Autumn arrives and Galicia changes colour. The greens of summer begin to blend with yellows, ochres, oranges and reds, while leaves cover the paths and the forests become one of the great spectacles of the season.
It is the perfect time to put on your walking boots, follow a trail and discover how each landscape undergoes its own transformation. From the mountains of Lugo to the Sil Canyon, passing through Atlantic woodlands and forests of hazel and birch, Galicia offers many different ways to enjoy autumn.
Ancares and O Courel: autumn in the mountains
In eastern Galicia, Os Ancares and O Courel are home to some of the region’s most distinctive forests. A Fraga da Marronda, Cruzul e Agüeira, Os Ancares and A Devesa da Rogueira are among the routes that lead into these landscapes.
Here, oaks, chestnut trees, birches and other deciduous species offer an extraordinary variety of colours in autumn. A Devesa da Rogueira stands out for its biodiversity, while A Fraga da Marronda is home, among many other species, to beech trees growing at the westernmost edge of Europe.
This is a landscape made for unhurried walks, among mountains, streams and traditional villages.
Manzaneda and Trevinca: mountain forests
In the mountains of Manzaneda and Trevinca, the landscape changes with altitude. The trails through As Reboleiras do Navea, O Souto de Rozavales and O Teixedal de Casaio reveal different types of woodland in a landscape shaped by high peaks and deep valleys.
Autumn is a wonderful time to explore these areas and watch the deciduous trees transform the landscape, as the forests blend into the mountains of Ourense.
Ribeira Sacra: forests among vineyards and monasteries
In the Ribeira Sacra, autumn brings a special palette of colours. Forests line the Sil Canyon and mingle with vineyards planted on terraces, creating a landscape where greens, ochres and golden tones meet the rocky cliffs and the river.
Some of the most rewarding routes pass through Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil, Santa Cristina de Ribas de Sil and the Bidueiral de Montederramo, one of Galicia’s best-preserved birch forests.
At Santo Estevo, the riverside woodland combines Atlantic species with Mediterranean vegetation, while oak and chestnut trees surround the monastery. At Santa Cristina, thousands of chestnut trees cover the slopes of the Sil Canyon, creating a particularly beautiful scene when autumn arrives.
Fragas do Eume: a forest where green changes too
As Fragas do Eume are one of Galicia’s great Atlantic woodlands. The River Eume flows through a deep valley surrounded by oak, chestnut and birch trees, alders and magnificent ferns.
In autumn, deciduous leaves add shades of yellow and ochre to the woodland, while the forest retains much of its characteristic green. The trails reveal the river, old mills and Caaveiro Monastery, all beautifully integrated into the landscape.
One of the routes worth exploring is Os Cerqueiros, an 8-kilometre circular trail that leads into the woodland and also reaches the shores of the reservoir.
O Xurés: a forest on the border
In south-western Ourense, the Baixa Limia-Serra do Xurés Nature Reserve offers a different landscape, where forests meet impressive granite formations, rivers, waterfalls and mountain valleys.
It is a territory shared with neighbouring Portugal through Peneda-Gerês National Park, forming the Gerês-Xurés Transboundary Biosphere Reserve.
Here, autumn can be combined with walking trails, mountain scenery and even a thermal bath in the waters of the River Caldo.
Forests by the sea, too
Galicia’s woodland landscapes do not end in the mountains. On Cortegada Island, in the heart of the Arousa estuary, a forest of centuries-old laurel trees makes the island a truly distinctive place.
And on the coast of Lugo, O Souto da Retorta is known as the forest of giants, while in LalÃn, A Fraga de Catasós offers a short walk among monumental oak and chestnut trees, along a path carpeted with fallen leaves. A perfect image for this time of year.
A palette of colours to explore Galicia
Mountains, rivers, canyons, islands and valleys. Autumn transforms every forest in a different way and offers the perfect excuse to head out for a walk and discover Galicia at a slower pace.
Ochres among the chestnut trees, yellows in the birches, greens in the Atlantic woodlands and reddish tones appearing among the trees. Every path has its own palette.
All you need are comfortable walking boots, a little time and a willingness to let the landscape lead the way.
Because there are forests worth visiting in every season, but in autumn Galicia becomes a true palette of colours.
Fancy discovering it?
