Peneda-Gerês National Park, or simply Gerês, is Portugal’s first and only national park. Covering more than 270 square miles up to the northern border, it was established in 1971 to preserve the region’s ancient customs and landscapes. To the north, it borders Spain’s Baixa Limia–Serra do Xurés Natural Park, together forming the Gerês-Xurés UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The park takes its name from its two main granite massifs, the Serra da Peneda and the Serra do Gerês, which also make up its highest peaks. Signs of human habitation here date back as far as 6000 B.C., as shown by Neolithic tombs scattered across the landscape. Roman roads, bridges, and milestones remind visitors of the region’s once-strong Roman presence. What were once inhospitable mountains were later plowed and cultivated, creating a striking patchwork of fields and pastures. Today, small granite hamlets are tucked away in the hills, where shepherds still tend their cattle, goats, and ponies. The forests are dominated by English and Pyrenean oaks and birch, while much of the remaining land is covered in gorse and heather. Wolves, boars, ibexes, badgers, otters, deer, and even wild horses still roam the most remote parts of the park, making Gerês a rare haven of both cultural heritage and natural wilderness.