Monte Faro route, to the Cíes lighthouse

The longest and most visited route in the Cíes: it leaves from the information hut, next to the jetty, crosses Rodas beach and climbs along a track among pines and scrub to the Cíes lighthouse, at the highest point you can visit in the whole National Park. It is 3.5 km and an hour and a half each way according to the park, and the same path back: about 7 km and two and a half hours in all, with 175 m of ascent.

The path, stretch by stretch

It is waymarked in yellow. From the hut you take the concrete-rutted track that heads south, on the left, and in 25 or 30 minutes you reach the main junction on the Faro island. On the way you pass Rodas beach, almost a kilometre and a half long, a barrier beach that joins Monteagudo and the Faro island, and the Lago dos Nenos. It is closed off by a dyke built at the end of the 19th century to link the two islands when there were salting factories and a shellfish nursery here. In clear water you can see sea bream, mullet, gilthead or sea bass, and with patience an octopus or a spider crab.

Once on the Faro island you leave the campsite entrance on the left, pass the public toilets and reach the Information Centre. About 300 metres later, at the main junction, the track on the right climbs. At the first bend you see San Martiño island and Nuestra Señora beach below.

What you see

Halfway up, where the trees give way to gorse and rockrose, two short detours are worthwhile: the Pedra da Campá, a rock pierced by the salt-laden wind, and the bird observatory, facing the breeding areas of the yellow-legged gull and the shag, the park's two most representative seabirds. From there you can clearly see the difference between the gentle east face of the islands and the west, cut by the ocean.

The last steep bends lead to the summit and the lighthouse. At the top, with 175 metres of cliff beneath your feet and the gulls playing with the wind, you see the whole archipelago acting as a breakwater in front of the Ría de Vigo, and to the east, the estuary, Rodas and the lake.

Before you climb

It is the route most exposed to the weather: in fog or strong wind, the summit loses its charm and the park recommends bearing this in mind before setting out. Bring water, because there are no springs or shade on the route in the upper part, and walking footwear. Work out the time of the return boat and leave with a margin. The routes are linear and you cannot leave the waymarked paths.

A marked path links with the faro da Porta route, so you can come down by the south and do an almost circular route. If you still have legs left, in the afternoon there is Alto do Príncipe, on the other side of Rodas. Before going, arrange the Xunta permit and the boat to the Cíes.