Path of the Lighthouses
The Way of the Lighthouses (El Camiño dos Faros) is an spectacular hiking route that follows the Costa da Morte of Galicia from Malpica to Finisterre. It's not Jacobean, but connects with the spirit of the end of the world.
Organize your Path of the LighthousesGeneral Description of Path of the Lighthouses
Elevation Profile of Path of the Lighthouses
Visualize the ups and downs of the route.
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Stages of Path of the Lighthouses
Etapa 1: Malpica de Bergantiños to Niñóns
Description:
The first stage of the Portuguese Way from Lisbon is an urban and peri-urban route that follows the course of the Tagus River. It's a flat and pleasant journey, allowing for a peaceful departure from ...
Origen: Malpica de Bergantiños
Destino: Niñóns
Etapa 2: Niñóns to Ponteceso
Description:
This stage continues along the Tajo riverbank, on a flat and pleasant route. It's a day to enjoy the riverine landscape and the tranquility of the road. The arrival in Azambuja, a city with a rich her...
Etapa 3: Ponteceso to Laxe
Description:
This long stage ventures into the heart of Ribatejo, land of horses and bulls. The route is flat but very demanding due to its distance. It's a day to enjoy the landscape of the lezíria, the alluvial ...
Etapa 4: Laxe to Arou
Description:
Leaving behind the monumental Santarém, this long stage continues along the Leziria of the Tagus. The route is flat and pleasant, ideal for recovering strength. It's a day to enjoy the countryside of ...
Etapa 5: Arou to Camariñas
Description:
This stage concludes in the monumental city of Tomar, the seat of the Knights Templars in Portugal. The route is of moderate distance and undulating profile. Arrival in Tomar, with its impressive Conv...
Featured Towns of Path of the Lighthouses
Explore the key towns and cities of this route.
Finisterre
The "End of the World" for the ancient ones and the Epilogue of the Journey for many pilgrims. His lighthouse and sunset over the Atlantic is the final ritual of the journey.
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Niñóns
Small and wild cove in the Costa da Morte. Niñóns offers the pilgrim of the Camino two Lighthouses a landscape of cliffs, rocks and open sea, the essence most pure of the Galician coast.
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Ponteceso
Birthplace of the Galician bard Eduardo Pondal and a maritime village on the Costa da Morte. Ponteceso, by the banks of the River Anllóns, is a stopover with culture, nature, and a taste of the sea.
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Laxe
Lighthouse in Costa da Morte. The Lighthouse of Laxe, with views to the estuary, is a quiet place to enjoy the Galician coastal landscape. A point of interest for pilgrims exploring the beauty of the coastline.
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Arou
Small marine village in the Treze Bay, one of the most pristine and spectacular areas of the Camino dos Faros. Arou is a haven of peace on Costa da Morte.
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Camariñas
Capital of needle lace. Camariñas is a seaside village with a bustling port and a deep artisanal tradition, an essential stop on the Way of the Lighthouses.
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Muxía
Maritime village of Costa da Morte and the end of the Way. Its Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Boat, alongside rocks and sea, is a place of legends and spirituality.
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Nemiña
Small coastal parish in the Lires estuary. Nemiña, with its extensive beach ideal for surfing, is a natural paradise on the Way of the Lighthouses and on the Jacobean route to Muxía.
More InformationMillenary History of the Camino de Santiago: Origins and Evolution Path of the Lighthouses
Discover the origins and evolution of Path of the Lighthouses
Everything began in 2013. A group of hikers from the area, self-proclaimed "Os Trasnos" (the little fairies), proposed a challenge: to demonstrate that it was possible to unite Malpica with Fisterra following a continuous path that strictly followed the coastline. During months, they explored the coast, rediscovering old fishermen's paths, routes used by "percebeiros" (prawn collectors) who risked their lives on cliffs, and old contrabandist routes. They joined these forgotten trail fragments, cleaned up inaccessible sections, and documented each stage with photos and descriptions that started to be shared in a blog and social networks.
What began as a personal project turned into a viral phenomenon. The beauty of the images and the epic nature of the proposal attracted the attention of thousands of hikers from Galicia, Spain, and soon from all over the world. The "Camiño dos Faros" association organized popular gatherings to walk the stages, gathering hundreds of people and creating a social movement that claimed protection and recognition for the route. The story of its creation is an example of how civil society can take the initiative to put its own natural and cultural heritage on display.
The name, "Camiño dos Faros", describes it perfectly. It's a 200-kilometer itinerary that connects all lighthouses and main points of interest in the Costa da Morte, from the lighthouse of Las Sisargas in Malpica to the iconic lighthouse of Fisterra. It traverses a legendary landscape, known as "the Coast of Death" due to the countless shipwrecks that have occurred in its treacherous waters. The path is an homage to that tragic history, but also to the sublime beauty of an untamed coastline: cliffs that take your breath away, deserted white-sand beaches, dunes, estuaries, and headlands that plunge fiercely into the Atlantic.
Although it's not a Jacobean route, its final destination establishes a powerful symbolic connection. The Camiño dos Faros ends at Cape Fisterra, the same "end of the world" pagan destination that is the endpoint of the Camino de Fisterra and Muxía, the extension undertaken by pilgrims from Santiago. This creates a bridge between both experiences. Many hikers, after introspecting on the Camino de Santiago, seek in the Camiño dos Faros an experience more physical and connected to nature in its purest form.
In just over a decade, the history of the Camiño dos Faros has gone from being the dream of a group of friends to becoming a consolidated reality, an international reference hiking trail. Its story is not recorded in medieval codes, but on blogs and in the passion of the people who made it possible, demonstrating that great trails can also be born in our time.