The geo-destination, Costa da Morte, contains the municipalities: Cabana de Bergantiños, Camariñas, Carballo, Carnota, Cee, Coristanco, Corcubión, Dumbría, Fisterra, A Laracha, Laxe, Malpica de Bergantiños, Mazaricos, Muxía, Ponteceso, Vimianzo and Zas.

Here was the end of the world, the 'Finis Terrae' of the Romans. Specifically, Cabo Fisterra, a fascinating place since ancient times, and where many pilgrims end their journey after passing through Santiago de Compostela.

The legendary Costa da Morte gets its name from the many shipwrecks that have occurred here. A rugged coastline with endless beaches such as Carnota, O Rostro or Baldaio and cliffs, strong currents and sudden storms as well, which make it so feared by sailors. Here, the sea is boss. The English Cementery – near Cabo Vilán – where the sailors of the 1890 shipwreck of the Serpent,  were buried. And perhaps to ask for Heaven for mercy, this is also a coastline dotted with magical shrines, like that of the Virxe da Barca.

But, sometimes, the sea enters the land and becomes a protective estuary: Corcubión, Lires, Camariñas, Corme e Laxe. Towns with an authentic taste of the sea and many stories to tell. Like the giant granaries of Carnota and Lira. Or the delicate "encaixes de Camariñas".

Heritage

A Costa da Morte is a land of legends, and one of them tells us that the Virgin appeared to the Apostle in a stone boat, the remains of which now lie on this coast in witness of that miracle; these are the stones of Abalar and Os Cadrís.

A Costa da Morte is a constant struggle of the land with the water; the waves beat against the majestic lighthouse of Fisterra, where pilgrims come to burn their clothes after their long journey on foot. The water runs through the magical marsh and sand of Baldaio, settles beneath the Roman bridge of Lubiáns and, in O Ézaro, rushes off the crags in a froth of cold  tears. The water caresses the picturesque harbour of Caión, and stone makes up the granaries of Pidre, the Torres do Allo, the Castle of Vimianzo and allows itself to be rocked by the wind in Muxía, next to the shrine of the Virxe da Barca.

The dolmen de Dombate, the fortified pre-Iron Age Roman town in Borneiro, the granary of Carnota, the Cemiterio dos Ingleses in Camariñas, the states of Corcubión, the church of the former monastery of Moraime (Muxía) and the Churches of Santa María das Areas and de Xunqueira – which, in other times, was the end of the known earth – are sculpted against the landscape of this coast whose name has sadness, but whose soul has joy.

The people of A Costa da Morte have the tradition of the sea and a job well done imprinted on their souls. One can live the incomparable life of this land in its museums and collections. The Museo do Encaixe in Camariñas and the Museo da Olaría de Buño in Malpica de Bergantiños, along with the Museo do Traxe in Vimianzo, bring to us glimpses of a culture that endures through time at the end of the land of Galicia.

Nature reserves

The indomitable nature of A Costa da Morte is one of Galicia's best-hidden attractions. The terrain itself was responsible for creating small nooks and hidden spots where one breathes a singular air. The nature reserve of Cabo Vilán in Camariñas is one of those places steeped in the magic of the unique.

Monte Pindo in Carnota and the Illas Sisargas lie waiting to show the character of its land and the fierceness of its sea. In short, lighthouses and wild beaches like the ones in Carnota (the longest in Galicia) or O Trece. The entire coastline of A Costa da Morte is a protected nature reserve, which stretches inland through the River Anllóns. The Penedos de Pasarela e Traba (in the municipalities of Laxe and Vimianzo) is a protected landscape with a body of stone and a soul of legend.

Festivals and gastronomy

Visitors who come to A Costa da Morte can live the most deeply rooted traditions in the form of festivals and pilgrimages. There are half a dozen local festivals that have been declared as Galician Tourism Events. These are the Festa de San Fins do Castro in Cabana de Bergantiños, the Mostra do Encaixe in Camariñas, the Festa do Santísimo Cristo de Fisterra, the Romaría de Nosa Señora dos Milagres de Caión in A Laracha, the Mostra da Olaría de Buño in Malpica and the Festa da Faguía do Carnés in Vimianzo. In addition, the Romaría de Nosa Señora da Barca in Muxía has been declared a National Tourism Event.

Along with this, numerous gastronomic festivals extol local culinary delicacies, largely linked to seafood. The potatoes with the Protected Geographical Indication "Pataca de Galicia." are also grown in A Costa da Morte

 

HIGHTLIGHT: About Lighthouses and Capes

The light from the Faro de Fisterra – which can reach 65 km long – guides ships navigating these waters that are so dangerous because of the frequent storms and reefs. The Romans themselves were astonished to see the sunset from the westernmost point of Europe sitting on the rocks of Cabo Fisterra. From here, one can discover breathtaking panoramas, such as the Corcubión estuary and the coast of Carnota, along with the wealth of the vast ocean. Every sailor in the world knows of the existence of this lighthouse as it is an important warning of the proximity of a dangerous area.

The spectacular beauty of the surroundings of the lighthouse at Cabo Vilán and the fierceness of the sea beating the shores of Cabo Touriñán are treasures that can only be seen in A Costa da Morte. The wild beaches of this area of Galicia – such as Mar de Fóra, surrounded by cliffs, and located between the peninsula of Fisterra and Cabo da Nave – can be a paradise for lovers of inhospitable places.

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