The best MTB trails around Caria

It's been a few years since I walked here with the hiking group from Évora. We loved it and recommend it.👍🥾

Sabugal Castle is one of the most imposing and well-preserved medieval fortifications in Portugal. It is known as the "Castle of the Five Corners" due to the unusual shape of its impressive pentagonal keep, the castle's most iconic feature. Its pentagonal (five-cornered) plan is considered unique in Portuguese military architecture. It is approximately 30 meters high and offers incredible views. The castle has a double ring of walls. You can walk along the ramparts on top of the walls for a panoramic view over the city and the Côa River. From the top, you can see the Côa River winding its way through the city and the natural landscape of the Serra da Malcata mountain range.

Sabugal, a town that deserves a visit to its castle and the entire surrounding area, especially the magnificent river beach on the Côa River.

The origin of this village's name is divided: some say it comes from the Arabic Mamona, meaning "fertile valley"; others, from the Roman anthroponym Mioma, owner of an ancient villa. What is certain is that the place has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, as evidenced by the star found with engravings of warriors. Interestingly, the Meimoa dam is named after the stream... but the water only spreads through the Meimão region.

At the Meimoa Dam, the serene waters reflect the Malcata Mountains. Between shale hills and forests of strawberry trees, oaks, and chestnuts, wildlife lurks: from the soaring of golden eagles to the song of nightingales that shatter the silence of the mountains.

The history of Meimoa is revealed through studies and excavations, which link its name to ancient "mammoas" or the Latin mammula, protohistoric burial structures, half-buried and rounded in appearance. Today, the village combines heritage and leisure: the Roman-Philippine bridge, the village's calling card, and a riverside area popular in the summer keep its identity alive.

On the banks of the river that gives it its name, Meimoa River Beach is an invitation to relax. Between shaded lawns, a natural pool, and futsal and beach soccer fields, there's plenty of space to have fun or simply relax. The bar with a terrace completes the perfect setting for cooling off on hot summer days.

Among the municipality's 37 listed, predominantly granite buildings are churches, manor houses, fountains, and former public buildings. Of particular note are the castle complex and city walls dating back to the 13th century.