Tejo Natural Park in a Discovery is a Wildlife Portugal experience.

The Natural Park

Tejo Natural Park in a Discovery is a 4×4 tour that explores the international stretch of the Tejo River with its main tributaries, the Aravil, Erges and Pônsul rivers, covering an area of almost 26,500 hectares. Between these water courses there is a plain of gentle relief, without significant elevations and where the land is covered with natural dry pastureland, with a greater or lesser density of holm-oaks, cork-oaks and some olive groves.

This region is very sparsely populated, with villages and towns remaining close to its boundaries. There is still some extensive livestock breeding, and several private touristic hunting areas.

Different conservation statuses attest to the importance of the natural values that make up this protected area: Parque Natural do Tejo Internacional, Geopark Naturtejo da Meseta Meridional, Special Protected Area Tejo Internacional, Erges e Ponsul, Parque Internacional Tejo-Tajo, Reserva da Biosfera Transfronteiriça Tejo / Tajo Internacional (UNESCO), Important Bird Area – IBA Tejo Internacional (Birdlife International).

Major botanical values of Tejo Natural Park

The forest cover of the park is formed mainly by Mediterranean woods of cork oaks and holm oaks. However, it is more common to find medium-sized shrubs such as the Mastic (Pistacia lentiscus) and the Turpentine tree (Pistacia terebinthus), the Retama sphaerocarpa, Common Gum Cistus (Cistus ladanifer) and French Lavender (Lavandula pedunculata subsp. pedunculata). This botanical association, as well as the various habitats in the territory, are home to a group of plants with a distribution limited to the Iberian Peninsula, of which the following should be highlighted:

Anchusa undulata subsp. granatensis, Genista hystrix, Linaria amethystea subsp. amethystea, Linaria elegans, Linaria oblongifolia subsp. haenseleri, Iris xiphium var. lusitanica, Ranunculus ollissiponensis subsp. ollissiponensis, Paeonia broteri, Flueggea tinctoria, Willow (Salix salviifolia subsp. australis).

On this safari, Tejo Natural Park in a Discovery, some plants may be more difficult to find due to their rarity and flowering period, spring being the most recommended time to look for them.

Botanic expedition — Anchusa undulata granatensis

Wildlife of Tejo Natural Park

Tejo Natural Park represents an important refuge area for several threatened bird species, such as the Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata), the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), the Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aquila adalberti), the Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus), the Black Stork (Ciconia nigra), the Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus), the Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), the Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus), the Eagle Owl (Bubo Bubo), the Iberian Magpie (Cyanopica cooki), the Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis), the Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus), the Bee-eater (Merops apiaster).

Mammals area also well represented and include species like the Otter (Lutra lutra), the Wildcat (Felis silvestris), the Genet (Genetta genetta), the Badger (Meles meles), the Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) and a significant population of Red Deer (Cervus elaphus).

Also of note are the existence of amphibians such as the Mediterranean Tree-frog (Hyla meridionalis), the Iberian Ribbed Newt (Pleurodeles waltl) and the Iberian Midwife Toad (Alytes cisternasii). And of reptiles like the Iberian Pond Turtle (Mauremys leprosa), the Spiny-footed Lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus) and the False Smooth Snake (Macroprotodon brevis subsp. ibericus).

The local biodiversity is also enriched by a wide variety of insects, including several species of butterflies with Mediterranean distribution Two-tailed Pasha (Charaxes jasius), Nettle-tree Butterfly (Libythea celtis), Spanish Marbled White (Melanargia ines), Provence Hairstreak (Tomares ballus) and dragonflies Banded Groundling (Brachythemis impartita), Black Percher (Diplacodes lefebvrii), Long Skimmer (Orthetrum tinacria).