There are two distinct reasons to visit Bandeira: the Festa da Empanada and the nature trail to the Toxa Waterfall. The festival adds a cultural highlight, while the trail through the surrounding area leads to Carboeiro Monastery. Both offer practical starting points for planning your trip.
Festa da Empanada: a regular date in August
The Festa da Empanada in Bandeira (Silleda) has been celebrated on the third Saturday in August since 1974. A resolution dated September 3, 2024, awarded the festival the title “Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional” (National Tourist Interest Festival). If you would like to plan your trip around the celebration, check the festival dates before booking. This lets you align your stay with the right period, without treating the festival as a year-round event. The 2024 festival description also mentions an empanada route.
Toxa Waterfall and nature trail
The Toxa River Waterfall is located near Bandeira. It is 25 meters high, and hiking trails connect it with the area around Carboeiro Monastery. The nature trail from the waterfall to the monastery starts in A Bandeira and is about 6 kilometers long. The approximate distance is a useful planning guide if you want to include the trail in your stay. A turnoff from A Bandeira also leads toward the waterfall via the PO-204 in the direction of A Merza. Check road conditions and signage before setting out.
Because of the high importance of its preserved natural communities, the nature trail area is included in the European Natura 2000 project and is part of the Site of Community Importance known as Sistema fluvial Ulla-Deza. Planning therefore involves considering both the route and its protected-area status. Before visiting, check the rules currently in force for access; these may change. This keeps your route planning and the applicable protected-area requirements in view together.
Traditional music and architectural history
The cultural attractions also offer distinct experiences. The Esmorga Folk Festival in A Bandeira was founded in 1989 by a group of young local people who were passionate about traditional music. Its origins therefore offer a different focus from the Festa da Empanada: here, the emphasis is on local enthusiasm for traditional music. If you are interested in musical traditions, this historical background gives you another starting point for planning your trip.
For architectural history, it is worth visiting Manduas. The parish church there was built in the 1930s and preserves the Romanesque portal of its predecessor. The construction date and the portal therefore tell of different periods in the church’s history: the portal was retained from the earlier building. Casa da Viña is also located in the Manduas area. Its coat of arms displays the arms of the Gil, Taboada and Luaces families, as well as a crowned lion of the Valenzuela family; the estate also includes a chapel dedicated to Saint Anthony. The two buildings thus offer different points of interest: the preserved portal at the parish church, and the heraldic decoration and chapel at Casa da Viña.
Plan your stay around your interests
Bandeira offers clear points of reference for choosing between a cultural or nature-focused trip: the August date of the Festa da Empanada, the history of the Esmorga Folk Festival, and the approximately 6-kilometer nature trail to Carboeiro Monastery. First choose the reason that matters most for your trip, then plan your dates and routes accordingly. If you visit the waterfall, also take into account the guidance on road conditions, signage and protected-area rules.
Discover more destinations: Cambados, As Mariñas, Mondariz, Eidián, Anzo, Barro, Terra de Celanova, A Cañiza.
For the broader travel overview: Pontevedra.
