1371.3 hectares in Gerês Mountain, along Homem river valley and its tributaries.

In addition to its natural value, Albergaria has great beauty, as a result of an almost perfect combination between environment and the colours of a mature oak, sometimes with the unique scenarios of the mountain water streams or with the calm waters of Homem River in Vilarinho das Furnas dam.

To complete this set is the Roman road (Geira) that crosses it between miles XXXI (Bico da Geira)) and XXXIV (Portela do Homem).