Penhas da Saúde () is a village in the municipality of

Covilhã Covilhã (), officially Covilhã City (), is a city and a concelho, municipality in the Centro, Portugal, Centro region, Portugal. The city proper had 33,691 inhabitants in 2021. The municipality population in 2021 was 46,455 in an area of . It is ...

, Portugal. This mountain village sits right in the heart of

Serra da Estrela Serra da Estrela (, ) is the highest mountain range in Continental Portugal. Together with the Serra da Lousã it is the westernmost constituent range of the Sistema Central and also one of the highest in the system. It includes mainland Portuga ...

, nestled within the scenic mountain range, at an altitude of 1,500 metres. It is primarily a winter resort.

Winter resort

The tourism facilities in Penhas da Saúde consists of the Serra da Estrela Hotel, a youth hostel and the Mountain Chalets, 10 minutes away from the Serra da Estrela Ski Resort. Slightly below the village, overlooking Cova da Beira, sits the typical Estalagem Varanda dos Carqueijais. The ski resort is located at the Torre Plateau (the highest point of mainland Portugal), about 10 km away from Penhas da Saúde, in the neighbouring municipality of

Seia Seia () is a municipality in Guarda District in Portugal. The population in 2021 was 21,755, in an area of . Its urban population is about 7,000. Seia was elevated to city status on 3 July 1986. The municipality is situated on the northwestern slop ...

, and at an altitude of approximately 2,000 metres. Covered in snow from December to April, also with the help of snow cannons, it houses support infrastructures for the practice of winter sports and provides facilities such as mechanical lifts and a pass identification system for the lifts; being the primary destination in Portugal for the practice of winter sports and entertainment. Activities include

dog sledding A sled dog is a dog trained and used to pull a land vehicle in harness, most commonly a sled over snow. Sled dogs have been used in the Arctic for at least 8,000 years and, along with watercraft, were the only transportation in Arctic are ...

, sleighing and

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. Their engines normally ...

rides. A range of equipment, such as alpine skis and snowboards can be rented locally.

Geography

Climate

Penhas da Saúde (meaning ''Cliffs of the Health'' in English) has a cool-summer

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(''Csb'', according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

), with oceanic (''Cfb'') influences. There is a short dry season in summer, and high precipitation in the remaining of the year. Summers are pleasant and winters are chilly, with frequent snowfalls, sometimes with very significant accumulations. The warmest month is August, with an average temperature of . In January, the coldest month, the average temperature is . The average yearly temperature in Penhas da Saúde is and the average annual precipitation is close to .

References

Sources

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Câmara Municipal da Covilhã (''Covilhã City Hall'')
Resorts in Portugal Villages in Portugal Populated places in Castelo Branco District Serra da Estrela {{CasteloBranco-geo-stub