International Camellia Society Congress 2014

POST-CONGRESS TOUR– Tuesday to Saturday, 16 to 21 March

Five nights (Vigo, O Grove and Santiago de Compostela hotels) and six days traveling around Pontevedra and A Coruña provinces in the Galician region (Northwestern Spain), including visits to the historic gardens, boat tour, nurseries and other tourist attractions.

Participants will know our most emblematic monuments and main attractions, and the camellias serve as a guide to visit those areas that we must not miss if we want to know this region.

Domingo, 16 de marzo

Departure from Pontevedra to visit Tui historical town and the Celtic archeological remains at Mount Santa Tegra, then enjoy lunch at A Guarda town with views to the Miño‘s rivermouth. Our final stop is Baiona, a beautifully situated little port town. This town was the first to hear of the discovery of America. Check in a hotel in Vigo.

Monday, 17 March

Guided visit in Pontevedra town which owns one of the most beautiful and best preserved historical collections of Galicia and reception at the Palacete Mendoza (Provincial tourist board). Then enjoy a boat trip along the Pontevedra estuary. In the evening participants will relax at the Toxa thermal hotel located in an exclusive small island near the coast.

Tuesday, 18 March

In the morning we drive to the heart of the Salnés valley to visit the Pazo Quinteiro da Cruz that has its own vineyards and is surrounded by beautiful gardens where species of great botanical interest thrive and having an outstanding collection of over 1,000 varieties of camellia. Next destination will be Pazo de Fefiñáns, housed inside a spectacular baronial palace which sits on the lovely main square of coastal Cambados town. The facility was built in the 17th century. This was the first producer to bottle wine under the Rías Baixas designation of origin. In the afternoon we travel to Pazo de la Saleta a garden with Australian, American, and eastern plants, such as Rhododendrons, azaleas, leptospermum, protaceas and camellia species such as C. caudata, C. crysantha, C. cuspidata, C. lutchuensis, C. oleifera, C. saluenensis, C. sinensis, C. reticulata, C. japonica and C. sasanqua. We stay at a hotel in the city of Santiago de Compostela.

Wednesday, 19 March

After breakfast we head towards Pazo de Oca, popularly denominated as the 'Galician Versailles'. In this garden we can find plants of exotic origin such as the criptomeria, taxus, evergreen magnolia, lagerstroemia, red sequoia, and camellias. There are more than 500 specimens of camellia disseminated in this garden, of which the Camellia reticulata ‘Captain Rawes' is the most outstanding camellia specimen. Lunch will be served at Pazo Cibrán, a manor house near Santiago de Compostela with a small garden with plenty of old camellia specimens. After lunch we visit Santiago de Compostela (Campus stellae, star field) whose city's Cathedral is the destination of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James. This beautiful city has winding medieval streets full of historical buildings. Return to the hotel in Santiago de Compostela.

Thursday, 20 March

We will visit the Pazo de Santa Cruz de Rivadulla, which is considered, by many as the most fascinating ornamental botanical space in Galicia, both due to its flower content and its landscape value. Many of the species in the garden are several centuries old (magnolia, box hedges, olive trees, tree ferns, palm and orange trees and camellias…). Especially noteworthy is the cross-shaped olive walk. Today the manor house is home to a camellia nursery with a great variety of cultivars for sale. After lunch we drive to Torre Figueroa, having amazing box hedges and a large collection of camellias belonging to the 19th and 20th century. The current proprietor of the building is the son of the man who was Director for Spain of the ICS until his death in 1981. Return to the hotel in Santiago de Compostela.

Friday, 21 March

After breakfast, we will head for A Coruña city, the capital of the province. It is worth to see the historic city, its promenade which is one of the longest in Europe and the Hercules Tower, an old Roman lighthouse and the only one still functioning today. We go on to Pazo de Mariñán, a garden composed by a net of perpendicular walks with box hedges that take the form of flowers, stars, crosses, rings and shields… In this garden the camellia can be seen alone, forming groups or small woods. However, the most striking form in which the camellias can be seen in the garden is forming '8 +1' groups, in which eight plants are arranged forming a circumference and one planted in the centre. In the afternoon we will visit the Camellia Exhibit in Narón, one of the most important camellia shows in our region. Return to the hotel in Santiago de Compostela.

Saturday, 22 March

End of the trip. Departure to airports.