Three out of the four Rias Baixas are sheltered by islands at their mouth, and these islands and surrounding waters make up the only national park in the province – Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park. Only declared a national park less than 20 years ago, a visit makes it easy to understand why they are being preserved for the future.
Because of the combination of their beautiful beaches and their proximity to the well-populated coast of the Rias Baixas, the park is a very popular destination for locals. Tour boats depart multiple times per day from a few of the larger surrounding cities, and by mid-afternoon the beaches teeming with people enjoying the warm sun and cool ocean water. But by evening, the last of the tour boats departs and the islands are back to a quiet state.
Since there are so many visitors, access is controlled via a permit system – in addition to buying a tour boat ticket, visitors from the mainland also have to reserve an online permit to visit the islands. On weekends and warm weather weekdays, the maximum number of visitors is reached.
Visitors by private boat have a couple of extra hurdles. First, each boat needs to apply for a permit to navigate inside the waters of the national park. Then, each day spent at the island requires a separate anchoring permit. These permits are in addition to the permit for visiting the island.
Luckily for us, the online permitting system is efficient and easy to use. We were able to use our limited Spanish to successfully apply for the various permits, and we felt lucky to be able to enjoy this beautiful part of the Galician coast.
