Sil Canyon

For the last fifty kilometres before it joins the Miño, the river Sil runs through a deep, winding gorge in the interior of Galicia, its walls dropping as much as 500 metres to dark water, in places almost vertically and elsewhere at slopes of more than 50 degrees. What makes the Sil Canyon remarkable is not only its depth but the way people have worked it: on the sunniest slopes, terraces of vines climb in narrow steps from the river's edge towards the rim, an agricultural landscape that is widely considered the most spectacular scenery in Galicia.

The gorge marks the natural boundary between the provinces of Ourense and Lugo, and its protected area takes in parts of the municipalities of Nogueira de Ramuín, Pantón, Parada de Sil and Sober. Its origin is tectonic rather than purely river-cut: fractures split the old plateau into huge blocks, and the Sil settled into the resulting channel. Between the water at Os Peares, about 109 metres above sea level, and the summit of Pena do Alfaiate at 1,014 metres, the relief creates a mosaic of microclimates. Sun-baked slopes support Mediterranean plants, including olive trees, strawberry trees and tree heath, while the shaded banks keep Atlantic woods of birch, chestnut and hazel. Peregrine falcons and short-toed eagles hunt over the gorge, otters and several bat species live along it, and it is listed as a Natura 2000 site. Several large dams, among them San Esteban and San Pedro, have turned stretches of the river into long, still reservoirs, now navigated by tourist catamarans.

Winemaking here is generally believed to go back to Roman times, and it was sustained in the early Middle Ages by the many monasteries and hermitages founded along the river, which gave the surrounding district its name, Ribeira Sacra. The vineyards belong to the Ribeira Sacra wine appellation, known above all for reds from the Mencía grape. A walking route of about 22 km along the southern bank links the monasteries of San Esteban and Santa Cristina, the latter set on a small chestnut-covered spur, passing a series of viewpoints over the canyon such as Vilouxe and Cerreda.

Getting there

The Sil Canyon lies in the Ribeira Sacra area of southern Galicia, between the provinces of Ourense and Lugo; the town of Monforte de Lemos is about 16 km to the north. The nearest airport by straight line is Bragança (BGC) in Portugal, about 84 km away across the border; the nearest in Spain is Santiago de Compostela Airport (SCQ), about 99 km to the north-west.