Cíes Islands

The Cíes Islands form the southern gateway of the Illas Atlánticas National Park and have been called Galicia's Galápagos for good reason — grey seals haul out on exposed rocks above the surface while their kelp-forested underwater world teems with giant octopus, conger eels, and clouds of nudibranchs. Cold Atlantic upwellings keep the water rich in nutrients, driving an abundance of life that rivals any tropical reef in biomass. Visibility can reach 20 m in summer, revealing dramatic granite walls smothered in pink coralline algae, encrusting sponges, and sea urchin carpets.