We call Portugal home and love it. We have a simple solution when we miss our roots back in Breckinridge Colorado and the splendor of the Rocky Mountains; Serra da Estrella. For us, these mountains are the perfect antidote for homesickness!
Fortunately, Serra Da Estrella is an easy day trip to the East from Tiny Escape. It is also our favorite hiking in all of Portugal. It feels like jumping to another place on the globe: cooler air, higher light, and a landscape built for wandering.
The Shape of a Mountain Range
The Serra da Estrela, or Mountain of the Star, is Portugal’s highest range, topping out just shy of 2000 meters. It is the country’s true roof. Formed millions of years ago by tectonic uplift and glacial carving, it’s a backbone of hard granite streaked with meltwater and light.
Stretching roughly 100 kilometres, it’s the birthplace of the Mondego and Zêzere Rivers, both of which begin as small springs here before winding their way toward the sea.
A Landscape of Water and Stone
Hiking here feels elemental. Water seeps from every fissure, threading through ferns and grass, while the granite — sometimes polished, sometimes split — gleams like silver in the sun. The higher you climb, the more the landscape opens: a tapestry of green and grey, where valleys shimmer and the air feels newly minted.
The Serra da Estrela Natural Park is crisscrossed with extraordinary hikes, from gentle lakeside loops to serious scrambles that test your footing. Every step rewards you with air, light, and the soft sound of water over stone.
Covão d’Ametade: Where the Zêzere is Born
Right off the winding N338, a small sign leads to Covão d’Ametade — a quiet hollow where the Zêzere River begins its life. Wooden bridges cross a clear stream beneath a canopy of birch trees, their reflections rippling in the shallows.
It’s an easy walk from the parking area, perfect for a stretch and a few photos, and if you continue, the path soon rises into granite boulders beneath the towering Cântaros peaks. It’s one of those stops that captures the essence of the range — green, glacial, and timeless.
Back in the car and just down the road, you will find Manteigas, a charming mountain town nestled deep in the Zêzere Valley. Framed by forest and waterfalls, it’s the sort of place where the day feels unhurried — wool shops, stone bridges, and the steady murmur of water just beyond every lane.
Pause for a coffee or a bowl of mountain soup, and you’ll understand why locals never leave.
A Winter Surprise
When winter comes, the Serra da Estrela transforms into Portugal’s only ski resort, centred around Torre.
There are nine runs — mostly beginner and intermediate — with about 185 metres of vertical drop and a cheerful, local feel. The season runs from December to March, drawing around 150,000 visitors each year, many seeing snow for the first time.
It’s no alpine wonderland but it is simple fun: skiing in the morning, cheese and wine by the fire after.
Why We Love It
For us at Tiny Escape, Serra da Estrela is a reminder of Portugal’s quiet variety — a country where you can drive from oak forests to glacial peaks before lunch.
It’s a place of texture: granite underfoot, cool water in hand, wind on your face. Every visit feels different, and every turn of the path brings a new kind of peace.
This is what we love most — adventures that unfold gently, where the reward is not how far you’ve gone, but how deeply you’ve breathed.
