Galicia-The Celtic Motherland
![Celtic-Motherland.jpg](https://galiciadestinosostible.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Celtic-Motherland.jpg)
1st Day, arrival:
Depart to the Gran Talaso Hotel Sanxenxo ****, one of the best hotels in Galicia and where we’ll spend the night throughout our trip.
Arrival, room allocation and traditional dinner. Once dinner is over, we’ll get together to give you a presentation of the trip and a preview of the routes we will be taking over the next few days.
Then we can all go back to our wonderful rooms for a rest.
2nd Day:
We’ll start the day off with a magnificent breakfast.
Afterwards, we’ll leave accompanied by our guides to start our route to Mount Pindo. Also known as the Celtic Olympus or Sacred Mount, it’s the oldest geological point in Galicia, an ancient volcano that is part of a special conservation area within the Natura 2000 Network.
We’ll start with a mindful route walking up the mountain, ascending in silence while connecting with nature and observing the colossal granite formations in our path. On the walk, the guides will tell us about the Celtic legends of the area. Later, we’ll enjoy a guided meditation while being immersed in Celtic sounds.
At the end of the morning, we’ll head to Fisterra to the restaurant where we’ll be greeted with a typical lunch made with natural local products.
We’ll continue the activity in the vicinity of the Fervenza do Ézaro formed at the mouth of the river Xallas, which flows into the sea in the form of a waterfall, dropping a spectacular 30 metres into the Atlantic Ocean. We’ll approach the foot of the Celtic Olympus by kayak, discovering unique places that will bring us closer to our ancestral culture, feeling the force of the water at the foot of the waterfall.
At the end of the route, we’ll go back to our hotel, where we’ll have time to freshen up and rest.
3rd Day:
We’ll start the day off with a magnificent breakfast.
Next, accompanied by our guides, we’ll head towards Castro Baroña, located on a small peninsula and inhabited between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD. It has two defensive walls and some 20 circular or oval-shaped dwellings, typical of the hillforts, have been preserved. During our tour, we’ll hear all about the Celtic legends and traditions of the area, ending with a personalised floral offering to our magical Atlantic Ocean.
Then we’ll enjoy a typical lunch in a local restaurant.
Afterwards we’ll go to Ribeira, to the Axeitos dolmen. These are the remains of a Neolithic chambered corridor tomb dating to between 4000 and 3600 BC. On arrival at the dolmen, we’ll practice a session of meditation inside accompanied by music and ancestral sounds dedicated to our ancestors.
We’ll then return to the hotel, and round off the day with a traditional private dinner set to Celtic music in the hotel’s Taberna Celta.
4th Day:
We’ll start the day off with a magnificent breakfast with sea views.
From here we’ll go on to Catoira. More than a thousand years ago, Vikings landed on the Galician coasts at Catoira, a town in Pontevedra, in the heart of the Ria de Arousa, which was the entrance by sea to Santiago de Compostela. We’ll discover their culture during a visit to the Viking Museum. To get to know a little more about the customs of yesteryear, we’ll watch a 3D film that recreates what the Torres do Oeste were originally like. Our Viking brothers will welcome us in their Drakkar and we will enjoy the experience of sailing through the waters of the marshes of the beautiful Catoira, while being entertained by local Viking legends.
Next we’ll have a traditional lunch at the hotel with views of the sea.
In the afternoon, we’ll travel to Monte do Facho, a place where history is tinged with mythology… Here we’ll see the remains of the oldest pilgrimage sanctuary in Galicia, which dates back to the 4th century and where the god Berobreo was worshiped. The mythical enclave located in Donón (Cangas), on the edge of the Ria de Vigo, is a magical spot and was a major place of worship in ancient times. At the site, 174 stone altars consecrated to the god have been found, the largest concentration in the Iberian Peninsula.
Once at the top, we’ll discover the hillfort town and visit the former fort dwellings. We’ll then hand over the Ara Votiva to make our personal offering, petitioning for our ancestors and, weather permitting, we can enjoy an impressive sunset over the Cíes Islands.
Afterwards we’ll go back to the hotel, where we’ll be greeted by the heat of the steam baths and aromatherapy plants and enjoy a session in the thalasso spa, which will leave us feeling incredibly calm and relaxed.
We’ll round off the day with a private traditional dinner set in the period and accompanied by background music at the hotel’s Taberna Celta.
5th Day:
We’ll start the day off with a magnificent breakfast with sea views.
Then we’ll head towards Silleda, to the oak forest, accompanied by our guides.
We’ll descend through this spectacular route until we reach the majestic Fervenza do Toxa, where we’ll encounter a beautiful water spectacle featuring the waterfall of the river of the same name. Its botanical diversity, made use of by the monks of the Carboeiro and Camanzo monasteries for their pharmacopoeia, and a wonderfully preserved Atlantic forest make this spot unique and unparalleled, and one of the most impressive sights in Galicia due to its unrivalled beauty. Large birds such as crows and falcons nest in the imposing granite walls that flank the waterfall. Once at the waterfall, we’ll pay tribute through live music to the element of water, performing a purification and guided meditation with the sound of the waterfall at our feet.
Next we’ll have a traditional lunch at the hotel with views of the sea.
After lunch we will have free time to rest or go for a walk in the surrounding area (Silgar beach, centre of Sanxenxo, Punta Vicaño).
At the agreed time, we’ll head for the Fundación Manolo Paz, where we’ll visit the exhibition and private gardens, with an explanation of the secrets of the stone, and then take part in a magical guided meditation among the circle of menhirs sculpted by the hands of the artist.
After the visit we’ll go back to the hotel, where we’ll be welcomed by the heat of the steam baths and aromatherapy plants, ready to enjoy a thalasso session. We’ll round off the day with a private traditional dinner with Celtic music at the hotel’s Taberna Celta.
Relax in our comfortable rooms with sea views.
6th Day:
We’ll start the day off with a magnificent breakfast with sea views.
Then we’ll head towards the beginning of the Ruta da Pedra da Auga, one of the most classic and impressive hiking routes in Galicia and that runs along the banks of the river Armenteira as it passes through the municipalities of Meis and Ribadumia. We’ll engage our senses in the middle of nature by listening to live ancestral music, and then take part in a guided meditation session. We’ll later arrive at the Armenteira monastery, and when the visit is over, it’s time to relax and drink an infusion nearby.
Immediately afterwards, we’ll return to the hotel to enjoy a traditional lunch with sea views.
After lunch, we’ll have some time off to rest or enjoy a stroll around the hotel and at the agreed time, we’ll go to the Castro de Ribadumia, a fortified town from the Iron Age and one of the most important hillforts in Galicia, where our guides will tell us several stories about the place.
Next, we’ll return to the hotel to enjoy a session of thalassotherapy with traditional plants.
Then we’ll have some free time to get ready before attending the unforgettable Círculo del Viaje closing dinner, which will consist of a traditional private dinner at the hotel’s Taberna Celta where we can enjoy a unique seafood platter with fresh seasonal products, washed down by the best local wines. During dinner we’ll be accompanied by a Celtic/folk music group, and afterwards, we’ll take part in a spectacular queimada, which will add the finishing touch to this wonderful evening.
Relax in our comfortable rooms with sea views.
7th Day:
We’ll start our last day off with a magnificent breakfast with sea views.
Afterwards, you’ll be taken back to the starting point of the trip so you can return to your places of origin, marking the end of the trip and of a unique experience that will help you discover more about our majestic Celtic Galicia.
SUPPLIERS:
Accommodation at Gran Talaso Hotel Sanxenxo 4*
Two lunches in restaurants:
Planned restaurant in Fisterra ‘Restaurante del Semáforo de Fisterra’
Planned restaurant in Ribeira: ‘A Bodega’
Guides provided by Viajes Interrías
Kayak route around the Ézaro waterfall with Atlantis Aventura
Viking boat trip through the waters of the Catoira marshes with Alvamar Náutica
Transport: Autocares Novas Rías
Prices per person VAT included, in a double room and using circuit package, based on a minimum of ten people. The prices include only and exclusively the services detailed and are subject to availability at the time of booking and may vary depending on availability. The price does not include entrance tickets to museums and monuments, official guides, extra lunches in hotels or any services not specified. All the services and elements in the package constitute a complete and indivisible service, which cannot be split up for the purposes of partial use or price reduction. The waiver or non-use by the customer of any of the integrated elements or services shall not constitute grounds for any refund or reimbursement. The order of the excursions and visits may be modified depending on the days of the week and the dates of the year when the trip takes place, depending on weather and logistical conditions. Timetables may be modified to adapt to the needs of each group.