# Costa da Morte Cape and lighthouse of Fisterra, the Muxía sanctuary, the O Ézaro waterfall and the Vilán lighthouse, an hour and a quarter from Santiago and A Coruña. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/galicia/costa-da-morte · Revisado: 2026-11-13 The Costa da Morte (Coast of Death) is the stretch of Galician coast from Malpica to Fisterra, with a name that comes from shipwrecks: granite capes, lighthouses, open beaches and fishing villages. Here you will tour mainly its southern and best-known part, the one done in a day or a weekend from Santiago or A Coruña: Cape Fisterra, the Muxía sanctuary, the fervenza do Ézaro, which falls directly into the sea, and the Vilán lighthouse, in Camariñas. ## How do I get there from Santiago or A Coruña? By car. From Santiago, Muxía is an hour and a quarter away and Fisterra a little under an hour and a half, by the Negreira road or by the dual carriageway towards Carballo and the coast. From A Coruña the times are almost the same, entering via Carballo and Vimianzo. From Pontevedra allow an hour and three quarters or two hours. Without a car, the practical way to see several places in a day is a group excursion: Finisterre Express, by Optimus Tours, leaves Santiago at 9:00 and stops at Muros, O Ézaro, Fisterra and Muxía, from €52. ## Where do I park? Each place has its own car park: the one at the Fisterra lighthouse, at the end of the cape road, fills up at sunset in summer; in Muxía you can leave the car next to the sanctuary or in the port; Cape Vilán has parking next to the interpretation centre; at O Ézaro, the walk starts from the O Castrelo power station. What there isn't is public transport between them that works for a day. ## What do I do besides seeing lighthouses? Get in the water or walk. At O Ézaro, Atlantis Aventura takes you by kayak along the mouth of the Xallas to the foot of the waterfall, about two hours from €25, and from Fisterra or Corcubión it rents a skippered boat for six people, from €390 per boat. Above O Ézaro, the climb to A Moa, the summit of Monte Pindo, is three hours there and back. If you walk for several days, the Camiño dos Faros from Camariñas to Fisterra is four stages along the water's edge, with accommodation and luggage handled by an agency in Cee from €435. In the north, Razo beach, in Carballo, has had a surf school since 1991, and half an hour inland is the Dombate dolmen, a Neolithic tomb with paintings, open every day. ## How long do I need? A day is enough for two or three stops without rushing: Fisterra and O Ézaro, or Muxía and Camariñas. If you want to see all four, sleep one night, better two. The coast road is slow and each cape calls for its own walk. An order that works from Santiago: O Ézaro in the morning, lunch in Fisterra, the lighthouse in the afternoon and, the next day, Muxía and Cape Vilán. ## When to go From May to September the days are long and the sun sets late over the Atlantic, which is what everyone comes to see from Fisterra. In autumn and winter there are storms: the coast is wilder and the O Ézaro waterfall carries more water, but wind and rain shorten the walks. Some museums and centres change their hours according to the season: in 2025 the Vilán shipwreck centre opened Wednesday to Monday and the Fisterra fishing museum, Tuesday to Sunday. Confirm beforehand. In September is the romería of the Virxe da Barca at Muxía, a festival of National Tourist Interest. ## Where do I eat and sleep? For Sunday lunch, in Fisterra there is O Fragón, with views over the estuary and open every day at midday, and Tira do Cordel, the grill over Langosteira beach, which closes on Saturdays. In Muxía, A Lonxa de Álvaro, in the port; in Camariñas, Villa de Oro, with a Bib Gourmand. Both close on Wednesdays. To sleep, the Hotel Mar da Ardora, with a spa in Fisterra, or Casa de Trillo, a village house inland from Muxía that accepts pets. ## Dónde está - Zonas: Unusual places to stay in Spain - Cerca: O Grove, A Toxa and A Lanzada (a 56.3 km), Cambados (a 57.1 km), Santiago de Compostela (a 58.7 km), Combarro and Pontevedra (a 69.9 km) ## Qué hacer - **Cape Fisterra and its lighthouse** (1 h · Everyone · Free): The cape closes the long Fisterra peninsula to the south, about 3 km from the town along the lighthouse road. For centuries it was held to be the end of the world, Finis Terrae: beyond it, people believed, there was only an abyss of water where the sun went out each night. Today it is the traditional end of the pilgrims' road that continues from Santiago to the sea, and the place everyone climbs to watch the sun set over the Atlantic. The lighthouse At the top is the lighthouse, from 1853, 138 metres above the sea: an octagonal tower with the keeper's house, which Turismo de Galicia presents as the westernmost lighthouse in Europe and, in all likelihood, the most visited on the continent. Its light reaches up to 65 km out to sea to warn of a dangerous coast. In 1888 a foghorn was added that the town calls the Fisterra cow, for its lowing. Beside the lighthouse, the tribute square is dedicated to General San Martín and is called Plaza de la República Argentina. What you see From the cape you see the open ocean, the Corcubión estuary, the Carnota coast and the granite massif of Mount Pindo. On clear days, according to Turismo de Galicia, you can see south as far as the Portuguese border. At sunset the sun goes down over the sea, which is why in summer the esplanade fills with people. Getting there You reach it along the C-550 road from the town, well signposted, on foot, by car or by bus. By car, there is parking beside the lighthouse; in summer and at sunset it fills up, so go up early. On foot it is about 3 km from the town along the road, uphill all the way; bring something warm for the wind at the top. The Fisterra tourist office, on the seafront, gives information about the route. Look out with care: the rocks are slippery, the wind blows hard and there are no fences along the whole edge. With children, hold their hands near the edge, and keep dogs on a lead. What to combine Before going up, go down to the harbour: the fish market has a space from which you can watch the fish auctions, and next to it is the San Carlos castle and its fishing museum. For lunch, O Fragón looks over the estuary from the top of the town and Tira do Cordel is above Langosteira beach. In the morning, the Ézaro waterfall is on the way. - **Virxe da Barca sanctuary in Muxía** (45 min · Everyone · Free): It is the most visited place in Muxía: a Baroque sanctuary set on the point, on the smooth rocks where the sea breaks. Around it are the stones of the legends of the Virgin who came in a boat and the sculpture A Ferida, which recalls the Prestige oil spill. The pilgrimage of Nosa Señora da Barca, in September, is a Festival of National Tourist Interest. The legend and the stones According to tradition, the Virgin arrived in Muxía in a stone boat to encourage the apostle Saint James, and the great rocks around the sanctuary are said to be the remains of that vessel. Each has its name and its belief: the pedra de Abalar, the one that rocks; the pedra dos Cadrís, the kidney stone; the pedra dos Namorados, the lovers' stone; and the pedra do Temón, the rudder stone. The Muxía council records that healing and prophetic properties are attributed to these stones. Nearby are the fonte da Pel, where pilgrims and the sick washed before entering the sanctuary to be rid of leprosy, and the sala do Perello, some great rocks forming a small chamber. The sanctuary The church has been rebuilt several times, it is thought four, the last in 2015. On Christmas Day 2013 a fire destroyed the altarpiece and the roof; the outer walls, some pews and the confessionals were saved, and the side altars were recovered. The sanctuary is on Rúa Virxe da Barca, s/n. The council does not publish opening hours or Mass times; ask at the Muxía tourist office, on Praza da Pedra, or at the council, on 981 742 001. The Barca pilgrimage brings thousands of people together every September. If you coincide with it, park far away and arrive early. How to visit From the harbour it is ten minutes' walk along the coast; you can also leave the car beside the sanctuary. Afterwards climb Mount Corpiño, behind it, 68 metres, along a paved path: from the top you see the town, the estuary, Cape Vilán, the beaches of Leis and O Lago, Mount Facho and the points of Cachelmo and A Buitra, and it is a good place to watch the sunset. Do not step on wet rocks near the water: the waves rise higher than they seem, especially in heavy swell. With children, stay on the dry rocks and away from the shore. For lunch, A Lonxa de Álvaro, in Muxía harbour, closes on Wednesdays. To sleep inland in the municipality, Casa de Trillo accepts pets. And if you continue north, Cape Vilán, in Camariñas, is the next stop. - **Ézaro waterfall and viewpoint** (1 h · Everyone; the climb to the viewpoint by car or with strong legs · Free): At O Ézaro (Dumbría), the Xallas river plunges almost 100 metres over granite rocks and falls straight into the estuary, at the foot of Mount Pindo. The visit is free and at any time of day. The river and the waterfall The Xallas, which is also called the Ézaro river here, is 66 km long and is the most exploited river in Galicia for electricity generation, with four reservoirs and five power stations. The flow is regulated by dams, but since April 2011 the water always runs and the waterfall can be seen every day of the year. After heavy winter rain, with the reservoirs full, the sluice gates are opened wider and the flow grows a lot. Turismo de Galicia speaks of a drop of almost 100 metres; the Costa da Morte guide gives about 80. Either way, the view from below, with the white water falling onto the estuary, is the image of the place. How to get to the waterfall The waterfall is about 700 metres east of the centre of O Ézaro. The turn-off starts from the O Ézaro bridge; beside the old O Castrelo power station, now the Electricity Interpretation Centre, you go down some stone steps, cross the turbines' outflow channel and follow a wooden walkway to the foot of the waterfall. Allow an hour for the walk and the views. In summer, the waterfall is lit up some nights with a show of lights, projections and music. In 2025 it was on Fridays and Saturdays, and some Thursdays, from 5 July to 20 September, 22:30 to 0:30, free; the calendar for each summer is published on the Costa da Morte website. On those nights it is best to arrive early to park in O Ézaro. There are also guided kayak trips at the river mouth, at the foot of the Pindo, that reach the falls. The viewpoint and Mount Pindo Then go up to the O Ézaro viewpoint, 1.5 km from the centre, along a very steep road, with gradients close to 30% that the Vuelta a España has made famous: along the climb there are markers with the cyclists' times. At the top you see Mount Pindo, the mouth of the Xallas, Cape Fisterra and the Atlantic. The Pindo is a great granite massif, of high ecological value, with its summit at A Moa, 627 metres; you climb it by paths of some difficulty. The Monte Pindo and Fervenza do Ézaro interpretation centre, in Dumbría, was open in 2025 Tuesday to Saturday in the morning. From here, Fisterra is close: continue along the coast to Cape Fisterra and its lighthouse for the sunset, with a stop at the San Carlos castle. If you do not have a car, the excursion from Santiago stops here. - **Cape Vilán and its shipwreck and lighthouse centre** (1 h · Everyone; rainy days · 2 €): Cape Vilán, about 5 km from Camariñas, is a granite headland with the lighthouse on top; it was the first electric-light lighthouse in Spain. Beside it, in the lighthouse's service building, the interpretation centre tells of the ships sunk on this coast and how lighthouses work. You cannot climb the tower, or even reach its base. What you see inside The building has three rooms open to the public: The Shipwreck, Lighthouse and Maritime Signalling Interpretation Centre, with the history of the Costa da Morte shipwrecks and of the signals that guide ships. An audiovisual room, where videos about the Costa da Morte are shown, and one of the climb up the lighthouse, the way to see inside the tower you cannot climb. An exhibition room, with a different show each month. In 2026 it has hosted, among others, a group exhibition on the O Folón and O Picón mills, the Horizonte Vilán project by Juan Lesta, the work of Jean-François Robic and, as part of the FEM festival, "Coreografías do facer", on the memory and work of women. On the lighthouse website there are audio guides in Spanish, English, German and French to listen to during the visit; bring headphones. Hours and price The building is open from Easter to November. In low season and at Easter, Wednesday to Sunday 10:00 to 14:00 and 15:00 to 18:00, closed Monday and Tuesday. In July and August, Monday and Wednesday to Sunday 10:00 to 14:00 and 15:00 to 19:00, closed on Tuesday. Admission costs €2. The contact published on the lighthouse website is that of the Camariñas business association: to confirm before you go, call 647 608 158 or write to asociacionempresarioscamarinas@gmail.com. Turismo de Galicia also gives 662 488 253. Getting there and what to combine You get there by car from Camariñas along the cape road, and the centre has parking. From there short walks around the cape start, with views of the islets. In wind and heavy swell, do not go near the edge: the waves rise higher than they seem. Allow an hour for the centre and the walk. In the town, the Museo do Encaixe explains the bobbin lace that has made Camariñas famous, and Villa de Oro, with a Bib Gourmand, is the choice for lunch; it closes on Wednesdays. To the south along the coast is the Virxe da Barca sanctuary, in Muxía. In 2026, O Encaixe no Camiño and the Festa do Marisco were held in Camariñas from 24 to 26 July. - **Camariñas Lace Museum** (45 min · Rainy days, crafts · Check the price at the museum): Camariñas is the town of bobbin lace, made by the palilleiras, and its museum tells the history, evolution and value of a craft that has brought the town international fame. It is a good complement to Cape Vilán, about 5 km away, and an indoor stop if it rains. What you see According to Turismo de Galicia, the museum shows lace from Camariñas and other parts of the world, some of it centuries old, and the tools used to make it. The Costa da Morte presents it as the place to see pieces, understand the techniques and meet the palilleiras, who pass the craft down from generation to generation. The origin of lace in Camariñas is unclear: some versions speak of an Italian traveller who brought the craft and others place it in the Low Countries. Camariñas lace now carries the Artesanía de Galicia seal. It is kept alive by the palilleiras, their associations and the municipal bobbin schools, where children learn: at the last Mostra, the youngest presented their own designs. The Mostra do Encaixe The big event is the Mostra do Encaixe, held every Easter and a Festival of Tourist Interest in Galicia since 1999. In 2026 it was the 35th edition, from 1 to 5 April, with live demonstrations, workshops, lace fashion shows, exhibition and sales stalls and delegations from Argentina, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Arenys de Mar. In summer, at the end of July, Camariñas also holds O Encaixe no Camiño, which links lace with the town's history as a port on the Camino. If you can choose dates, the Mostra is when you will see the most lace and the most palilleiras together. Hours and how to get there The 2025 Costa da Morte guide gave the museum as open every day from 10:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 20:00. Neither the 2026 hours nor the price appear in an official source: confirm both at the tourist office or the Camariñas council before you go. Allow about 45 minutes. Around the town you will see palilleiras working at their doors and lace shops: if you want to buy, ask about the Artesanía de Galicia seal. For lunch, Villa de Oro, with a Bib Gourmand, is in Camariñas and closes on Wednesdays. Afterwards go up to Cape Vilán and its shipwreck centre, and if you still have time, continue to the Virxe da Barca sanctuary, in Muxía. - **San Carlos castle and fishing museum in Fisterra** (30 min · Rainy days, families · Check the price at the museum): Beside Fisterra harbour, on the rocks at the southern end of A Ribeira beach, the castle of San Carlos is a small coastal fortress that now houses the Museo da Pesca, with the history of the town's fleet and fishermen. It is a short visit, indoors, and a good plan for a rainy day or for killing time before sunset at the lighthouse. Its history It was one of four fortresses the Bourbons ordered built in the mid-18th century to defend this coast, designed by the French engineer Carlos Lemaur. The irregular wall follows the shape of the rocks it stands on, and its gun embrasures point in three directions: to Cape Fisterra, to the middle of the estuary and to the town. Inside there was a building for a small garrison. In 1809 French troops invaded Fisterra, sacked the town and burned the castle. At the end of the 19th century, the local businessman Plácido Castro Rivas bought the ruins and gave them to the town council to build a school, but the project did not go ahead for lack of funds; after the war there was a plan to turn it into a museum, and that too failed. The building changed hands and use several times until the Fishermen's Guild raised the money to create the museum in 2006. It opened two years later and has received more than 100,000 visitors. What you see The museum tells the story of Fisterra fishing, with gear, boats and the history of the town's fleet, in the same walled enclosure from which the estuary was watched. For years, the local poet Francisco Manuel López Martínez, who signs as Alexandre Nerium, explained the visit to those who came. Allow half an hour. Hours and how to get there In 2025 it opened Tuesday to Saturday 11:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 19:00, and Sunday 11:00 to 14:00; on Mondays it is closed. The price does not appear in the official sources consulted: ask at the Fisterra tourist office, on the seafront, which will also confirm this year's hours. You walk there from the harbour. Next to it is the fish market, which has a space from which you can watch the fish auctions. Afterwards, go up to Cape Fisterra and its lighthouse, about 3 km away, and for lunch, O Fragón, with views of the estuary, or Tira do Cordel, above Langosteira beach. - **Group trip to Fisterra, Ézaro and Muxía from Santiago** (9 h · Without a car · Desde 52 € per person): If you do not have a car, the Costa da Morte can be seen in a day from Santiago with a group excursion. Finisterre Express, by Optimus Tours, stops at Muros, the Ézaro waterfall, the town and lighthouse of Fisterra and Muxía, with a guide in Spanish and English. It leaves Santiago at 9:00 and lasts about nine hours. What is included and the cost The trip includes transport, a guide throughout the route and travel insurance. Optimus Tours advertises it on its website from €52 per person; on the Turismo de Santiago activities hub it appeared at €49 for 12 November 2026, so compare the price of the day when you book. Lunch is not listed as included: ask when booking where the stop for lunch is. Cancellation is free up to 12 hours before, according to Turismo de Santiago, and the organiser warns that the itinerary may change for external reasons. It is not wheelchair accessible. The departure point is the Pilar chapel, on one side of the Alameda, beside Avenida de Xoán Carlos I. Although the booking name mentions hotel pick-up, neither listing confirms it: ask when booking. Optimus Tours can be reached on 604 000 424, according to Turismo de Santiago. Book ahead, because the organiser warns that places sell out. The stops Muros, a seafaring town of picturesque streets. The Ézaro waterfall, where the Xallas river drops almost 100 metres straight into the sea, at the foot of Mount Pindo. The town of Fisterra, with its harbour; beside it is the San Carlos castle, with the fishing museum. Cape Fisterra and its lighthouse, from 1853, the traditional end of the pilgrims' road. Muxía and its Virxe da Barca sanctuary, on the rocks where the sea breaks. The website does not detail the order of stops, how long is spent at each or the exact return time: ask if you have an engagement in the evening. Excursion or car? The excursion solves the hardest thing about this coast without a car: there is no public transport between these points that lets you see them in a day. In return, the pace and timings are set by the group. If you hire a car and sleep a night in the area, for example at the Hotel Mar da Ardora, in Fisterra, you can stay for the sunset and add Cape Vilán, which this excursion does not include. - **Kayaking Up the Xallas Estuary to the Fervenza do Ézaro** (2 h · Families and beginners who can swim · Desde 25 € per adult): From the water, the fervenza do Ézaro looks the way it doesn't to someone coming down the walkway: you paddle in through the mouth of the Xallas, with the granite walls of Monte Pindo on one side, and the guides beach the kayaks a few metres from where the water falls. It is about two hours with Atlantis Aventura, an adventure tourism company in Cee, and you don't need to have ever held a paddle. From Río do Barco to the waterfall You meet at praia do Río do Barco, in O Ézaro, where you can park next to the sand. There they give you the kayak, the paddle and the life jacket, and the guide explains the basics before setting off. You paddle upriver, at your own pace, along the last stretch of the Xallas before the sea, between the slopes of the Pindo, a 627-metre granite massif protected within the Natura network. The company beaches the kayaks on reaching the waterfall so you can walk up to the last pool; in summer, a swim in that pool is part of the trip. Afterwards you have nearby the port of O Ézaro and the interpretation centre of the old power station, which is the same one that visitors arriving by land see. To see the waterfall at night, in summer the same company runs a night crossing on Saturdays, with the fervenza lit up and submersible lights on the kayaks, for €35 per person. Price, booking and who can go The daytime route costs from €25 per adult, and the child place, €6. It includes the guide, in Spanish or English, the kayak and the life jacket. Book on the Atlantis Aventura website: you choose the date and time on the calendar and confirmation arrives immediately. At least two people are needed; if the minimum isn't reached, the company offers alternatives. Cancellation is free up to seven days before, and if the guides call off the trip because of the sea conditions or the weather, they refund your money or you change day. There is no minimum age, but everyone must be able to swim. A child under 7 goes in the kayak with two adults and needs their own child place; with one adult and two children you must book two places plus the child one. Dogs can also go, with a life jacket the company rents for €3: give their size and weight when booking. It is not a wheelchair-accessible activity. For lunch afterwards, O Fragón, in Fisterra, is half an hour by car, and in the afternoon you can continue to Cape Fisterra for the sunset. - **Boat with a Skipper from Fisterra or Corcubión, Just for Your Group** (2 h · Groups of friends or families of up to six · Desde 390 € per boat): If there are six of you or fewer and you want to see the Ría de Corcubión from the water without sharing a boat, Atlantis Aventura rents a motorboat with a skipper that leaves from Fisterra port or Corcubión. The short outing, of about two hours, costs from €390 for the whole boat, not per person; the long ones run to eight hours and the price is given when booking. What route you take There is no fixed route: the skipper puts it together with you according to that day's sea and the hours you have. The options the company suggests are Cape Fisterra seen from below, with sunset from the water if you leave late; the Ría de Corcubión, with the Cardenal castle at the entrance to the port; the Lobeiras islands, off the coast; and coves that are harder to reach from land, such as Sardiñeiro, Gures, Estorde or Talón beach. On a long outing you can cross towards Monte Pindo and the mouth of the Xallas, where the fervenza do Ézaro falls. The company warns that sometimes birds, shoals of fish or dolphins appear, but does not promise it. The boat and what you can add It is a Quicksilver Activ 705 motorboat with a canopy, toilet, cool box, shower, bathing ladder and table, for six passengers and the skipper. Everyone wears a life jacket. On request, and at an extra price, wetsuits, snorkel masks and fins, a paddle board or food prepared by local cooks can come on board. To anchor in a cove and swim, ask when booking: it depends on the route and the sea. How to book Prior booking is compulsory, through the Atlantis Aventura website, by email or by WhatsApp on 637 507 702. The departure depends on the weather and the sea state, which changes quickly on this coast: if you can't go out, another day is found. The company does not publish a seasonal calendar for the boat, so confirm the date with them. On price, the fuller the boat the better value: with six people, the short outing comes to €65 each. For a family who only wants to see the waterfall from the water, the kayak to the fervenza is cheaper. Afterwards, in Fisterra port you have the San Carlos castle and, for dinner with views of the ría, O Fragón. - **Camiño dos Faros from Camariñas to Fisterra, Four Stages with Your Luggage Moved by Car** (36 h · 108.6 km · Hikers used to long stages · Desde 435 € per person in a double room): The Camiño dos Faros (Lighthouse Way) is a path of about 200 km that follows the edge of the sea from Malpica to the Fisterra lighthouse, in eight stages. Its last four, from Arou to Fisterra, are the ones that cover this part of the coast: Cape Vilán and Camariñas, Muxía, Nemiña beach, the hamlet of Lires and Monte do Facho before the lighthouse. Done with an agency from Cee, Travels to Finisterre, you just walk and they take care of the beds, of taking you to the start of each stage and of moving your luggage. The four stages Stage 5, Arou – Camariñas: 23.8 km, about 575 m of ascent and descent, medium difficulty. It passes Cape Vilán and its lighthouse. Stage 6, Camariñas – Muxía: 32.6 km, the longest of the whole way, about 770 m of elevation change, medium difficulty. It goes around the Camariñas ría to the Sanctuary of the Virxe da Barca. Stage 7, Muxía – Nemiña: 25.3 km and about 1,075 m of elevation change, high difficulty. Stage 8, Nemiña – Fisterra lighthouse: 26.9 km and about 1,100 m, tough. It crosses the Vaosilveiro forest and Lires, continues along the sands of Area Grande and O Rostro, passes the Castromiñán hill fort and the coves of Arnela and Mar de Fora, and ends by climbing Monte do Facho to Cape Fisterra. The way's website estimates nine hours for this stage, with stops. The Lires ría, which the way's website presents as the smallest in Galicia, is skirted via the Vaosilveiro bridge; cutting across the sand saves about 3 km, but it can only be done for a couple of hours in summer, at low tide, and never in the rainy season. On stage 8 there is water at the Soleiros fountain and the Punta Longa one, and a bar in Lires and in A Insua. What the package is like and what it costs The 2027 programme lasts six days and five nights: you arrive in Camariñas by your own means, sleep there two nights, one in Muxía, one in Lires and the last in Fisterra. It costs from €435 per person in a double room and low season; a single room adds €200, and high season, from 21 to 28 March and from June to September, €85. It includes accommodation, always in a private room with bathroom and breakfast, transfers between the hotel and the start or end of each stage, luggage transport, GPS tracks, information on each stage and insurance. There is no guide. These packages are not sold from November to February. If you have more days, the same agency does all eight stages in nine nights from €725. Book by email or on 981 745 791. Who it is for It is not a stroll on the beach. It is four days in a row of more than 23 km, with very steep ramps, such as those at Punta Robaleira or Monte do Facho on the last stage, and descents on loose stone; it is not an officially approved trail, and the association that created it in 2012 stopped taking responsibility for its maintenance in 2020. If you walk often and have good footwear, it is the most complete way to see this coast on foot. - **Surf Lessons at Razo Beach, in Carballo** (2 h · From age 8 in a group; beginners and intermediate · Desde 35 € per person and lesson (5-day pass, €175)): Razo is the long, open sandy beach of Carballo, at the northern end of the Costa da Morte. Raz Surfcamp has worked here since 1991, presenting itself as the first surf camp in Europe, and gives two-hour lessons every day from 15 June to 15 September: the first costs €45, the following ones €35 and the five-day pass €175, with board, wetsuit and insurance. What a lesson is like Each lesson lasts two hours, in a morning or afternoon session. Groups are of six students at most per instructor and are formed by age and level, so that a beginner does not share the water with someone already catching green waves. There are lessons for beginners, intermediate and advanced. The price includes the board, a 4/3 or 3/2 wetsuit and accident and public liability insurance. They are given in Spanish, Galician, Catalan and English. If you are a couple or a family who prefer to go at your own pace, the private lesson costs €65 for one person and goes down per head if there are more of you, up to five with one instructor. If you already know how to surf, the school rents boards from €10 an hour or €30 a day. Ages, dates and bookings In a group you can join from age 8; children aged 9 to 12 go with others their own age. Under-8s can only take a private lesson. From 15 June to 15 September there are lessons every day; outside those dates ask beforehand, because the school doesn't always operate. Book on the website and, for the same or next day, by phone or WhatsApp on 659 381 300, from 10:30 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 20:15. If the sea doesn't allow a safe lesson, the school changes the day or suggests another activity, and refunds the part you haven't used. For a whole week, Raz Surfcamp also has camps with accommodation facing the beach and full board, for minors and for adults aged 18 to 35. If you are on the south of the coast Razo is a good hour from Fisterra. If you sleep in Fisterra or Muxía, the nearby surf beach is Nemiña, sheltered by Cape Touriñán, where Atlantis Aventura, the same company as the O Ézaro kayak, gives small-group lessons for €45 with equipment. From Razo, the Dombate dolmen is half an hour by car inland and is a good way to end the morning. - **Climbing A Moa, the Summit of Monte Pindo, from O Pindo** (3 h · 8 km · Walkers with good footwear; demanding in the first part · Free): Monte Pindo is the granite mass that rises almost from the water between O Ézaro and Carnota: 627 metres high just 2 km from the sea, with the summit at A Moa. You climb on foot from the village of O Pindo along a signposted path of about 4 km each way, in around three hours round trip. It costs nothing and the reward is seeing from above the Ría de Corcubión, Cape Fisterra and the Carnota sands. The path to A Moa The route starts next to the churchyard of O Pindo and is linear: you go up and down the same way. The Costa da Morte guide rates it medium difficulty, but the first part is the hard one, very steep among blocks of stone. On the way you pass old water mills and a cave where fugitives hid during the Civil War. Higher up are the remains of the castelo de San Xurxo, a fortification of which pieces of wall can be seen, and you reach the Chan de Lourenzo, a clearing among giant rocks with remains of a wolfram mine. Near the summit there are wooden tables to rest at. What most catches the eye is the stone. Turismo de Galicia presents it as a national geological point of interest: the granite forms figures, like the one they call the warrior, and natural rock castles. The slope also bears the marks of fires. For all this the Pindo is called the Celtic Olympus. Before you climb Turismo de Galicia asks for caution above all on the descent, which is steep and has loose stone: wear mountain footwear, bring water and some warm clothing, because it is windy up there. In rain or fog the granite is slippery and the views are lost, so save the climb for a dry, clear day. The mountain is part of a Natura 2000 Special Area of Conservation, Carnota-Monte Pindo, of more than 4,600 hectares: don't leave the path. On the way down, praia de San Pedro, in the same village, is good for a summer swim. The fervenza do Ézaro is on the other side of the mountain, a few minutes by car, and from the water you can see the Pindo from below with the kayak up the Xallas estuary. - **Dombate Dolmen and Its Archaeological Centre, in Cabana de Bergantiños** (45 min · All ages; rainy day): In Borneiro, in the interior of Cabana de Bergantiños, the Dombate dolmen is a Neolithic tomb: a chamber of large granite slabs that was used for more than a thousand years, from around 3800 BC, and that preserves paintings on its stones. Today it is protected under a cover and has an archaeological centre next to it. The Deputación da Coruña, which manages it, opens it every day from 10:00 to 20:30. What you see Dombate is not one dolmen but two, one on top of the other. The old mámoa, the earth mound that covered the tomb, measures about 10.5 metres in diameter and holds a small chamber of nine stones that was entered through a shaft. On top the large one was later built, about 24 metres in diameter and 1.8 high, with a polygonal chamber of seven slabs and a corridor facing east, where the sun rises. In the chamber and the corridor there is painted and engraved art; in the archaeological centre you can see a reproduction and understand how it was built, how it was used and what it meant to those who raised it. The monument was abandoned around 2700 BC. It was studied in the 19th century by the historian Manuel Murguía, who took it to be Celtic, and excavated by José María Bello between 1987 and 1989; after new excavations in 2009, the cover that protects it was finished in 2011. It is a Bien de Interés Cultural (a protected heritage site). Opening hours, guided tours and how to get there Self-guided visits are Monday to Sunday, 10:00 to 20:30. From 1 July to 13 September there are also guided tours every day, from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 20:00, and on some nights in July and August the Deputación organises one-hour night visits, from 23:00 to midnight. The Deputación's page does not publish a price or booking method: for the guided and night tours, call the visitor and guide service on 672 435 736, or the archaeological centre on 619 914 973. You get there by car: it is at the place of Dombate, parish of Borneiro, about 20 minutes from Laxe and about half an hour from Razo beach. It is a good indoor stop for a rainy day in the northern part of the coast, or to combine with a morning of surfing at Razo. If you come from the south, from Muxía and the Sanctuary of the Virxe da Barca it takes about 40 minutes. ## Dónde comer - **A Lonxa de Álvaro** (Restaurant, Muxía, €€). Qué pedir: one of the four octopus dishes on the menu and, if there are two of you, the soupy rice with lobster - **O Fragón** (Restaurant, Fisterra, €€€). Qué pedir: the Premier tasting menu bought on its website; à la carte, the marinated xeito sardine and the roast sea bass - **Tira do Cordel** (Restaurant, Fisterra, €€€). Qué pedir: the grilled *robaliza* (sea bass), the dish the house was built on - **Villa de Oro** (Restaurant, Camariñas, €€). Qué pedir: the rice with lobster, the dish the house puts first; or monkfish with clams, noodles and prawns ## By car: The coast is driven, cape by cape Fisterra, O Ézaro, Muxía and Cape Vilán are separated by slow coast roads: pick two or three a day and no more. With one night, sleep between Fisterra and Muxía. Presupuesto orientativo: 60–110 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Hotel Mar da Ardora** (Small hotel, desde 85 € / night): On the slope of Mar de Fóra, looking west Calle Mar de Fora runs down the slope towards the beach of the same name, on the side of the Fisterra peninsula open to the ocean, and number 17 is the Mar da Ardora. The town centre is a couple of minutes by car, and Santiago an hour. It opened in May 2012 and presents itself as a nature hotel: it borders a Natura 2000 area, close to the Starlight route and the last stretch of the Camino to Fisterra. Because it is on the west face, the terraces look out on the sunset. Thirteen square metres with a sea terrace The entry-level room is the double with sea views, from €85 a night according to its website: 13 m², double bed or two beds, for two adults, with a sea terrace. There is also a deluxe room, larger. According to the Camiño dos Faros listing, the rooms are soundproofed and have a hydromassage shower, television and free wifi, and the cot is free. Breakfast is a buffet in the dining room, and each guest chooses whether to have it continental, American or English. The hotel has an organic vegetable garden from which guests can pick fruit and vegetables, and from June to September it offers a free tasting of what it yields at sunset. The spa, with one hour included The wellness spa has a heated pool with jets, heated loungers, a foot bath and a Turkish bath, and offers massages, including aromatherapy and foot reflexology. If you book on the hotel website, the stay includes one hour of spa free. There is also a gym and a lounge. Car or bus Parking is free. By car you arrive from Santiago via Cee and Corcubión. Without a car, the hotel lists buses from Santiago every two hours, with a stop in the town. From here you go up to Cape Fisterra and its lighthouse in a few minutes, and for dinner you have Tira do Cordel, on the other side, above Langosteira. The hotel fits as a base for the two nights around Fisterra, Muxía and the Vilán lighthouse. - **Casa de Trillo** (Country house): A hamlet ten minutes from Muxía Santa María de Coucieiro is a small hamlet in the municipality of Muxía, inland, and there Casa de Trillo works as a registered village house (group B, TR-CO-120). It is run by Pilar Trillo and her family. The distances given by the house: Muxía 8 km, about ten minutes; Fisterra 36 km, half an hour; Santiago and A Coruña, an hour and a quarter. Without a car it is not practical. To get there from Muxía, head towards Os Muíños and take the Cee road on the right. About 4 km on, at Vilarmide, you turn right beside an Onda supermarket and the house is a kilometre away. From Fisterra or Santiago you join by the AC-552 and the same Vilarmide junction. The website details each route. Rooms in the house, two apartments separate Besides the rooms in the main house there are two apartments with equipped kitchen and heating, which can be connected to each other for a family or a group: Buserana: double bed, hydromassage bath, table and sofas. Touriñán: two beds, hydromassage shower and sofas; extra beds can be added. The website does not publish rates: they are checked in its booking system. Breakfasts are homemade. There is a vegetable garden and garden, board games, television and books, and the Agar room, a room for groups of up to twenty people with a screen to connect a computer. Pets, walks and experiences at the house The house says it likes to welcome guests with their pets. It does not publish a supplement or conditions: ask when booking. Walking routes start from the door. A member of the family leads a walk around the hamlet that talks about the area's rural life, passes through the woods and ends with a tasting of local produce. They also offer a romantic package for two (a welcome gift of wine or sparkling wine, fruit and chocolates) and arrange bookings for canyoning, kayaking or rafting. For walkers, the house works with the Bono Iacobus, five stages of the Camino de Santiago to Fisterra and Muxía. What is nearby In Muxía, the Virxe da Barca sanctuary and, opposite the harbour, A Lonxa de Álvaro for lunch. If you are walking, the last stages of the Camiño dos Faros pass through Muxía on the way to Fisterra. - **Hotel O Semáforo, Fisterra** (Small hotel, desde 99 € / night): The semaphore at the end of the world Beside the Cape Fisterra lighthouse, built in 1853 and 138 metres above the sea, stands a building that the Navy used to watch the coast and talk to ships by flags: that is what a semaphore was. Since 1999 it has been accommodation, and after the 2016 refurbishment it works as a small hotel with a restaurant, a café and several terraces. Next to it is the 1888 foghorn, the cow of Fisterra, which sounds on foggy days. Its website shows six rooms, each with a theme: Stellae, Semáforo, Dos Faros, Dos Naufraxios, Dos Ventos and Agocho. The large ones have a king-size bed, duvet, whirlpool bath, double basin and television; Dos Ventos is a suite under the roof, the most exposed to the nordés wind. Agocho is a small attic room facing the lighthouse, with a 1.50 m bed, Smart TV and coffee machine. In Dos Faros the flash of the lighthouse comes in every few seconds. What it is like to sleep at the cape What counts here is the night. During the day the cape receives a great many visitors and the lighthouse esplanade fills up, especially at sunset in summer. When the cars leave, what remains is the sound of the sea and, if there is fog, the foghorn. In a storm, the wind and rain hit the building head on. The hotel is about 3 km from the village along the lighthouse road, so to have dinner in the harbour you need a car or a good uphill walk back. There is no need: the restaurant serves Galician cooking, and O Refuxio, the pilgrims' spot next to the building, has raciones and takeaway food with views of the Centolo. The café has seven tables beside the windows. All around the hotel there are wines, tinned foods and Galician products that you can try and buy. Six rooms and their rates On its website, the Agocho is from €99 a night, Semáforo from €160, Stellae and Dos Faros from €180 and Dos Naufraxios and Dos Ventos from €230. You book on its own engine or by telephone, which they answer every day. Cancellation is free up to seven days before arrival. With six rooms, book early if you are going in summer or on a long weekend. When you leave, the lighthouse and the cape esplanade are a few steps away, and in the village, the Castle of San Carlos. ## As a family: Lighthouses, a waterfall and lots of wind With children, the Costa da Morte works in short stops: a lighthouse, a waterfall, a small museum and lunch. The hard part is the driving distances between them. ### What works best The Ézaro waterfall, with the water falling into the sea a few steps from the car park The Fisterra lighthouse and its foghorn, the Fisterra cow The shipwreck centre at Cape Vilán, indoors The fishing museum in the San Carlos castle, beside Fisterra harbour The O Ézaro kayak to the waterfall, if the children can swim (child place, €6) The Dombate dolmen, indoors and open every day ### Where to sleep Casa de Trillo, village house with apartments Hotel Mar da Ardora, in Fisterra ### Where to eat A Lonxa de Álvaro, in Muxía harbour Villa de Oro, in Camariñas ### Good to know There are no fences on the capes: hold hands on the rocks Do not go down onto the wet rocks at Muxía in heavy swell Bring a coat even in summer: it blows hard ### Qué hacer as a family - Cape Fisterra and its lighthouse - Virxe da Barca sanctuary in Muxía - Ézaro waterfall and viewpoint - Cape Vilán and its shipwreck and lighthouse centre - San Carlos castle and fishing museum in Fisterra - Kayaking Up the Xallas Estuary to the Fervenza do Ézaro - Boat with a Skipper from Fisterra or Corcubión, Just for Your Group - Surf Lessons at Razo Beach, in Carballo - Dombate Dolmen and Its Archaeological Centre, in Cabana de Bergantiños ## Consejos ### Don't cram all four capes into a day Choose north (Muxía and Vilán) or south (Ézaro and Fisterra) and come back another day for the rest. ### Go up to the lighthouse before sunset In summer, the Cape Fisterra car park fills up an hour before sunset. ### Careful with the rocks At Muxía and Vilán the waves rise higher than they look: don't go near the water in a groundswell. ### Bring a coat Even if it is sunny in Santiago, the wind blows hard on the capes. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How long does it take from Santiago to Fisterra? A little under an hour and a half by car. To Muxía, an hour and a quarter. ### Can you visit the Costa da Morte without a car? In a day, with a group excursion from Santiago, from €52. Independently and by public transport it is slow. ### Does it cost anything to see the lighthouses and the waterfall? No. Cape Fisterra, the Virxe da Barca and the fervenza do Ézaro are free. The Vilán shipwreck centre and the museums have their own hours. ### Which is better, Fisterra or Muxía? Fisterra for the sunset and the lighthouse; Muxía for the sanctuary on the rocks and a quieter village. They are a good half hour apart. ### Can you go with children? Yes. The O Ézaro waterfall and the lighthouses work well; there are no fences on the capes, so hold their hands. ### Where can you surf? At Razo beach, in Carballo, with daily lessons from mid-June to mid-September, and at Nemiña, in Muxía. ### Where do you eat on Sunday? In Fisterra, O Fragón and Tira do Cordel open at midday. In Muxía, A Lonxa de Álvaro.