Fraga da Pena

Benfeita / Serra do Acor, Central Region, Portugal

About Fraga da Pena


Hiking Distance: about 600m round-trip
Suggested Time: 30-45 minutes

Date first visited: 2024-06-08
Date last visited: 2024-06-08

Waterfall Latitude: 40.21851
Waterfall Longitude: -7.93533

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Fraga da Pena is a pretty family-friendly waterfall situated in the Serra do Açor Protected Landscape in the mountainous Central Region of Portugal (by the way, an açor is the Portugese name for the northern goshawk endemic in this area).

It’s situated in a precipitous box-like canyon with a double-barreled segmented drop of about 19m.

Fraga_da_Pena_046_06082024 - Fraga da Pena
Fraga da Pena

I say that this excursion is family-friendly because it’s a short and gradual 300m walk (or 600m round-trip) along the Barroca de Degraínhos Stream.

Along the way, there were plenty of picnic tables as well as shallow parts of the creek that you can wade in to cool off or just let the kids play.

Towards the end of the walkway, there were more picnic tables situated on ledges (those are perhaps not as family-friendly) as well as a scramble underneath the bridge to get right into the box canyon at the base of the Fraga da Pena Waterfall.

I know our daughter spent quite a bit of time skipping stones in front of the Fraga da Pena Waterfall, which was every bit as photogenic as it was a nice little place to be a kid.

Fraga_da_Pena_063_06082024 - Looking down at our daughter skipping stones before the Fraga da Pena Waterfall while a family was picnicking and playing in the water behind where this photo was taken
Looking down at our daughter skipping stones before the Fraga da Pena Waterfall while a family was picnicking and playing in the water behind where this photo was taken

Now there were other trails and bridges criss-crossing the Barroca de Degraínhos, and those other trails led higher up to abandoned mills or buildings that I knew not what they were for.

While these alternate trails were not as family-friendly, they did offer the more adventurous an option to do a little more exploration and experience the subtleties of the Serra do Açor landscape.

Those additional trails on the other side of the creek went to either Pardieiros to the north or Sardal to the south.

During our mid-June 2024 visit, we spent a leisurely 55 minutes away from the car (and this included all the extra exploring that I did).

Fraga_da_Pena_071_06082024 - Picnic tables and wading areas were being used by this family that was enjoying the family-friendly atmosphere of the Fraga da Pena and the Barroca de Degraínhos
Picnic tables and wading areas were being used by this family that was enjoying the family-friendly atmosphere of the Fraga da Pena and the Barroca de Degraínhos

Therefore, I think 30-45 minutes would be plenty of time to experience this waterfall without lingering for long.

Authorities

The Fraga da Pena Waterfall is in the Serra do Açor Protected Area just downhill from the village of Pardieiros, which itself is near the town of Benfeita of the Coimbra District in the Central Region of Portugal. It is not clear who administers the waterfall, but being in a protected area, I have to believe that the local municipalities and districts are in charge of the upkeep. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting the Centro de Portugal tourism website.

Fraga_da_Pena_001_06082024 - The start of the trail next to the bridge over the Barroca de Degraínhos leading to the Fraga da Pena
Fraga_da_Pena_008_06082024 - On the wide and gentle trail leading up to the Fraga da Pena
Fraga_da_Pena_012_06082024 - Looking back towards the M518 Road from the trail to the Fraga da Pena as it was gently ascending
Fraga_da_Pena_015_06082024 - Closeup of one of the flowers in bloom besides the trail to the Fraga da Pena
Fraga_da_Pena_016_06082024 - Context of the wildflowers blooming besides the trail to the Fraga da Pena
Fraga_da_Pena_018_06082024 - One of the lower waterfalls on the Barroca de Degraínhos seen on the way up to the Fraga da Pena
Fraga_da_Pena_020_06082024 - The gentle trail going by some picnic tables exhibiting the family-friendliness of the Fraga da Pena excursion
Fraga_da_Pena_021_06082024 - A stone shed seen along the gentle trail leading to the Fraga da Pena
Fraga_da_Pena_022_06082024 - Approaching a second bridge and some steps leading up to more picnic tables as well as views of the Fraga da Pena Waterfall
Fraga_da_Pena_023_06082024 - Portrait view of the context of a picnic table fronting the Fraga da Pena Waterfall
Fraga_da_Pena_025_06082024 - Context of a ledge and a bench elevated above the box canyon containing the Fraga da Pena Waterfall
Fraga_da_Pena_026_06082024 - Frontal view from an elevated position of the Fraga da Pena Waterfall
Fraga_da_Pena_028_06082024 - Looking back at a picnic table and bench on the elevated ledge, which might be a little less family-friendly than those alongside the trail below
Fraga_da_Pena_029_06082024 - Cleaner angled view of the Fraga da Pena Waterfall
Fraga_da_Pena_039_06082024 - Another look at the Fraga da Pena Waterfall closer to the Barroca de Degraínhos
Fraga_da_Pena_048_06082024 - Looking up at the Fraga da Pena Waterfall and its neighboring cliff from within the Barroca de Degraínhos
Fraga_da_Pena_006_iPhone_06082024 - Stitched portrait look at the Fraga da Pena Waterfall and its context
Fraga_da_Pena_065_06082024 - Tahia skipping stones in front of the Fraga da Pena Waterfall
Fraga_da_Pena_070_06082024 - Crossing the 2nd footbridge and noticing there was a steeply climbing series of steps on the other side.  I wondered where it went...
Fraga_da_Pena_072_06082024 - Looking at some abandoned building fronting the top of the Fraga da Pena Waterfall after having climbed up the steep series of steps on the other side of the Barroca de Degraínhos
Fraga_da_Pena_008_iPhone_06082024 - Comprehensive look at the view of the Fraga da Pena from the abandoned building on a ledge high up its box canyon
Fraga_da_Pena_078_06082024 - Checking out one of the smaller upper tiers of the Fraga da Pena Waterfall as I explored a little more to see where the trail went
Fraga_da_Pena_009_iPhone_06082024 - Looking down at some kind of mill or pump next to the top of the Fraga da Pena
Fraga_da_Pena_013_iPhone_06082024 - Looking down towards the brink of the Fraga da Pena Waterfall
Fraga_da_Pena_081_06082024 - It seemed like the trail continued to go upstream beyond the top of the Fraga da Pena Waterfall
Fraga_da_Pena_088_06082024 - Looking down at some more intermediate upper cascades upstream of the Fraga da Pena
Fraga_da_Pena_015_iPhone_06082024 - Looking down at the context of the second footbridge and the steps around it from the opposite side of the Barroca de Degraínhos
Fraga_da_Pena_080_06082024 - Going in the downstream direction to see where this trail went after having my fill of the top of the Fraga da Pena Waterfall
Fraga_da_Pena_090_06082024 - Looking towards the M518 Road from the elevated trail on the other side of the Barroca de Degraínhos
Fraga_da_Pena_091_06082024 - Closeup look at some sunflower-looking wildflowers blooming by the elevated trail on the other side of the Barroca de Degraínhos
Fraga_da_Pena_092_06082024 - Context of the continuation of the trail on the other side of the Barroca de Degraínhos
Fraga_da_Pena_018_iPhone_06082024 - Looking down at some other abandoned building on the trail on the other side of the Barroca de Degraínhos
Fraga_da_Pena_020_iPhone_06082024 - Looking into the abandoned building on the trail on the other side of the Barroca de Degraínhos
Fraga_da_Pena_094_06082024 - Descending switchbacks on the way back down to the Barroca de Degraínhos
Fraga_da_Pena_102_06082024 - Returning on the easy trail after getting back across the Barroca de Degraínhos to return to the car park
Fraga_da_Pena_104_06082024 - Going back by an open viewing area along the easy trail for the Fraga da Pena on the return walk to the car
Fraga_da_Pena_106_06082024 - Approaching the M518 Road and the end of our brief excursion to the Fraga da Pena Waterfall
Fraga_da_Pena_107_06082024 - Returning to the parked car by the road
Fraga_da_Pena_108_06082024 - It seemed like abandoned or locked buildings was the norm throughout Portugal, and this shack by the parking area for Fraga da Pena was no different
Fraga_da_Pena_109_06082024 - Looking towards some buildings closer to Pardieiros Village from the parking area for Fraga da Pena


The Fraga da Pena Waterfall resides in the Serra do Açor Protected Landscape near the town of Benfeita.

However, since we visited this waterfall as a detour during our long drive between Marvão and Manteigas after making a stop near Orvalho to visit the Fraga da Agua d’Alta.

Drive_to_Fraga_da_Pena_044_MingSung_06092024 - We made a pretty long and sinuous drive on a variety of mountain roads from Orvalho to the Fraga da Pena
We made a pretty long and sinuous drive on a variety of mountain roads from Orvalho to the Fraga da Pena

From Orvalho, we pretty much drove on a combination of the M546, the N344, the M547, and the N344 eventually getting to the signed turnof by the Casinha de Xisto Serra do Açor for Monte Frio.

This pretty extensive 50km stretch would take the better part of an hour due to all the twisty roads.

Once on the turnoff leading down to Monte Frio (I believe it’s the M518), we then drove the remaining 6km to a bridge and some limited parking spaces for the Cascata da Fraga da Pena about 700m downhill from the village of Pardieiros.

Overall, this drive took us about 105 minutes even though GoogleMaps suggested that the drive should only be 70 minutes.

Fraga_da_Pena_004_06082024 - The parking situation across the road from the bridge starting the short walk to the Fraga da Pena
The parking situation across the road from the bridge starting the short walk to the Fraga da Pena

However, GoogleMaps tends to be very aggressive with driving speeds on curvy mountain roads like this, and they also tend to take us on unnecessary detours or just plain wrong routes that we’d have to backtrack once we discover the error.

That’s something to consider when you budget the amount of time to navigate through the labyrinth of roads in the mountains of Central Portugal.

For context, Benfeita is about 77km (over an hour drive) east of Coimbra, 71km (over 90 minutes drive) southwest of Manteigas, 107km (over 2 hours drive) northwest of Castelo Branco, 178km (about 2 hours drive southeast of Porto, about 182km (over 3 hours drive) northwest of Marvão, and 276km (about 3 hours drive) northeast of Lisbon.

Find A Place To Stay

Backwards U-shaped sweep from an elevated but partial view of the waterfall


Backwards L-shaped sweep in less harsh lighting of the falls from almost at its base with a zoom-in panning on each individual segment


Brief sweep of the falls from the closest bridge with someone skipping stones at the plunge pool


Back and forth sweep from upstream to downstream and back following upper cascades above the main falls before showing some kind of building then following a canal adjacent to the stream

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Tagged with: benfeita, coimbra, serra do acor, central region, portugal



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
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