COURIEL MOUNTAINS

The Courel Mountains Geopark has 189 kilometers of marked routes, of which more than 100 are currently approved in 8 Small Trails:

PR-G 141: Ruta do Ouro e do Camiño Real.

PR-G 157: Route Augasmestas-Doade

PR-G 180: Ruta da Cubela

PR-G 184: Lagoa da Lucenza Route

PR-G 187: Ferradal Trail

PR-G 193: Route of Val do Río Quiroga

PR-G 221: Ruta do Monte Cido

PR-G 222: Ruta da Devesa da Rogueira (Rogueira Devesa Route)

There is also the presence of the Camino de Santiago, specifically the winter variant of the French Way, which runs through the valleys of the rivers Sil and Lor.

The routes can be done on your own, although several adventure tourism companies offer, in addition to a la carte routes, the possibility of enriching the experience through the interpretation of the natural and cultural values of the routes, including points of geological interest, fauna, flora, forts, Roman mines, ethnographic heritage and a long etcetera.

A set of 26 viewpoints with explanatory panels allows visitors to enjoy and interpret the best views of a vast geological heritage.

It is a group of 7 villages selected for the good preservation of their traditional architecture and for the outstanding or representative constructive use of different rocks corresponding to different periods of the Paleozoic, an era that spans from 538 to 252 million years ago.

Among them are Froxán and Seceda, declared Sites of Cultural Interest (BIC).

Among the geological heritage of the Courel Mountains Geopark we have a large number of ravines and karst caves, many of which allow the practice of sports, always with the help of expert guides and with the necessary permits, since most of them are in territory protected by the Natura 2000 Network.

The rivers flowing in a terrain with alternating rocky layers of different resistance to erosion give rise to the formation of deep ravines with countless waterfalls and pools, very attractive places for canyoning.

In the case of caving, there are caves suitable for beginners, such as the Cova da Ceza, in Noceda, to those that require an advanced technical level, such as the Sima Aradelas, in Campelo, the deepest in Galicia and in which 2 km of new galleries have just been explored, proof that there is still much to discover in these mountains.

Micro-reserves represent an initiative aimed at conservation and environmental awareness of the local population and travelers, promoting active collaboration. To this end, management agreements are established that directly involve the landowners.

This initiative arises from the Asociación Galega de Custodia do Territorio, in collaboration with researchers from the Universidade de A Coruña, who provide support and technical advice.

The main objective of these micro-reserves is the conservation of orchids and other species listed in the Galician Catalogue of Threatened Species, as well as the restoration of their habitats and the dissemination of the natural values associated with these sites. The protection of orchids also has a beneficial effect on local butterfly populations, thus contributing to the increase of biodiversity.

At the same time, the micro-reserves function as Virtual Biodiversity Spots. This means that anyone can photograph the fauna and flora of the site and upload the images to the Virtual Biodiversity portal, where the species will be identified and registered in the database of this natural space.

Since its inception in 2015, these five micro-reserves have been created: Afloramento de Visuña Micro-reserve, Alto da Pedra Micro-reserve, Alto do Couto Micro-reserve, Monte Cido Micro-reserve and Hórreos Micro-reserve.

Practically all the natural and cultural heritage present in the Geopark has a museum or interpretation center dedicated to it, forminga network of 8 centers, 2 of which are privately owned.

From south to north, in the municipality of Ribas de Sil, specifically in Torbeo, there is the Interpretation Center of the Sil River (CIRS) and in San Clodio the Interpretation Center of the Roman Auriferous Mining (CIMAR). Quiroga has in its municipal capital the Geological Museum and the Ethnographic Museum and in the village of A Seara is the center belonging to the Legar Foundation, which houses an incredible collection of root music instruments. The municipality of Folgoso do Courel has in Meiraos the Interpretation Center of the Caves, in Moreda the Nature Classroom and in Parada the House-Museum of Uxío Novoneyra, belonging to the homonymous foundation, which guards the legacy of the great poet of the Courel Mountains.

The Courel Mountains Geopark has 189 kilometers of marked routes, of which more than 100 are currently approved in 8 Small Trails:

PR-G 141: Ruta do Ouro e do Camiño Real.

PR-G 157: Route Augasmestas-Doade

PR-G 180: Ruta da Cubela

PR-G 184: Lagoa da Lucenza Route

PR-G 187: Ferradal Trail

PR-G 193: Route of Val do Río Quiroga

PR-G 221: Ruta do Monte Cido

PR-G 222: Ruta da Devesa da Rogueira (Rogueira Devesa Route)

There is also the presence of the Camino de Santiago, specifically the winter variant of the French Way, which runs through the valleys of the rivers Sil and Lor.

The routes can be done on your own, although several adventure tourism companies offer, in addition to a la carte routes, the possibility of enriching the experience through the interpretation of the natural and cultural values of the routes, including points of geological interest, fauna, flora, forts, Roman mines, ethnographic heritage and a long etcetera.

A set of 26 viewpoints with explanatory panels allows visitors to enjoy and interpret the best views of a vast geological heritage.

It is a group of 7 villages selected for the good preservation of their traditional architecture and for the outstanding or representative constructive use of different rocks corresponding to different periods of the Paleozoic, an era that spans from 538 to 252 million years ago.

Among them are Froxán and Seceda, declared Sites of Cultural Interest (BIC).

Among the geological heritage of the Courel Mountains Geopark we have a large number of ravines and karst caves, many of which allow the practice of sports, always with the help of expert guides and with the necessary permits, since most of them are in territory protected by the Natura 2000 Network.

The rivers flowing in a terrain with alternating rocky layers of different resistance to erosion give rise to the formation of deep ravines with countless waterfalls and pools, very attractive places for canyoning.

In the case of caving, there are caves suitable for beginners, such as the Cova da Ceza, in Noceda, to those that require an advanced technical level, such as the Sima Aradelas, in Campelo, the deepest in Galicia and in which 2 km of new galleries have just been explored, proof that there is still much to discover in these mountains.

Micro-reserves represent an initiative aimed at conservation and environmental awareness of the local population and travelers, promoting active collaboration. To this end, management agreements are established that directly involve the landowners.

This initiative arises from the Asociación Galega de Custodia do Territorio, in collaboration with researchers from the Universidade de A Coruña, who provide support and technical advice.

The main objective of these micro-reserves is the conservation of orchids and other species listed in the Galician Catalogue of Threatened Species, as well as the restoration of their habitats and the dissemination of the natural values associated with these sites. The protection of orchids also has a beneficial effect on local butterfly populations, thus contributing to the increase of biodiversity.

At the same time, the micro-reserves function as Virtual Biodiversity Spots. This means that anyone can photograph the fauna and flora of the site and upload the images to the Virtual Biodiversity portal, where the species will be identified and registered in the database of this natural space.

Since its inception in 2015, these five micro-reserves have been created: Afloramento de Visuña Micro-reserve, Alto da Pedra Micro-reserve, Alto do Couto Micro-reserve, Monte Cido Micro-reserve and Hórreos Micro-reserve.

Practically all the natural and cultural heritage present in the Geopark has a museum or interpretation center dedicated to it, forminga network of 8 centers, 2 of which are privately owned.

From south to north, in the municipality of Ribas de Sil, specifically in Torbeo, there is the Interpretation Center of the Sil River (CIRS) and in San Clodio the Interpretation Center of the Roman Auriferous Mining (CIMAR). Quiroga has in its municipal capital the Geological Museum and the Ethnographic Museum and in the village of A Seara is the center belonging to the Legar Foundation, which houses an incredible collection of root music instruments. The municipality of Folgoso do Courel has in Meiraos the Interpretation Center of the Caves, in Moreda the Nature Classroom and in Parada the House-Museum of Uxío Novoneyra, belonging to the homonymous foundation, which guards the legacy of the great poet of the Courel Mountains.