Vale Gonçalinho Environmental Education Centre

The Vale Gonçalinho Environmental Education Centre stands on a farm estate in the open plain, about seven kilometres from Castro Verde, in the Beja district. It is run by the Liga para a Protecção da Natureza (LPN), a Portuguese nature conservation association, and it is the usual first stop for anyone visiting the Castro Verde Special Protection Area for birds, a landscape of cereal fields and fallows that is also part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

The building is an ecological house with demonstration projects that visitors can see up close: a sustainable water cycle with a cistern and a plant-based wastewater treatment system, solar panels, and work on combating desertification. There is a bird hide and a nesting tower built for lesser kestrels, as well as an auditorium, an environmental documentation centre, exhibitions and a workshop room used for hands-on activities about the steppe.

From the centre, an easy walk of about 3.5 kilometres crosses the Vale Gonçalinho estate to Monte das Pereiras, with good chances of seeing Montagu's harrier, roller and lesser kestrel in spring and summer, and lapwing, golden plover and red kite in winter. In March and April male great bustards can be seen displaying. The staff advise on the best places and times for birdwatching across the area, welcome schools and groups, and organise events such as guided bird walks and night-sky sessions.

The centre is reached by road from Castro Verde. Walks are best avoided from July to September because of the heat, and it is worth confirming opening days before travelling.