Most people think of Portugal as beaches, tiled cities and long lunches by the sea. Head inland and north, though, and the country changes completely. Granite villages cling to hillsides, old stone paths link one hamlet to the next, and the pace of life slows right down.
Peneda-Gerês
Portugal’s only national park is a world of rivers, waterfalls and shepherds’ trails. Small villages here still keep traditions of shared grazing land and communal ovens — exactly the kind of everyday culture I love to film.
Serra da Estrela
The highest mountains on the Portuguese mainland are known for glacial valleys, mountain cheese and wool made by local shepherding families. In winter it’s one of the few places in the country where you’ll find snow.
The Douro terraces
Not mountains exactly, but the steep vineyard terraces of the Douro valley are a reminder of how much work goes into shaping a landscape. Coming from Nepal, the hillside terraces felt surprisingly familiar.
