This Trekking takes us into the beautiful mountain scenery of Picos de Europa National Park. The tour explores the Park with walks in the wild landscapes of the western, central and eastern massifs.
It is a unique region of Spain along the North coast near the city of Santander. The Picos is a limestone mountain range that hugs the provinces of Asturias, Cantabria & the Northern part of the biggest province in Spain – Castille y Leon. It is an Eco destination- one of the first National Parks in Europe. As such, there is no mass tourism or infrastructure that is related to that. Instead, you have an excellent natural environment where wild nature & man live harmoniously in balance with each other. As a limestone range with peaks reaching 2,600m, deep valleys & green pastures where animals graze up to 2,000m, the area is rich in wildlife, plants, history & geology. Bears, wolves, eagles, vultures, chamois, deer & many others populate the area along with alpine plants & so much more. Ancient man lived here, as did the Romans, Celts & others. It is steeped in history & traces of it are evident throughout. The Picos are just 40 minutes inland from the Cantabrian Sea, which gives them a uniqueness for the spectacular views and their sculptured peaks. Little villages populate the valleys, with some also higher up & dotted throughout the three “massifs”, giving this area that lovely authentic experience of rural living where local culture & gastronomy are still preserved.
This tour gives you all of that. The walks are one part of it. The cultural & environmental experiences are the others.
Day 25th Sept.
Arrival in Santander. Transfer to LLANES. Check-in and briefing at hotel Paraíso. Dinner and accommodation.
Day 26th Sept.
LEVEL A. HIKE TO VEGA DE ARIO & CABEZA LA VERDE PEAK. SEMICIRCULAR ROUTE. 16KM +750m/-750m
Breakfast. We start the hike from Ercina Lake. Suppose there is one privileged place in the Western Massif. In that case, it is the Vega de Ario, where we will have incredible views of the entire Central Massif with its highest peaks, Torrecerredo, La Bermeja, Picos de Los Cabrones, etc., and the depth of the Cares gorge below them. The hike to Vega de Ario is fascinating as the walk takes us through different shepherd huts up to the Marqués de Villaviciosa Refuge. From the refuge, we go on up to Cabeza La Verde peak (1.719m). We rest and have lunch with magnificent views, enjoying unique landscapes, the entire Massif Central, the Cares Gorge, the small town of Cain and the "Peñas Santas" in the background. Now, we return by the same track until "Majadas Las Bobias", where we take another path to "Majada de Belbin" famous for its Gamonedo cheese, and finally arrive at Ercina Lake. Back to Llanes. Dinner and accommodation.
LEVEL B. THE ROUTE OF THE MAJADAS. CIRCULAR ROUTE. 12KM +400m/-400m
A Majada is a high mountain meadow where horses, sheep or other animals are put out to pasture during the mild summer months. The trip starts from Lake Enol in the heart of the Picos de Europa mountain range and heads up to La Reblagas and then on to the beautiful Toyeyo Majada. The route then continues towards the Las Bobias Majada and to Vega de Ario, where you will stop to eat with spectacular views of the Cantabrian Sea and the peaks of Las Peñas Santas. The route continues via the Belbin Majada, famous for manufacturing Gamonedo cheese and returns to Lake Enol. Back to Llanes. Dinner and accommodation in Llanes.
Day 27th Sept.
LEVEL A. THE VEGABAÑO FOREST AND JARIO PEAK (1,913M). CIRCULAR ROUTE. 12KM +950m/-950m
The Pico Jario is located in Sajambre (León), a paradise of forests; the lower part of its route requires crossing forests of sublime beauty. The Jario Peak is separated from the rest of the massif by the large meadows and forests of Vegabaño. Therefore, its situation is isolated from the rest of the summits and in the midst of all of them, which makes it an excellent viewpoint of the rest of the summits, both the Western Massif of Picos de Europa and the mountains of Ponga and Redes. Dinner and accommodation in Llanes.
LEVEL B. THE VEGABAÑO FOREST. CIRCULAR ROUTE. 12KM +400m/-400 m
This route is a delightful forest hike in the extreme southwest of the Picos de Europa, offering the chance to see some of the forest animals and, at one point, a fantastic panorama from the Barcinera mountain pass.
We begin in the remote village of Soto de Sajambre, high above Osea de Sajambre. Our way takes us through this quaint old village and high up into the beech forests, giving us the possibility of spotting at least some of the forest animals that abound here. At the crest, we have an easy ramble back down along an entire track, calling in at the Vegabaño Hut and picnic site from which we can enjoy some truly spectacular panoramas of the highest peaks in the western massif. Dinner and accommodation in Llanes.
Day 28th Sept.
LEVEL A&B. THE CARES GORGE PATH. SINGLE ROUTE. 13KM +250m/-150m
With its narrow passes and gullies, this gorge is right in the heart of the Picos de Europa Mountains. The area’s stunning landscape affords unique views of the National Park.
Getting to know this route is a unique experience. The trail is narrow, surrounded by wild vegetation, with water ever-present. The river flows along the valley floor; its sound is a constant companion en route. Now and again, the path takes you through small tunnels carved out of the rock and across bridges that hang over the abyss. All the while, rocky mountainsides tower up on either side of the trail.
The itinerary runs between Cain, in Leon province and Poncebos, in Asturias province. It runs parallel to the Cares, the area’s wildest river. The route covers 12 kilometres over easy terrain. Transfer back to Llanes. Dinner and accommodation in Llanes.
Day 29th Sept.
FREE DAY. This day, you can simply rest, or you can choose to do a lovely hike along the coast.
THE COASTAL PATH & LLANES. We start in the small village of Llames de Pría. Then, we will walk along the coast, discovering beautiful beaches, the cliffs and the spectacular “Bufones”, they are seawater geysers close to the sea, which only can be seen in this area. This path is also part of the “Camino del Norte”, and it is pretty common to meet the pilgrims walking. After that, we visit a unique cave with spectacular stalactites & a 100m passage to the open sea. Then, on to Llanes, a lovely town on the coast with a wide range of restaurants, shops and a great atmosphere.
Accommodation in Llanes.
Day 30th Sept.
LEVEL A. HIKE TO NARANJO DE BULNES. ROUND TRIP. 13KM +900m/-900m
We drive to Sotres Village and then a short distance to the tiny hamlet of Pandebano. Leaving our vehicle, we walk up to Collado Vallejo (1.500 m), where the huge monolith of the Naranjo de Bulnes (Pico Urriellu 2519 m) comes into view. This rust-coloured mountain is the famous iconic image of the Picos. We walk up to the very base of the mountain (2.000 m), where there is a refuge. We rest, eat packed lunch and have the chance to see climbers attempting to scale the improbable sheer face. We retrace our steps to Pandebano, where our transport awaits us to return to our hotel in Llanes. Dinner and Accommodation.
LEVEL B. MONTE CAMBA TRAIL. NARANJO DE BULNES AND CENTRAL MASSIF PEAKS PANORAMA ROUTE. CIRCULAR ROUTE. 14KM +530m/-530m
The walk begins directly from Tielve. We ascend softly up to the village of Sotres, with fantastic views of the Duje Valley. At Sotres, we rest and have lunch. After leaving the village, a forest path leads us up to the Cabin of Shepherds of La Caballar. We continue down where the scenery changes, crossing a beautiful beech forest. Looking skywards, it is possible to spot a variety of eagles and vultures roaming the thermals. Finally, the path leads us to a viewpoint at ‘Majada Tobaos’, which rewards us with commanding views of Tielve far below and the jagged peaks of the central massif in the distance. Back to Llanes. Dinner and accommodation.
Day 1st Oct.
LEVEL A. HIKE TO CUETU TEJAU PEAK (2.129 m). SEMICIRCULAR ROUTE. 12KM +800m/-800m
This trek starts in Jito del Escarandi and follows the path past the Ándara mines and the Casetón mountain refuge. It then continues to Pozo de Ándara and starts the climb up to Cuetu Tejau (2.129 m), which has magnificent views of the entire Eastern and Central Massifs of the Picos de Europa. Packed lunch at the top. After lunch, the route then descends the ridge with views of the Áliva glacier valley below. Transfer to Llanes. Dinner and Accommodation.
LEVEL B. HIKE TO THE LAKE OF ANDARA. CIRCULAR ROUTE. 10KM +400m/-400m
This trek starts in Jito del Escarandi and follows the path past the Ándara mines and the Casetón mountain refuge. It then continues to the Lake of Ándara. Packed lunch. After lunch, we will return to Casetón mountain refuge, and then we will walk down, crossing the “Canal de las Vacas”, the old path to go to the mines. Transfer to Llanes. Dinner and accommodation in Llanes.
Day 2nd Oct.
Breakfast and transfer back to Santander airport.
