Monte Aloia is a natural watchtower in the south of Pontevedra, in the municipality of Tui, which functions as a great viewpoint over the final stretch of the Miño River and the Louro and Baixo Miño valleys. With an altitude of over 600 meters at its highest points, it offers a very broad reading of the border landscape between Galicia and Portugal, with wooded slopes, rounded peaks and a network of paths linking several panoramic points. From its viewpoints you can recognize Tui, Valença do Minho and, on clear days, much of the mouth of the Miño and the environment of O Val Miñor. The interest is not only visual: the park preserves a walled enclosure of Galician-Roman origin, the hermitage of San Xiao and a mosaic of Atlantic vegetation and reforestation that give variety to the route. It is a protected area with the status of Natural Park and was the first one declared in Galicia in 1978. The area is well known in nature and hiking guides for its combination of heritage, panoramic views and signposted routes, with several viewpoints scattered throughout the mountains. The best visit is usually on clear days, at dawn or dusk, when the relief of the Miño and the changes of light over the valley are best distinguished. In spring and autumn the environment is especially pleasant for temperature, visibility and color of the mountain.
