Despite its small size as a country, Portugal has over 50 legally protected areas, 105 “Natura 2000” places. 7 “Unesco Biosphere Reserves”, 18 RAMSAR (wetland) places and 4 Unesco Geoparks. This corresponds to more than 6 million hectares of land and sea, equivalent to around 34% of our territory. 

What most people don’t know, especially those who travel here without reading about our local legal and environmental protection systems, is that these protected areas have their own specific regulations setting the conditions for access, circulation and recreational activities, such as camping, flying drones and driving off-road, just to name a few. 

In all of these areas, these activities are subject to permits and permissions issued by the competent authorities, such as the Institute of Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), so a good knowledge about the regulations in place is key to stay legal and safe, besides protecting the environment. 

More and more, our protected areas are being threatened by illegal actions from individuals, groups and even tour companies who, either mislead by what they see on social media, or because they simply don’t care about the protection of the environment. If you are planning on going to any of these areas, our recommendation is to follow the basic rule of “ask and check first”. 

If you see signs or boards with instructions about what’s allowed and what’s not, please follow them and be an ambassador of responsible and legally compliant travelling. 

To learn more about our protected areas and how to help us to care for them, take a look at the ICNF website  https://www.icnf.pt/conservacao/rnapareasprotegidas. As a registered tour operator, we hold all the required permits and permissions to run our overland trips inside these areas following their specific regulations. 

If you are looking to have some memorable experiences here in Portugal, in a safe and environmentally responsible way, you’ve come to the right place. Just drop us an e-mail and we’ll be most happy to help you.