Areoso Island — the so-called “Galician Caribbean”, right in the Ría de Arousa — is a protected natural area. That is why, to land and walk on the sand, you need an authorization from the Xunta de Galicia. This guide explains, simply, what the permit is, when it is required and how to get it step by step. And at the end, how we process it for you, free, when you book your trip.
Do I really need a permit to visit Areoso?
To land on the islet, yes. Access is regulated to protect its fragile dune system and heritage, so the number of daily visitors is limited and nominal.
An important nuance: the authorization is free for everyone. It is not something “only LEBBO has” — anyone can request it. What changes with us is that we take the paperwork and the waiting off your hands.
And it is enforced: environmental rangers patrol the islet, and in the 2025 season alone they reported 70 violations, most of them for landing without authorization.
- Required to land and set foot on the islet.
- Personal and non-transferable: issued in each visitor's name.
- The quota is around 150 visitors per day, split across three time slots.
When is it required?
The authorization is mandatory in high season: Easter week and from 15 May to 30 September. During the rest of the year access is also regulated, subject to quotas and the conditions of the protected area.
In summer and on long weekends spots go fast: between May and September 2025 there were 11,372 bookings — over 80 visitors a day on average — and in August the quota filled up almost daily. Sort the permit as early as possible.
Watch the tides too: on very high tides the beach is almost fully covered and the portal simply does not allow bookings on those days, even in high season.
How to get it yourself, step by step
If you want to handle it on your own, the official process is done on the areoso.xunta.gal portal. You file one request per vessel — the one that will anchor or dock — with all its visitors, across 4 screens:
- 1. Booking details: choose the access type — motor docking (10 spots per slot in high season), motorless docking such as kayaks (12 spots), or anchoring (20 spots) —, the time slot, the number of people and the date.
- 2. Applicant details: name and surnames, ID document, contact details and address.
- 3. Visitor details: name, surname, birth year and ID for each person landing.
- 4. Confirmation: download your authorization PDF and keep the locator code (AREOSOYXXXXXXX format) for the day of your visit.
The easy way: we handle it for free when you book
This is our advantage. On most sites you have to get the permit yourself, wait, and then book the kayak or boat separately. With LEBBO it all goes together: you book your trip and we process your Xunta authorization for you, automatically and at no extra cost. You get instant confirmation, without using the government portal and without waiting.
We are the only platform integrated with the Xunta for this. And if you prefer to manage the permit yourself, you can — we will show you the steps.
Practical details of the kayak trip to Areoso
- Departure: Praia de Espiñeiro (A Illa de Arousa).
- Duration: about 4 hours.
- Departure slots: 09:00, 13:00 and 17:00 (Xunta time slots). The 13:00 slot is the most popular: almost 4 in 10 visits.
- From €30 for a single kayak (€50 double); live price and availability on the activity page.
- Xunta permit included and instant confirmation.
Before you go: rules of the protected area
- No camping or overnight stays.
- No services (no toilets, no drinking water): bring what you need.
- Take all your litter with you.
- Respect dunes, vegetation and archaeological zones.