Created in 1995, the Guadiana Natural Park, which encompasses the municipalities of Mértola and Serpa, boasts flora, fauna, morphology, and, most importantly, landscape features of great beauty and interest. The middle stretch of the Guadiana Valley, between Pulo do Lobo and the mouth of the Vascão River, with its enclosed valleys and numerous tributaries, boasts above-average beauty. Notable are the presence of wild boar, little bustard, great bustard, otter, black stork, griffon vulture, wild olive trees, and mastic trees.
Straddling the municipalities of Mértola and Serpa, this waterfall is of rare beauty. It's approximately 14 meters high, in a place of rich geological heritage, where the river flows with a tremendous roar between two cliffs. A narrow rocky strait strangles the river so much that it overflows, forming a waterfall. The imposing landscape lends a unique beauty to this place, steeped in legend and history. During floods, the drop in water level is reduced, allowing several species to travel upstream to spawn.
This river starts in Spain, on the Ruidera lagoons, at Ciudad Real, crosses Portugal and has its mouth on the Atlantic Ocean, between the Portuguese town of Vila Real de Santo António and the Spanish town of Ayamonte.
