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NATURE WALKS

(golden letters are weblinks)

This region offers all year round opportunities for nature immersion. Find below examples of nearby walks within easy reach from O Homem Verde.

Geonatour offers a mobile app with detailed information and maps of the local nature walks and nearby places of interest.

Feel free to inquire for more detailed directions and other nearby walks.

Pedra da Ferida - Louçainha Walk - From our nearest town Espinhal, you can reach the walk to Pedra da Ferida Waterfalls. The walk/drive from Espinhal is around 3km, just follow the signs to 'Pedra da Ferida' from town. You can drive almost all the way on dirt track road and walk along the brook Ribeira da Azenha the last 500m, passing the remains of the stone watermills from times gone before reaching a 30 m high waterfall. Note that children should be supervised at all times. If you are feeling adventurous, you can walk past the waterfall and carry on along the brook all the way to the natural swimmming pools of Louçainha. This second part of the walk is around 6 km of higher difficulty and steep at times but totally worth it! The path crosses the road in Carvalhal da Serra. From there, it is a 15 min walk along the road to O Homem Verde.

Gondramaz Nature Trail - Starting at the Schyst Village of Gondramaz (18 km - 30 min drive away), this linear walk passes through stunning landscapes, waterfalls, and old watermills. Access might be restricted during winter months.

Lousã Schist Villages Route - The nearby Serra da Lousã offers breathtaking landscapes with a wide and diverse range of flora and fauna including centuries-old chestnut trees, deer, roe deer and wild boar. There are seven marked nature trails of moderate difficulty: Route of the Mills, Lousã Schist Villages Route, Levada Route, Four Villages Route, Serranos Route, Baldios Route, and Discovering the Forest.

Boardwalk in Lousã Montain range - This is a 1,2 km linear walk over a boardwalk built to facilitate access to the lagoons and waterfalls of Ribeira das Quelhas in Serra da Lousã. The boardwalk starts at the village of Coentral, 40 min drive (30 km) from O Homem Verde. Make sure to take sunscreen and water as there is no shade in the walk.

Ferraria de São João Circular Walk - The Schist Trail of Ferraria de S. João is 5km long (2h30), starts at the Mountain Biking Centre and descends to the centre of the village. The village (21km - 30 min drive from here) has a magnificent cork oak forest, many traditional animal pens, a Schist Trail, a mountain biking centre, a FunTrail for children, and many walking trails to discover.

Buracas do Casmilo - From the village of Casmilo, Condeixa-a-Nova (25km - 35 min drive), a short walk/drive (1.2 km) leads to the espectacular landscapes featuring the rock formations Buracas do Casmilo, remains of underground caves. This is a popular place for rock climbing. Nearby, past the town of Rabaçal, you can visit the ruins of the Germanelo Castle located on top of a hill with great views of the surrounding landscape.

There is also plenty of wildlife in the surroundings: deer, wild boar, badgers, foxes, squirrels, all roam around the region.