Land

The Alentejo is a region of immense natural beauty.
It’s a place of contrasting habitats and a diverse wildlife.
With low intensity agriculture and a natural rhythm to the seasons there is always a timeless feel here.

Spring sees the meadows bursting into life in a riot of colourful wild flowers.
The ungainly storks make their untidy nests on any available telegraph pole and the butterflies begin to flit. It’s a great time to visit.

The Montados are the cork forests of the Alentejo, home to countless rare species of plants and animals and the largest cork forests in the world. The cork oak, or sobreiro, is the soul of the Alentejo, a living landscape that can only be found around the Mediterranean basin.

The cork trees extend for miles, and each tree plays an essential role in this ecosystem. Their bark is harvested every nine years, and a single tree can live for centuries. The trees are protected by law.

Across the Alentejo plains, cork from these trees is an unique renewable material, with applications as mundane as sealing wine bottles and as innovative as lining space rockets. The protected cork oaks allow for the preservation of native species and the continued use of ancient herding techniques.

And, the shade of these magnificent Montados offers a blissful place to sit back and enjoy the view.