About Parks

The poet Sebastião da Gama issued a cry of alarm against the devastation of the forests in the Serra da Arrábida, thereby causing the scientific community to become concerned about their conservation. This all took place in 1948 and gave rise to the formation of the longest-standing Portuguese environmental association, the Liga para a Protecção da Natureza (Nature Conservation League).
In fact, Arrábida amounts to a special slice of the Mediterranean in the Atlantic Ocean and is one of the points where the Portuguese sea can be seen at its most splendid. Covering an area of 10,821 hectares, the park is situated between the fishing village of Sesimbra and the city of Setúbal. It forms a rectangle running parallel to the sea and includes the Serra do Risco, Serra de São Luís, Serra dos Gaiteiros and Serra do Louro. The Serra do Risco represents the highest point on the Portuguese mainland coast. Here, there is a magnificent cliff that stands sheer above the sea at a height of 380 metres and provides an unforgettable panoramic view over the Atlantic.
This meeting between the mountains and the sea has given rise to a string of small hospitable beaches, from Outão to Portinho da Arrábida, and passing through Figueirinha, Galapos, Ingleses and Coelhos. These beaches are of the kind that one would only expect to find in Mediterranean paradises, each bathed by crystal-clear waters.
Overlooking the beach of Portinho da Arrábida is the Fort of Nossa Senhora da Arrábida. Here, you can find the oceanographic museum, which provides valuable information about the fauna and flora of this entire region. Throughout this area, there are a large number of animal and plant species rarely found elsewhere on the Portuguese coast. Attention is drawn to the island of Pedra da Anixa, a highly important zoological reserve, valued for its sub-aquatic vegetation. There is an information centre at the park´s headquarters and several walks that you may like to try.