Noudar Nature Park

Noudar Nature Park occupies the Herdade da Coitadinha, an estate of about 1,000 hectares near the border town of Barrancos, in the Beja district. It lies between the winding Ardila river and the Múrtega stream, and the track from the park entrance crosses a wide expanse of holm oak montado before reaching the medieval Noudar Castle, which looks down on the place where the two watercourses meet.

The estate was bought in 1997 by EDIA, the public company behind the Alqueva dam, as compensation for the montado, riverside woodland and Mediterranean scrub lost to the reservoir. It lies within the Moura-Mourão-Barrancos Special Protection Area of the Natura 2000 network. Farming continues in a traditional way, with grazing cattle and black pigs, and the park's three vegetable and herb gardens are grown organically as a demonstration of good practice. Wildlife and plants have been monitored since 2001.

Visitors can follow five signposted trails of between 1.5 and 4 kilometres, on foot and in some cases by mountain bike, past the old farmstead, the stream, a watermill and the castle. Maps are available at reception. Around 200 bird species have been recorded, among them griffon vulture, black stork and blue rock thrush, alongside mammals such as otter, genet and red deer. The park also runs tailored programmes for schools, family activities and night-sky observation with a telescope.

The restored farm buildings of Monte da Coitadinha house the reception, a restaurant, a shop and guest rooms, so it is possible to stay overnight. The park is reached by road from Barrancos, the nearest town.