Designated in 1976

Located in the centre-east of Portugal, the Park includes most of the upland area of the Estrela mountain range. Mainly consisting of granite rock and large areas of schist, the range has an altitude ranging from 300 m to 1993 m. In the central plateau the most striking features of the landscape are the imposing rock formations, steep rocks and cliffs that give the impression of a chaos of boulders of  different sizes and shapes. There are numerous signs of glacial activity thousands of years ago, particularly in the U-shaped Zêzere, Alforfa and Loriga river valleys, with their erratics, boulder walls, pits and natural lakes. Three of the main Portuguese rivers rise in the Estrela range: the Mondego, Zêzere and Alva. Between 900 and 1600 m altitude there are residual stands of Pyrenean oak Quercus pyrenaica and patches of sweet chestnut Castanea sativa. There are also several shrub communities, especially of broom Cytisus spp., heath Erica spp. and gum cistus Cistus spp. and Halimium spp. Above 1600 m, the vegetation is represented by common juniper Juniperus communis ssp. nana and acid grasslands, mainly of Nardus stricta. Also worth noting are the rupicolous communities predominantly made up of endemic plants and lake communities. This vegetation, characteristic of mountain environments, also houses a typical fauna, especially the Iberian rock lizard Lacerta monticola, an Iberian endemism which in Portugal can only be found in the central plateau of the Estrela range.

In this rocky environment, up to 900 m altitude humans found rich soils and abundant water which  enabled the development of farming, forestry and cattle-raising. People have lived here since early times, as shown by the Neolithic and medieval remains (Anta da Pedra da Orca and Linhares castle). They built villages and transformed ridges to allow farming and cattle-raising, creating a culture rich in traditions and customs. Two of the best-known examples of such activity are the traditional manufacture of the famous Serra da Estrela cheese and woollen clothing.