Southeastern Sil River Route
A monastery, a castle, a charming traditional village, a magical forest, a walk along the most popular riverside walkways in Ribeira Sacra, and plenty of water: these are the essential elements of this circular route through the eastern Ribeira Sacra.
The day begins in Castro Caldelas, where you can visit that town’s medieval castle and explore its cobblestone streets. The historic centre contains attractions such as the House of Vicente Risco, a celebrated Galician writer associated with “Xeración Nós”, the sgraffito decorations at Praza da Torre square, and the Church of Our Lady of Los Remedios.
Once you have finished your walk around town, take the OU-536 in the direction of Ourense, until you reach the junction with the road leading to Montederramo OU-0602. In that town you can visit the Monastery of Santa María, while is closely connected to the origin of Ribeira Sacra (you need to book your visit in advance at https://turismo.ribeirasacra.org/es/reservas).
After the guided tour, go back to OU-536 and continue in the direction of Ourense. When you reach Vilariño Frío, turn onto OU-0604 to travel in the direction of Parada de Sil. When you reach that town, follow the signs leading to the Balcóns de Madrid/Os Torgás Viewpoint (Miradoiro dos Torgás), which is undoubtedly the most famous viewpoint in Ribeira Sacra.
After this, return to the centre of the town to continue along the OU-0605 in the direction of A Teixeira. After driving for approximately 10 minutes you will reach the place known as Chandrexa, where you will take a sharp turn to the left to head towards Entrambosrríos. Here you can visit the "grandfather" of the Galician chestnut trees, which is also known as the 1,000-year Chestnut of Entrambosrríos.
Next, return to the highway and continue along the same route, in the direction of A Teixeira. Your next stop will be the Mao River Walkways. This is a short riverside promenade along wooden walkways that have been built along the steep slopes of the Mao River canyon. You can stop after the wooden walkways, or continue by following the PR-G 177 hiking route until reaching the point where the Mao River flows into the Sil River.
Next, continue for about 15 minutes, first on OU-0605 and then changing onto OU-0607 in A Teixeira, until you see the signs indicating the start of the short hiking trail that leads to the Cachón River waterfalls. When travelling between the Mao River walkways and these waterfalls, you can also take the opportunity to stop in Cristosende, a charming village that also offers some spectacular views over the surrounding landscapes.
The last stop on this itinerary is the As Penas de Matacás Viewpoint, which offers a spectacular view of the Sil Canyon and the steep riverbanks covered with terraced vineyards, which are considered to represent a form of “heroic viticulture”.
Once you have reached this point, if you still have some energy left (and if it is not too late in the day already), there are some hiking trails that start at As Penas de Matacás and lead to some historic refuge caves, such as the one known as Mario’s Cave.
The old town of Castro Caldelas was declared a Historical-Artistic Site in 1998. It principally comprises the streets leading up to the Counts of Lemos Castle: Calle del Sol and Calle Grande. Cobbled roads which follow their mediaeval course, revealing interesting stone houses adorned with galleries and coats of arms. In one of these houses, now an inn, lived the famous Galician writer and politician Vicente Risco
The monastery of Santa María is located in the village of Montederramo, dominating the square “O Mosteiro”.
One of the most spectacular viewpoints in Galicia, and unquestionably the most breathtaking in the Ribeira Sacra.
This beautiful chestnut tree, a giant 15 metres tall and more than 9 metres in girth, stands in a fairytale copse. It is in a native wood that has a number of other centuries old chestnut trees and the remains of drying houses and traditional mills dating back over 700 years.
Beginning at the Fábrica de la Luz, we can explore the walkways along the river Mao until it flows into the Sil.
The Fervenza de Cachón is one of the waterfalls formed by the Vaos river before it flows into the river Sil.
The lookout point is at an altitude of over 500 metres and is, as its name suggests, situated on the Peñas, or rocks, of Matacás. From here there are some impressive views of the Sil Gorge.
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You can also add a catamaran boat trip on the river to this itinerary, either at the end or beginning of the day (if you do this, we recommend travelling the route in reverse). These trips depart from the boat docks at Ponte do Sil or at Abeleda.
You can also finish this route with a wine tourism activity at the end of the day, such as a visit to a winery.