Tambo island: Lazaretto and buildings

About this heritage

In the centre of the Pontevedra´s estuary we find Tambo island, which has an area of 28 hectares. The island is part of the municipality of Poio and although it does not belong to any specific parish, it is the Naval School of Marín that is in charge of its surveillance. If we want to access the island by sea, it is necessary to ask for a Ministry of Defence´s permission.

The island has an oval and pyramidal shape and is surrounded by trees. Its highest point is San Facundo Mountain, 80 meters above the sea-level. It has a great history and many legends are told about it. To the south of the island we find a small peninsula that, if we see it from land, it looks almost like an island, where the Tambo island´s Lighthouse is located. In the northern part it has two beaches joined together (Area da Illa and Adreira) as well as three small piers. The island´s near waters are known for their great richness in seafood and fish.

Tambo island´s Lighthouse, also known as the “Tenlo Chico” lighthouse, has its origin in 1955. This beautiful lighthouse has a 20 meter tower covered with masonry and painted to provide it more visibility.

In the 19th century, specifically in 1865, the Tambo lazaretto was established, a building initially created to confine crew members or passengers who might suffer from contagious diseases. In 1879 it was closed due to the protests received from the people of Pontevedra, moving it to San Simón island, in Vigo´s estuary, due to the rise of the city at that time.

To learn more

On the Tambo island, its small church and the legend that accompanies it deserve special attention, since according to the story, San Fructuoso walked from the island to Poio, where he founded San Xoán Monastery. The island´s monastery was destroyed by the attacks of Francis Drake, the pirate, but today the old monastery-church dedicated to St. Michael and a beautiful fountain are still standing.

In the highest part of the island, evidence of the existence of an ancient Castro (Traditional Military Fortress) dating from the 6th century B.C. was found. Also in an isolated way, different archaeological pieces were found, such as naval mills or a Silex´s nucleus in the vicinity of the lighthouse.

Tambo island contributes to the already evident beauty of our estuary with a great landscape value. To contemplate the island the most recommended point is the viewpoint of Punta Samieira, in Poio´s City Council. From this viewpoint, in addition to Tambo island, we can obtain spectacular views of the Pontevedra estuary with its polygons of shellfish-beds or rafts, Marín, Bueu and part of the Poio´s City Council.

Given that Tambo island is located in Arousa´s estuary, in addition to nature, visitors have other leisure options such as the San Xoán Monastery, the fishing village of Combarro declared a national artistic site and, of course, its rich and varied gastronomy and wines of international fame. As if that were not enough, the visit is completed with a great variety of white sand beaches and crystal clear waters.

To know it better

In the middle of Pontevedra´s estuary, between the municipalities of Marín and Poio, we find a small island known as “Tambo”. Oval in shape, it is completely covered with trees, mainly eucalyptus. It occupies about 28 hectares and its highest point is San Facundo mountain, which reaches 80 meters in height and is where we can enjoy beautiful views of the entire estuary. In addition, the island has the Tenlo lighthouse and two linked beaches, Area da Illa and Dreidá.

During the 19th century, a lazaretto was formed on this island, or what is the same, a hospital to treat passengers or crew members who arrived at the Marín´s Port with certain infectious diseases. This space worked until 1879, when it was moved to San Simón´s island, in Vigo´s estuary.

With the arrival of the Naval School in Marín, the island became a powder storage and even in the 1950s, attempts were made to build an airstrip for military aircraft. However, nowadays it is demilitarised.