About Fraga da Agua d’Alta
Fraga da Agua d’Alta (or more formally As Cascatas da Fraga da Água d’Alta) is an impressively tall waterfall flanked by some interesting fin-like cliff formations within the Vale das Fragosas (Fragosas Valley).
According to the signs here, the waterfall has a cumulative height of 50m though the largest of the drops is said to be 15m as there were more modestly-sized cascades further downstream on the Ribeira da Água d’Alta.
Such dimensions would make this the largest waterfall in the Naturtejo Geopark let alone the former province of Beira Baixa (east-central Portugal).
The unusual fin-like cliffs that gave the waterfall its plunging drop was said to be composed of quartzite, perhaps the most erosion-resistant compound in the area.
The Georoute of Orvalho has been so gazetted because of the biodiversity present in the laurel forest that used to thrive throughout Southwest Europe but is now hanging on in few areas of the continent (this being one of them).
Although it’s possible to really get immersed in the subtleties of the nature on display here with a 2.4km loop hike that goes to both the top of the waterfall at Cabeça Murada (Walled Head) and the waterfall’s base, I stuck with a shorter out-and-back hike.
So this shorter option is what I’ll describe as I was still able to get to the top of the waterfall as well as explore some of the cascades downstream of the main drop of the Cascata da Fraga da Água d’Alta).
Experiencing the Fraga da Água d’Alta
From the trailhead parking area (see directions below), I walked along the road towards a the boardwalks and steps (collectively called the Passadiços do Orvalho) leading closer to the Fraga da Agua d’Alta Waterfall.
There were actually two such descending paths, where the first one went down to the top of the Fraga da Água d’Alta Waterfall while the second one went down to the bottom of the same waterfall.
The first descent was about 150m from the sanctioned parking spaces alongside the CM1197 Road while the second descent was another 60m further along the road.
Both descents could link together in the aforementioned 2.4km loop hike, I’d personally start with the second descent first and save the first descent for the end (especially since most visitors I saw seemed to be confused about which path to take).
So going down the second set of steps on the Passadiços do Orvalho, I pretty much went a little 100m losing about 30m in elevation before reaching the base of the Fraga da Agua d’Alta Waterfall.
Throughout the descent, there were little rest spots in the joints of the passadiços, where I was able to take a short photo stop and check out the views of the falls along the way.
Once at the bottom of the descent, there was a viewing area where we were able to get right up to the edge of the plunge pool and appreciate the cool spray that it provided.
From here, I saw that the trail continued past the bridge over the Ribeira da Água d’Alta, which then branched in different directions.
Continuing straight ahead to the right, the trail offered a profile view almost behind the bottom of the Fraga da Agua d’Alta.
From there, the trail then clung to the base of the underlying cliff while it climbed up to resume the looping path eventually getting up to the top of the falls and back up the first of the passadiços seen earlier.
Meanwhile, going left from the trail junction, the path then pretty much stayed parallel with the Ribeira da Agua d’Alta revealing more modestly-sized cascades further downstream.
I explored about 200m further downstream of the footbridge before I judged that there were no more waterfalls of any significant size.
After backtracking to the base of the waterfall and then going back up the passadiços to where I started my descent, I then jaunted over to the first of the passadiços so I could descend to the top of the Fraga da Agua d’Alta Waterfall.
Once at the top of the falls at the Cabeça Murada, I could get a better appreciation of Vale das Fragosas.
After having my fill of this view, I then backtracked to the car to end the excursion.
Overall, I spent about an hour away from the car though I did spend some time exploring the lower cascades as well as the top of the waterfall so this could have easily taken way less time (and distance) than it did.
Authorities
The Fraga da Agua d’Alta Waterfall is near the town of Orvalho of the Castelo Branco District in the Centro Region of Portugal. It is not clear who the governing body is for this waterfall, but it resides in the Geopark Naturtejo. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting the Naturtejo Geopark website.
The Fraga da Agua d’Alta is located roughly 3km south of the town of Orvalho situated between Castelo Branco and Coimbra.
I’ll describe the driving directions from Castelo Branco we came from that direction as part of a longer drive from Marvão.
That said, driving in this part of the Centro Region of Portugal is not trivial due to the mountainous terrain.
From the A23 motorway exit onto the N3 near Castelo Branco, we followed the N3 to the N233, and then we went to the N112/R112 en route to Orvalho.
We followed this road for about 43km into the town of Orvalho, where we continued on the N112 to its intersection with the Avenida São Sebastião.
Turning left onto the Avenida São Sebastião, we then followed this road south out of town keeping left on the Rua Cemitério as it became the CM1197.
We then followed this rural road for about 3km to the parking area before the Passadiços do Orvalho.
Overall, this drive would take about an hour or so.
If you’re coming from Coimbra, you have numerous routes to choose from to get to the N112 heading into Orvalho, and GoogleMaps should be able to orient you without issue..
According to them, the drive would take a little over 90 minutes, but I’d bank on about 2 hours.
For context, Orvalho is about 24km (about 30 minutes drive) northeast of Oleiros, about 48km (about an hour drive) northwest of Castelo Branco, about 116km (about 1.5-2 hours drive) east of Coimbra, 146km (over 2 hours drive) northwest of Marvão, and 238km (over 3 hours drive northeast of Lisbon.
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Long video starting from high up the steps showing the falls then walking to the next viewing area for another sweep of the falls and its surroundings
Starting off with left to right sweep from an elevated position on the steps before going down the final flight to sweep in front of the waterfall itself
Checking out the almost backside of the waterfall from the other side of its plunge pool
Checking out one of the lower waterfalls downstream of the main waterfall
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