The Portal do Inferno (Hell’s Portal) is a place of narrow passageway in the highlands of Arada that stands between two craggy valleys in schist and draining in opposite directions. Facing north west, the valley of Covas do Monte village is on the right and the valley of Drave on the left, of fering breathtaking views of incomparable beauty that reach differences greater than 400 meters high. This is a geosite from Arouca Geopark that allows us to discove the abrupt ridges caused by extreme geodynamics in a schist substrate. The Garra (grapple) resulted from this phenomenon, and corresponds to the erosion of water lines ripping off the cliff of the mountain. Not far from here we can still observe a huge fold, resulting from tectonic forces that have catapulted this mountain.
The rocky outcrops are very interesting places to life, as the rock requires a specialization that, over time, originates endemic species, species that exist only in these locations. This is the case of rocky germander, rupicolous species restricted to the mountains of the north of Portugal that thrives in these solitary places. The iberian wolf and the pyrenean desman are some of mammal species threatened that live in these valleys. Among the birds stands out the proud peregrine falcon and the common rock thrush which take advantage of the craggy landscape for nesting. Finally, we can observe the slight scorpion that has, as hunting territory and shelter, the rocks that characterize this site.
The village of Covas do Monte is an Aldeia de Portugal® nestled in the valley that drives to the river Deilão. The village lies at the foot of the mountain and offers a single walk through its narrow, winding streets and the cluster of houses, most of them constructed in schist and slate roofs. Its inhabitants own a community flock with more than 1000 goats that every day will graze all over the mountain.