Praia Grande

On the north side of Praia Grande do Rodízio, near the staircase that climbs to the top of the cliff, one can see a set of well-preserved dinosaur footprints embedded in a vertical layer of limestone — a rare glimpse into the fauna that roamed this coast some 120 million years ago. These upright layers are the result of the Sintra Batholith’s rise. Below, on the beach’s sands, several climbing routes were opened in the 1980s by pioneers such as Fanã, Rogério Morais, José Luís Carvalho, and Pedro Cid, among others. Some of these lines — including Fendas Oeste and Parede Norte — are now rarely repeated, largely due to the limestone’s quality, the presence of beachgoers, and the fact that the nearby dinosaur footprints are now a protected site. Not far away, Fissura Z, opened in the 1990s by Sérgio Bruno, stands as proof that good routes can be found where they’re least expected. And for climbers with a keen eye, the cliffs here may still hold more hidden lines, waiting to be discovered.