Serra da Arrábida

A colossal garden of myrtle and scorpion-vetch, kermes oak and blooming cistus flowers, rue and fir, the verdant Serra da Arrábida unfurls its natural stretches of greenery around the Atlantic rollers and the waterways of the Sado and Tagus Rivers on the edge of the majestic Setubal Peninsular. Untouched and untrodden for much of its 108 square kilometres, the park is a patchwork of winding hiking trails, each fringed with their own fragrant array of chamomile, thyme and strawberry bushes. Animals are perhaps the most likely company here, with gulls and kestrels twirling in the sky, and boar and wild deer stalking the woods. Cliffs cascading down towards the glinting yellow stretches of Portinho (which Serra da Arrábida tour guides will tell you is one of the most beautiful beaches in the country!) reveal a small 17th century fortress and villages touting aromatic cafes along with the deep greens and blues of the Atlantic. Along this seaboard, surfers ride the left-to-righters at Figueirinha, while bustling Galapos Beach brings a little dash of life and human energy to the region.