One of the most wonderful things about travelling is visiting the home country of people you have met in other corners of the world. And what’s even more wonderful is exploring their country together.

I am currently in Portugal and relaxing in beautiful Porto, but going on a road trip to Portugal’s only national park, Gerês, was absolutely breathtaking.

Gerês is 703-sq-km of beauty in the country’s northernmost reach. The natural wonderland features boulder-strewn peaks, precipitous valleys and lush forests… As well as some pretty phenomenal hidden waterfalls…

After spending the day in Braga, we arrived in Gerês exhausted and ready to find a bungalow to call home for the night. We arrived at the campsite and kept our fingers crossed that the French tourists all over the area hadn’t booked them all. The Portuguese conversation that I was witnessing was more than a simple ‘sim’, so I assumed that we were out of luck.

“There are no bungalows left…”

Merde.

“…But there is a yurt tent…”

“SIM”

I was way more excited than I probably should have been, but how many people can say that they have visited Gerês, and stayed in a Mongolian yurt tent. If you find me another person that has I will shout you a Francesinha.

We inspected the yurt tent before checking in but my heart was already set.

“Hi MTV Cribz, my name is Kat Knapp and this is my Yurt”. 

Moving right along before this entire blog post becomes a tribute to all things yurt…

After a quick yurty nap we decided to venture back into the gorgeous little village in the area. We found a dinner spot and then listened to some traditional Portuguese accordion music on the streets. I couldn’t decide what was more entertaining: the child playing the accordion, or the tourists dancing.

After a good yurts nights sleep we checked out (two hours late) and stocked up on snacks for a day of nature and serenity (and a whole lot of walking).

“Are you feeling adventurous?”

“Of course.”

I didn’t realise adventurous actually meant fit-enough-to-walk-up-big-hills, but I am extremely glad I said yes.

We started to hike, we passed people bathing under waterfalls and continued up… And up… And up…. I was told many times that ‘it will definitely be worth it’. And seeing is believing…

It was hot and sunny and my desk-job fitness levels were beginning to be revealed. I had just about reached the point where I was having mirages of poolside-bars and mojitos when we heard water.

Let me be completely honest. There are few things more wonderful than having a waterfall pool all to yourself. Even if it takes all of your physical and emotional strength to get there.

The rest of the day is a hazy blur of sun, water, some creepy bugs and eventually making the return hike. But my entire impression of Portugal reached new heights. Literally.

We had very little energy left after a perfect visit to Gerês but with the little energy I had I dedicated to eating the freshest, yummiest figs from the road-side fruit-seller. The sweetest end to the sweetest day.

Even though my legs hurt and I may or may not be sunburnt, I can assure you Gerês will not disappoint. All you need is a car and a local who knows the way (and a yurt tent, of course).

If you are local-less and car-less apparently you can still explore the area either with a tour company or good old public transport. The closest international airport, at Oporto, is about a two-hour drive from the park. Lisbon is some 230 miles (370 kilometers) distant. Buses service Braga as do trains—the railway station is only 0.3 miles (500 meters) from the headquarters of the national park.

Park Website