The National Park is located in the extreme north of the country, covering an area of 70000ha. It comprises 4 mountainous groups - Peneda, Gerês, Amarela and Soajo - touching the territory of 3 districts (Braga, Vila Real and Viana do Castelo), and is also cross-border with the region of Galicia (Spain).
It is essentially an granitic region, strongly fractured, with a notable presence of metasedimentary rocks (schists) and deposits of glacial origin.
It is an area of influence of two large rivers to the east and west (Cávado and Lima - respectively), and countless tributaries and springs of pure and crystal clear water. The maximum altitude is 1545m (Nevosa).
It is also worth noting the climatic variation under continental and oceanic pressure which, combined with the abrupt variations in altitude, shapes the vegetation cover in a very heterogeneous way.
The ecological characteristics allow for several perfect habitats for more than 800 plant species and around 1200 animal species. Two of the most notable are the Roe deer (Capreolous capreolous) and the Iberian Wolf (Canis lupus).
The socio-economic characteristics are also notable and important in the protection and preservation of the territory. There are around 70 thousand people living in the park, distributed across small villages (partial protection zone ll). They are key elements that preserve ancient customs, traditions and heritage and maintain an agricultural subsistence economy to this day.
This is a protected area classified as a National Park since 1971, and a World Biosphere Reserve - Gerês-Xurés Transfrontier Park - UNESCO (2009).
