Cíes Islands

National Park (Atlantic Islands)

Iberian Peninsula (Galicia)Declared in 2002433 km²

Nicknamed the Islands of the Gods by the Romans; the British newspaper The Guardian named them the best beach in the world in 2007

Area

433 km²

Protection category

UICN II

Parque nacional — what the IUCN categories mean

Declared in

2002

Region

Iberian Peninsula (Galicia)

Climate

Árido / desértico, Templado, Mediterráneo, Montañoso

Best time

All year round

Plan your visit

Best time: All year round
Area: 433 km²

Highlight

Nicknamed the Islands of the Gods by the Romans; the British newspaper The Guardian named them the best beach in the world in 2007

Part of the Atlantic Islands of Galicia Maritime-Terrestrial National Park since 2002, the Cíes Islands were named Insulae Deorum — islands of the gods — by the Romans for their exceptional beauty. In 2007 the British newspaper The Guardian declared their Rodas beach the finest in the world, which sent their popularity soaring and led the Galician authorities to cap daily visitor numbers through a permit system, in order to protect an island ecosystem that holds the largest yellow-legged gull colony in Europe.

Location

See on the interactive map

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1 dive site within 300 km is also shown.

245 species documented in Cíes Islands

9 Mammals79 Birds2 Reptiles18 Cartilaginous fish59 Fish3 Cirripedia5 Cephalopoda14 Bivalvia20 Malacostraca8 Gastropoda2 Hydrozoa2 Holothuroidea1 Insecta2 Echinoidea1 Calcarea2 Asteroidea1 Anopla3 Polychaeta1 Ascidiacea2 Petromyzontida1 Crinoidea3 Scyphozoa1 Myxini2 Ophiuroidea1 Thaliacea2 Anthozoa1 Polyplacophora

At conservation risk:Pardela balear,Aguja azul del Atlántico,Angelote,Anjova,Atún rojo,Bacalao del Atlántico,Caballito de mar europeo,Cachalote,Cazón,Dentón,Eglefino,Gaviota tridáctilaand 16 more