Parque Natural Fragas do Eume

Fragas do Eume Natural Park protects the most extensive and best-preserved Atlantic forest on the Iberian Peninsula, covering 9,126 hectares in the province of A Coruña along the Eume river valley from its headwaters to the Ribadeume reservoir. The concept of a primeval Atlantic forest takes precise meaning here: the alders, oaks and chestnuts forming the upper canopy are between 200 and 400 years old, and the understorey accumulates such a density of ferns, mosses, lichens and liverworts that some areas resemble the primary forests of the Azores or Madeira. The valley's humidity, combined with temperatures that barely fall below 4°C in winter and rarely exceed 25°C in summer, creates conditions for this green tapestry to remain stable throughout the year.

The Eume river is the park's structural element. It rises in the Serra do Coto in the municipality of Monfero and travels around 75 kilometres before entering the Ares estuary. Within the park, the river flows through a slate and granite canyon with walls up to 400 metres in places, and its clear waters support populations of brown trout and Atlantic salmon that run upstream in autumn. The Ribadeume reservoir, built in 1963, floods the lower valley and acts as a hydrological regulator, though its presence partially altered the original fluvial ecosystem. The park's trails skirt the reservoir and penetrate into the old-growth forest zones of the upper valley.

The park's fungal and vascular plant biodiversity is extraordinary for a territory of this size. More than 300 vascular plant species have been catalogued, including several wild orchids and ferns of considerable rarity in western Europe, such as the chain fern (Woodwardia radicans) and Diplazium caudatum. Mosses and liverworts, indicators of mature forest ecosystems with high ambient humidity, form communities that carpet trunks, rocks and the ground with a continuous green layer that late afternoon lateral light turns into tones ranging from emerald to lemon yellow.

Within the park stands the Monastery of Caaveiro, founded in the 10th century by San Rosendo on a rock spur at the confluence of two Eume tributaries. The building preserves the Romanesque church and some monastic quarters, restored in the late 20th century for visitor use. Access to the monastery is on foot from the A Ponte do Eume car park (5 km one way) or by boat from the As Neves landing stage during high season. The route from A Ponte do Eume follows the river along a dirt path between alders and oaks with multiple crossings of small tributaries, totalling around 10 kilometres return along the riverbank.