Parque Biológico de Gaia

The Parque Biológico de Gaia, in the woods of Avintes, is a park of the living world of Portugal: more than thirty hectares of forest, fields and ponds where the native fauna and flora of the region are protected and shown. Part of the park works as a recovery centre for wild animals, and the paths through its woods — among the native trees and the water — are one of the quietest escapes of Greater Porto.

The park

The park was created in the 1980s by the municipality of Gaia, in the old woods and farmland of Avintes, with the purpose of studying and showing the natural heritage of the region. Its forests and ponds gather the animals and plants of the north of Portugal — birds, otters, deer and the farm animals of the old estates — and the park also receives and recovers wounded wild animals, in a work of conservation and environmental education open to visitors.

What to see

• The forests and ponds of the park, with their native flora and fauna.
• The animals of the Portuguese woods and farms.
• The work of recovery of the wild animals of the region.
• The paths and viewpoints over the woods of Avintes.

Visiting

The park is in Avintes, in Vila Nova de Gaia, reached by road from Porto and Gaia; the visit follows the marked paths of the park, and its times and tickets are published by the institution. Comfortable shoes are recommended for the longer walks through the woods.

Nearby

The city of Vila Nova de Gaia 与 Dom Luís I Bridge lie a short way from the woods of the park.

Information: parquebiologico.pt.

Image credit: Parque Biológico de Gaia, by Joseolgon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.