Lapela is framed by an agroforestry patchwork set in a flatter area at the top of one of the slopes facing the River Cávado. It is the last village on the eastern edge of the parish of Cabril, being separated from the neighboring parish of Outeiro by the Cavadas stream, a mountain watercourse famous for its waterfalls. Lapela is one of the most famous places in Cabril because it was here that João Rodrigues Cabrilho, a sixteenth century Portuguese explorer and navigator, was born. Whilst in the service of the Spanish Crown, João Rodrigues Cabrilho became the first European to set foot in what is now the State of California.