20 things you have to know about the Cies Islands

The Cies Islands National Park is located in the Pontevedra province, in Rias Baixas. This archipelago has been becoming more and more famous every year, and it's well deserved. Beaches with crystal clear water, white sand, rocky landscapes, fauna, flora, friends, family, sun, Galician gastronomy, beach bars, and a good time.

The Cies Islands offer activities for every kind of personality. If you fancy a rest, there's a beach. If you're sporty or you simply like nature, there are different places where you can take part in some sport or just get closer to the flora and fauna. If you like photography, this Galician scenery and its sunsets are awaiting you.

For all these reasons, the Cies Islands have been making themselves more and more popular, so if you're planning to spend a few days on the archipelago, the 20 following things I'm going to tell you about might interest you.

1. In 2007, the Cies Islands soared into international fame when the British newspaper The Guardian included the Playa de Rodas in its article "The top 10 best beaches in the world". This beach is probably the best known of the islands. It's an enormous beach that you'll find just next to the port. This is where the shipping lines dock, so the first impression you'll get on arrival is not bad at all. When I went to Cies, we woke up early to go hiking when it wasn't too hot so at 9am, we were lucky enough to walk across the beach whilst it was completely empty. I'll leave you the photo.

2. There are 3 Cies Islands in total: Isla de San Martino, Isla de Montefaro (or simply Isla do Faro), and Isla de Monteagudo. The Playa de Rodas is the one that joins the last islands mentioned together. Also, to get from Montefaro to Monteagudo, you can cross over a stone footbridge. When the tide is high or there's bad weather, you have to be careful as the waves break against the footbridge and it can be dangerous. Also, when there's a storm, the waves surpass the footbridge and sometimes cut off access between the islands. On the other hand, when the tide is low, a kind of natural pool is formed, where you can even see fish swimming about.

3. There's an very well set up camping area. It's ideal if you want to spend a few days enjoying and exploring the Cies. Mind you, book in advance because the places are filled up very, very quickly. The camping is relatively close to the port, which is perfect because you don't have to carry all your belongings for very long. Right in the campsite there's a small corner shop, a place to charge your phones for free and there's also a restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The areas where you put your tents up are huge and the atmosphere is very calm.

4. Cies is also a place that's full of science. Right now there's a very interesting project being carried out, called CoastSnap. It's a completely altruistic project. The idea is that the people who visit the Cies Islands take a photo from the same viewpoint and share it on social media, including the exact time that they took it. At the fixed point (there's a structure of stainless steel where you place your phone), it gives you the location, height and angle of where to take this photo from. In this way, when they have a load of photographs, it's possible to study and find conclusions about how the coastline is changing: whether the beach is in relapse or whether it's stable. They have already compiled some photos from the year 2018 and as all of them were taken in the same place, by putting them all together it forms a one-of-a-kind timelapse of the Playa de Rodas. The first bases were placed in Australia, and then in Cíes it only takes about seven months, and the idea is to place six more bases in six different points of the Galician coast. To some extent, this idea is a way to bring science a little closer to people.

5. Cies is not only full of life in the summer. In April 2016, a group of photographers from Barcelona, whose project was called "Polar Expedition", who decided to come to the Atlantic to explore and photgraph the islands. It was a kind of photography course where professors and their apprentices did excursions all over the islands. They learned about and enjoyed a cloudier and less touristic version of the Cies Islands. During the three days they were there, each one of them contemplated what the concept of an "island" means for them, and they tried to capture it in an image. Shipwrecked, infinite, isolation, silence or refuge were some of the ideas that they wanted to show. Here I'll leave you the web page from the Polar Expedition. Without a doubt, it's also a model used to inspire and create art.

6. Since 2018, to avoid surpassing the number of recommended tourists coming to the islands, you need authorisation to access the archipelago. You can obtain this document through a web page that the council have set up. This novelty allows the number of visitors to the islands to be controlled to avoid an exceeded capacity. This is because in previous years, some shipping lines were selling more tickets than permitted. In this way, the only people who will be able to get on the boat are those people who have authorisation from the Xunta. So as a fact, 2,200 people, at maximum capacity, can visit the island for the day.

7. The water at these beaches is extremely cold. I don't know anyone who would say any different. Even so, it's all about getting accustomed to it, and in the end you'll always see a lot of people taking a dip or two. However, if you're from the Mediterranean, for you it might be a bit complicated. A wetsuit won't hurt.

8. You can only find sandy beaches on the inner part of the island, in the East. This isn't only true for Cies, but for all the Rias Baixas islands as well. This happens because the external part (situated in the West) is constantly being eroded and you'll only see cliffs or beaches made up of rocks.

9. The well known Lagoa dos Nenos was formerly a fresh water lake. As you will read. The explanation is the following: before, the sea level was a few metres lower than it is now. This, linked with the fact that the climate was warmer has formed a fresh water lagoon. Little by little, this lagoon was overflowing and it wasn't until 700 years ago when finally, the sea level reached the height where it could flood the surface of the island. This means that the lake nowadays, is salt water.

10. You can go on kayaking routes. As well as the activities that I mentioned in the introduction, you must know that you can do 4 different routes by kayak. I have never tried is, but I would love to see the islands from the outskirts and from this perspective it must be quite an experience. For me, it's always interesting to see places from different angles, wherever I am. I often look for a photo of the location from above with a drone, as you can always discover new things this way. The same thing happens with the satellite view on Google Maps, or from this kayak trip! WIthout a shadow of a doubt, this entertainment option gives extra points to the Cies Islands.

11. Why is the sand on these islands so white? The answer is that it's so white because the majority of it is actually quartz. The formation of this current scenery started 600 years ago. The waves and currents eroded the sand from the old beaches, which little by little was creating the current sandy space. Nowadays, the majority of the white and transparent sand on the Playa de Rodas is thousands of years old and if you look at it in detail, you can appreciate their round shape they have due to their continuous transport it endures. That is due to the wid and currents of the tides and swell.

12. Be careful with the seagulls. Don't leave your food in sight of them because they will take it. Also, don't get close to them, especially during nesting periods. There a loads of them, and they can even get quite aggressive. Bear in mind that we are invading their natural habitat. And in fact, a curious fact about the seagulls is that right here, you'll find the biggest colony of yellow footed gulls on the whole planet.

13. In this natural park, there are no bins. There is a recycling point in the campsite, but it's better that you put all your rubbish in your own bags and throw it away when you get back.

14. Where comfy shoes, take enough water to keep yourselves hydrated and don't forget suncream. It's the typical advice you'd hear from your mum, but you will be grateful when you can lend a hand to anyone who needs one of the three things. The terrain is rocky and the sun is intense and very strong. After an hour of walking and once you've arrived at your destination, the cold, fresh water will taste of glory. Despite the heat, the trip by boat to the island can be quite cold, especially if you sit in the open air section of the boat. So, a little jacket or cardigan wouldn't go amiss.

15. The routes that appear on the Cies maps can be done in a very short amount of time. At least that's from my experience, and I don't walk particularly quickly. I'm telling this now so you're in the know for when you plan your visit so you can organise what you're doing with as much time as you need. So, when you do the Faro de Cies route, the most famous one, take off half the time it indicates on the map. This is my favourite route because the path is in a zigzag shape and when you reach the peak, the reward is incomparable. Like I say, the person who calculated the amount of time it would take to do this route probably thinks you're a tortoise. It will never take as much time as it says. The good thing is that at certain points instead of indicating the time it takes, the put how many kilometers are left to go, which makes it easier to calculate how long it will take you.

16. If you're a fan of nude beaches, you're in luck! I recommend going to Playa Figueiras. It's not as big of a beach as Rodas, but that's a positive aspect because it means the beach can't get as crowded. It's quite a quiet place that has the same characteristics as the rest of the island: crystal clear and blue water; soft pearl-coloured sand; the smell of the sea and a good atmosphere.

17. Exploring is the way to enjoy the island to the fullest. Don't just simply go to the best known beaches. Go and discover places that don't show up on maps nor on the internet. When I went for the first time, we spent all day walking and in the end, we found beaches, cliffs, nooks and crannies where there was absolutely no one. Enjoy the sound of the sea and be far from the hubbub of people is one of the best feelings you can have in this natural paradise.

18. Enjoy yourself. First and foremost, this paradise is for relaxing, being with people that complete you, enjoying and disconnecting.

19. Respect the environment. You cannot take anything home with you, not even a rock, that belongs to the park. You can't make little mountains out of the stones they have there either. Yes, it's very pretty and it's become a fashionable thing to do lately. But, the reality is that it alters the elements of the archipelago's terrain and if it's done frequently enough, it could start to damage and deteriorate the scenery. And, even all the living beings that call the island home.

20. Get to know the best version of Cies. This is my own very personal opinion, but for me the time when Cies is prettiest, is during the first hour of light in the morning, or the last hour of daylight. Get up earlier, eat breakfast and go wherever you fancy most, so you can enjoy this place without anyone around you. You'll be lazing around on the beach for the rest of the day. And finally, go up to one of the highest points of the island so you can watch the sunset. From whatever rock that towers over the rest, look at the colours of the sunset with the sea, and the horizon in front of you. They are incomparable to anything else.

And that's finally it for the post today. Aside from some useful advice, you now have very interesting information about the islands. It's always comforting to go to a place you have a lot of information about. So if you do it in this way, you will value your stay much more. If you have never been to the Cies Islands, I hope that I've planted some ideas in your head and if you already had them, I hope that you now have even more desire to go! Just like me right now, actually.

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