The spectacular Ézaro waterfall, also called the Jallas waterfall, is a waterfall formed by the Jallas River when it flows into the sea. It is located in the municipality of Dumbría, in the province of A Coruña, Galicia. The best thing is that it can be seen in all its splendour during any time of the year, as it has had a minimum ecological flow for seven years. However, the best time to see the waterfall in full is in winter, when there is more rainfall. As a curiosity, this is the only river in Europe that flows into a waterfall.
In this way, the river draws an almost picture-perfect outlet into the Atlantic, with a waterfall of more than 30 meters in length, where the water falls on the granite rock walls of the canyon at the foot of Mount Pindo. However, its history has had some setbacks, such as during the construction of a reservoir upstream of the waterfall, which ended up destroying it in 1986.
It took a few years for this to be resolved, until in August 2000 several groups from the Costa da Morte managed to reach an agreement between the Ferroatlántica hydroelectric power plant and the Junta de Galicia. As a result of this agreement, the dam would be opened for certain hours a week, so the waterfall would return to its natural state.
However, since April 2011 the last stretch of the river located between the Santa Uxía reservoir and the Ézaro waterfall is now permanently open thanks to its ecological flow.
The route before flowing into the waterfall
Before flowing into this popular and photographic waterfall and reaching the sea, the Jallas River runs for 65 kilometers from its source at Mount Castelo at an altitude of 440 meters, near the village of A Toxa. After that, it passes through the municipalities of Coristanco, Santa Comba, A Baña, Zas, Mazaricos and Dumbría. In the last section of the river, it has a slope of eleven percent over the Atlantic Ocean, with a difference in level of 155 metres. Thus, it runs through Mount Pindo until it hits the canyon walls and flows into the so-called Ézaro waterfall with a drop that reaches more than 30 metres.
However, the existence of the only river in Europe that ends in a waterfall was already known in 1724, the year since which documented references have been found that name the waterfall. In these documents, it is described as a great smoke that could be seen from several miles out to sea, leaving a heavily eroded wall in its wake. It is also stated that it was very abundant in trout, but that catching them was very risky because the force of the water could overturn the boat.
Located on a rocky ridge near the Ézaro waterfall is the viewpoint of the same name, which acts as a kind of natural viewpoint. To reach it you have to take a road in which the ascent is very steep, although the views of the Galician coast from here are worth it. A splendid view of the Atlantic Ocean, the figure of Cape Fisterra and its lighthouse in the distance, the profile of Mount Pindo and the small Lobeiras Islands. It is also an important enclave for cyclists, since the viewpoint of Ézaro was the place chosen as the final stop of the twelfth stage of the Tour of Spain in the summer of 2012.
Located in the municipality of Dumbría, in A Coruña, the Ézaro waterfall is an unavoidable visit in this town in A Coruña. However, Dumbría also hides other places of interest. In addition to walking around the municipality, it is advisable to visit the parishes that are part of it. For example, Berdeogas and its beautiful church of Santiago.
In the parish of Bujantes you should not miss the one known as “Pedra Cabalgada“, two huge stones on top of each other that have been playing with balance for thousands of years. Here, too, you should not miss the church of San Pedro, which is in the Baroque style and was built in the 18th century. In the parish of Olveira you can see the dolmen Pedra da Arca. Other parishes to walk around are Olveiroa and Salgueiros. Finally, in the parish of Ézaro, apart from the waterfall, the viewpoint stands out.
