isles and birds route

Our ship, the Neptuno Sub and the “Isles and birds’ Route” will get us close to areas of the Umia-O Grove inter-tidal complex, such us breeding floating platforms, lagoons, bird-contemplation spots… in addition, you’ll be able to enjoy seabed sighting while tasting local products.

 A Toxa island

A Toxa has become famous thanks to its thermal waters and its magnificent health-spa resort. A Toxa island is located in O Grove’s creek and joint to it by a beautiful bridge dated from the beginning of  the 20th C. It provides an important hotel resort as well as casino, golf course, swimming pools, etc… and a heavenly environment that makes it unique in the Galician geography.

 Lagoons

This is one of the areas of the natural space deeply modified by man. The clayey nature of its soil has been a mean to using this material for a long time, to manufacture tiles and bricks. Nowadays, the former extraction pits has become interesting lagoons full of life.
Ducks, “black demons”, grebes, river chickens and other species of birds inhabit these places sheltered by marsh vegetation.

 Curlews

An unmistakable bird thanks to its long and curved beak. The royal curlew (Numenius arquata) is one of the biggest limicolous bird that visit the Umia-O Grove creek.
In the winter, we can find more than two hundred individuals. During the turns to spring and autumn we can also observe whimbrels.

 Mallards

The royal mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is the commonest
duck in Europe. While in this natural space, the mallard is sedentary and breed around the lagoons, puddle areas and bulrushes. To this indigenous population we have to add a great number of over-wintering species, that make the inter-tidal complex one of the most important habitats of Galicia.

 Bateas

The waters of the Arousa estuary lead the world’s ranking in plankton abundance (body of microscopic animals and plants), that serve as food to delicious well-known seafood.
The local economy revolves around gastronomy. Nearly 3.000 bateas, floating breeding structures for mussels and oysters, work for an annual 270.000 ton production (Galicia is the second world producer, only after China), a legion of on-foot and boat shellfish gatherers, and a boat fleet for coastal fishing… make the Arousa estuary a region deeply marked by fishing and shellfish gathering, also leaving a trace in the local culture and traditions.

 O Grove

The district has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Different castros and petroglyphs prove the existence of human population since prehistoric time.

The Salnés district is rich in hereditary, archaeological remains from different ages: Constructions from the 6th and 5th centuries before Christ, necropolis (Adro Vello), ceramic materials from the 1st and 2nd centuries, defensive towers against the Vikings (A Lanzada and San Sadurnino towers, 10th C.), and a great deal of churches, chapels and hermits belonging to
different styles and ages.
Not only constructions did our ancestors leave, but some beliefs and legends as well, like for example, the well-known pre-Christian rite of the nine waves of A Lanzada, for female fertility.