Cies Islands

Atlantic Islands Sea and Land National Park

"Cies Islands"

The Cies Islands, placed in the heart of the Rías Baixas, have been declared, together with Ons Islands, Sálvora and Cortegada, Atlantic Islands Sea and Land National Park. Cies archipelago, composed by Monteagudo, Faro and San Martiño islands, combines peaceful beaches, wild cliffs and big pine groves. It shelters one of the biggest sea bird colonies in Europe and its flora is composed by protected species typical from cliffs and dunes. Cangas demands, based on its historic past, Cies Islands as part of the territory of the municipality. It is possible to go there by ship travelling with the shipping company “Naviera Mar de Ons” that departs from our harbour regularly. We can visit Cies Islands from June to September but, if weather is good, it is possible to telephone the shipping company to organize a visit.

Cies Islands are like three beautiful pearls, a delicious and heavenly enclave in the plain heart of the Rias Baixas. Its impressive granite bulks are the eternal guardians that during millions of years have shielded the Ria of Vigo from the rough waves of the Atlantic Ocean. But apart from prodigious natural breakwater, this archipelago has behind it a long history of centuries, which has forged a great part of its legend.

Many experts wanted to see on them the mythical Karestides Islands, where Greek and Phoenician would have put into port to obtain the precious tin from the rich Galician deposits. Later, Arab and Viking visited the islands frequently, using them as safe port when sacking our coasts. From the XVIth century, the British, French and Dutch pirates took over. The own Francis Drake, the most famous corsair from all the times, disembarked in them part of its troops to raze to the ground the Benedictine monastery of San Estevo. And in 1617, a Turkish fleet (sadly famous) anchored in front of their coast, which some days later would sack and destroy our village. At that time, Cies Islands depended administratively on Cangas and even at the end of the XIXth century and the beginning of the XXth century, when the islands have passed to depend administravely from Vigo, numerous inhabitants of Cangas and other parts of the Peninsula of Morrazo settled in the archipelago. Nowadays, Cangas is the closest land to this dream islands. And that is why we can admire from Cabo Home and Monte do Facho in all its plenitude the wild beauty of its huge stone promontories. But it is also possible to reach there by ship, regularly from our quay, in summer and know “in situ” this wonderful place, part of the Atlantic Islands National Park. The Cies archipelago is composed by three islands: Monteagudo, the biggest one, Faro and San Martiño, covering a total surface of 434 hectares. Its landscape value is impressive, but it is not lesser its interest as really important biological and geological reserve. Above all, it shelter one of the biggest sea bird colonies in Europe. Among the nest species, the most abundant ones are the yellow-legged gull (Larus cachinnas) and the argentea gull (Larus Argentatus), while the European shag (phalacrocorax aristotelis) has the biggest colony in all the southwest side of Europe. It is also one of the last places in the Iberian Peninsula where we can still see the guillemot (uria algae). With regard to the over-wintering species, we can see the black-throated diver (gavia arctica), the manx searwater (puffinus puffinus), the gannet and the great cormorant (phalacrocorax carbo). In relation to the flora, we can highlight the spiny thrift (armenia pungens) and the camarina (corema album). The camarina, very abundant in other times, is today threatened and due to this is object of special protection.

But Cies Islands also have really fantastic beaches with an unsurpassable quality. Two of the islands are linked in a natural way by the really beautiful shell of Rodas, which separates at the same time from the sea the known as “Lago dos Nenos” (lake). Other beautiful beaches of fine sand are, among others, Figueiras and San Martiño. The rest of the coast, very craggy, surprises the visitor due to its powerful and steep cliffs, which rises from the sea to reach the Alto de Cies, 197 metres of height, with exceptional views. The rage of the waves, in the western side, has eroded the coast until creating amazing hollows known as “furnas” or “covas”, some of them very famous, such as “Furna dos Cabalos” or “Furna do Inferno”. In the vicinity of Monte Faro, it catches powerfully our attention “A Campana”, a rock admirably perforated by the combined action of wind and waves. Very close from here, going closer to the bird observatory, an undoubtedly privileged place to delight us with all the steep and wild beauty of Cies Islands.