Cortegada Island

The Isle of Cortegada is situated between Vilagarcia de Arousa and the Ulla river, and it is of great botanical interest due to its laurel trees and the mycological diversity

Cortegada is originally a rock emerged from the sea although covered by a sandy floor where is the largest laurel forest in Europe. The Isle that had been visited by Roman geographer Plinius the young is accessible on low tide by the Carro way, in a distance of 200 metres between Carril and Cortegada. 

The northern part of Cortegada shelters the largest Laurel forest in Europe (Laurus nobilis). Special climate characteristics have conserved this fragile space, and even though Cortegada's grove forest is quite poor due to low penetration of solar light there is a very rich variety of mushrooms (45 species) like the Callistosporium xantophyllum, Clarulinopsis laeticolor, Clitopilus intermedius, Ramariopsis kunzei deformis or Stigmatolemna poriaeforme. The very rare Hypoxilon cohaerens microsporum also grows in Cortegada.