Today we are going to walk through the Dunes São Jacinto Natural Reserve. A territory of a relatively recent formation, since a few thousand years ago the coastline was withdrawn by about 25 km and São Jacinto was a few sandbanks sunk a few meters into oceanic waters.
But as the coasts are territories in constant evolution, over the centuries sandbanks have been growing along this coast and closing to form a huge stagnant lagoon at the mouth of the Vouga. Only at the beginning of the 19th century and through expensive engineering works, it was opened to the sea.
Dune stabilization work on both sandbanks also began in the 19th century, as sand constantly buried villages and valuable farmland known as “bread lands”. In addition to the fact that the wind dragged a lot of sand towards the estuary waters, contributing to the sedimentation of the river mouth.
Finally, in 1888, pine plantations began in the northern sandbank, which today are part of the São Jacinto Dunes National Forest.
We have to say that the walk is totally suitable for all audiences and that it can be done with two marked circuits, we opted for the long one, which you can access after registering at the reserve booth.
You can basically contemplate dunes, pine forests and artificial ponds created to house a refuge for waterfowl found in Roa de Aveiro. Enjoy, respect and care for them!
Video
Map
Max elevation: 144 m
Total climbing: 344 m
Total time: 02:20:30
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