Connemara National Park covers 2,000 hectares of the southern Twelve Bens slopes, taking in blanket bog, heath, mountain streams, and woodland. The visitor centre at Letterfrack is the base for walks ranging from gentle lakeside strolls to the full Diamond Hill circuit — a three-hour round trip that rewards with panoramic views of the mountains, coast, and offshore islands.
The park protects one of Ireland's most extensive areas of blanket bog, a habitat of international importance for plants like sundews, bog asphodel, and various sphagnum mosses. Connemara ponies roam freely on the open slopes — a hardy native breed that evolved in this landscape and looks perfectly at home on it. The visitor centre has a worthwhile introduction to the bog ecosystem. Come early or late in the day to avoid the school groups.