mailto:?subject=Content from Tourism of Galicia: COMPLEXO DUNAR DE CORRUBEDO E LAGOAS DE CARREGAL E VIXÁN&body=I recommend you read the information COMPLEXO DUNAR DE CORRUBEDO E LAGOAS DE CARREGAL E VIXÁN extracted from the Tourism of Galicia site on page https://www.turismo.gal/recurso/-/detalle/9617/complexo-dunar-de-corrubedo-e-lagoas-de-carregal-e-vixan?langId=en_US
COMPLEXO DUNAR DE CORRUBEDO E LAGOAS DE CARREGAL E VIXÁN
Result of the wind
Corrubedo is the home of the largest dune in Galicia.
The moving dune in this open space between the Ría
Arousa and that of Muros and Noia is impressive in
size, more than a kilometre long on its curved
advancing front. During the hardest winter months
it reaches twenty metres high. It is calculated to be
between 200 and 250 metres wide; although it
seems that it was larger in the past. Somewhere
between legend and exaggeration, it was
documented that at the end of the 19th century the
dune was more than 60 metres high.
To windward, facing the sea, it is long and low lying,
like the back of an animal. It drops to leeward,
towards the ground, and with no vegetation to hold
it back advances across the plain at a speed of two
to three centimetres a year.
The omnipresence of the queen of the Park should
not make us forget the other Park’s attractions: two
lagoons, one of salt water and the other of fresh
water, with extensive mud flats connected to them
and internationally important wetlands.
Vixán, the fresh water lagoon, is fed by the waters of
the modest Muíño stream, subject to seasonal
fluctuations in water volume. Carregal, the salt water
lagoon, is connected to the ocean, dividing in two the
long beach facing the rocks called Pedras da Ferreira.
The rise and fall of the tides is via this channel, one of
the central points of the Corrubedo complex. The rich
ecological life of the Park is reaffirmed in the mud
flats which are teeming with life, and all this in little
more than one thousand hectares.
Access
From the south, by the O Barbanza highway
from Padrón. Also via the AC-550 road on the
Noia-Santa Uxía of Ribeira stretch, with turnoffs
towards the coast. Two direct accesses to
the Park, with Parking zones, one to the
moving dune in Olveira and another to the
Reception Centre in O Vilar.
The Ways of St. James
The Route of the Sea of Arousa and River Ulla
Situation
The Natural Park is located in the municipality
of Ribeira (A Coruña).
The SCI also includes the island of Sálvora
(Ribeira) and extends along the coast of the
municipality of Porto do Son.
Area
996.25 hectares. SCI: 9,265 hectares.
Services
Accommodation: Places nearby.
Food: Yes.
Without missing
This is one of the most visited Natural Parks in Spain. There is a network of paths and footbridges to avoid invading the
dune area and to show visitors the area as completely as possible while showing respect for the natural environment. The
starting point is the Casa da Costa or Visitors’ Reception Centre located in O Vilar. There is also another building housing
the Galicia Coastal Ecosystems Interpretation Centre (CIELGA) and set out as an informative museum dealing with natural,
geological and historical matters for which the Park is justly known. The layout of the self-guided tours (water route, sea
route and wind route) allows most of these aspects to be approached. Don’t leave your binoculars at home.
Located in this protected area is the lookout point of Castrocidá, from which good views of this whole stretch of coast
can be had. It is highly recommended to visit the megalithic dolmen of Axeitos, closely linked to the Park, and the
Galician-Roman hill-fort of Baroña, at the extreme edge of the coastal border which stretches to the mouth of the Ría
de Muros and Noia. On this journey via the AC-550 road, we will find directions to two other protected lagoons, that of
Xuño and Muro, close to the famous beach of As Furnas which was immortalized by Amenábar in his film Mar adentro
[The Sea Inside].
Singular nature
The area boasts a good natural representation of the coastal ecosystems, with plants specific to dunes complexes
along with an interesting collection of flowering plants. Likewise, reeds and rushes typical of the mudflats. A botanical
paradise for specialists interested in rare and unusual plants.
The same occurs with the fauna: various habitats with many possibilities, including outstanding bird communities
associated with fresh or salt water environments: anatidae, sandpipers, sea birds and others.
Information and facilities
Centro de Recepción de Visitantes Casa da Costa
Centro de Interpretación do Ecosistema Litoral de Galicia (CIELGA)