8-day Picos de Europa Mountain Trek
Self-guided Picos de Europa National Park walking tour
- The Picos de Europa National Park: natural, rural and authentically unspoilt
- Idyllic meadows, immense glacier valleys, rushing streams, limestone spires
- An impressive array of flora carpeting every square inch
- Friendly locals, tiny villages & one mountain hut
Start: Arenas de Cabrales Finish: Arenas de Cabrales
Travel to the Picos de Europa and settle in at your hotel in Arenas de Cabrales. Check out the Romanesque parish church of Santa Maria de Llas and get last-minute walking gear and special food items at the village shops. If you arrive early, stretch your legs on an optional warm-up walk. This evening, get a taste for the Picos with a bit of local blue cheese, Queso Cabrales, and refreshing apple cider.
Challenge: 3.5 - 4 hrs, 10 km / 6 mi, 380 m ascent and descent
Villages along the way: Arenas de Cabrales
Your introduction to the national park is an absolute Picos de Europa ‘must-hike’, the stunning Ruta del Cares. Walked yearly by thousands, this impressive limestone gorge remains strikingly beautiful. And pleasantly easy, as the route parallels a 12-kilometre canal which feeds the Poncebos hydroelectric station. After a 5-minute transfer and short steep ascent, the path levels off and you cruise the rest of the way to Caín ‘on the flat’.
From there, you have the choice of continuing another 8 km up the valley or taking a taxi to your hotel in Cordiñanes.
Challenge: 3.5 / 7 hrs, 12-18 km / 7,5-11 mi, 300 / 700 m ascent, 50 / 125 m descent
Villages along the way: Poncebos, Caín, Posada de Valdeón
Today's route starts off with an ascent on the historic traders' path, el Camín del Mercadillo, which leads from Posada de Valdeón to Liébana. After 7 km / 4,5 mi walking with 800 m in ascent, you reach the meadowlands at Caben Remoña, situated on the border between the provinces of León and Cantabria. Here you have the choice of walking straight on down to Espinama (9 km / 5,5 mi, 900 m descent) or taking the spectacular high route via Vega de Liordes down to Fuente Dé (bus or taxi 3.5 km / 2 mi to your hotel). If you have booked luggage transport, there’s the option of riding for the first 5 km / 3 mi with your bags (thus saving 500 m in ascent).
Challenge: Direct to Espinama: 6.5 hrs, 15.5 km / 9,5 mi, 850 m ascent, 900 m descent
Through Liordes: 8.5 hrs, 16 km / 10 mi, 1270 m ascent, 1120 m descent
Villages along the way: Posada de Valdeón, Liordes, Espinama
Amble over to Fuente Dé and steel yourself for the cable car journey (pardon the pun) soaring high up into the Central Massif. Optionally, you can choose to climb directly up from Espinama following woodland tracks to Áliva Pass, elevation 1645 m. An impressive glacier moraine then leads down the Duje Valley to Sotres. At 1050 m, the highest village in the Picos makes an ideal base for unbeatable walking on the Asturian side of the range. After a long hike, the end of your route is an invigorating 150-metre ascent up to the village!
Challenge: 7 hrs, 17 km / 10,5 mi, 925 m ascent, 775 m descent
Villages along the way: Espinama, Áliva, Sotres
Zoom uphill on a short taxi ride into the Eastern Massif and embark on a gorgeous and infinitely varied loop in the area known as Andara. Trundling up a historic mining track into a world of karst, you make your way to a fabulous overlook at the far eastern edge of the massif, San Carlos Peak, elevation 2215m. The long descent takes rocky paths and winding cattle trails down steep slopes bakc to your hotel in Sotres.
Challenge: 5.5 hrs, 12.5 km / 8 mi, 550 m ascent, 840 m descent.
To reach 'Pico San Carlos' add: 3 hrs, 6 km / 4 mi, 500 m ascent and descent.
Villages along the way: Sotres
The highlight of this trek of highlights pierces the very heart of the Central Massif as you clamber up to the hut beneath Picu Urriellu, a stunning slab of limestone and mecca for world-class rock climbers. Starting slow on local farming tracks, you wind your way up from Sotres passing happy cows and perfect stone barns to reach Pandébano Col. Next is a narrow path going up and up into a lunar landscape, home to chamoix and alpine choughs with the peak's imposing 400-meter looming above. Today you carry just a few things for your overnight stay at the refuge, while your main luggage is transported to the next hotel.
Snow can be a factor on this route early in the season. In the event the hut cannot be reached, the alternate program includes a circular walk to nearby Tielve and overnight stay in Sotres.
Alternative to Tielve: 5.5 hrs, 14 km / 9 mi, 480 m ascent and descent
Villages along the way: Sotres, Pandébano, Vega de Urriellu
Get to know yet another facet of the Picos as you test your knees on a steep descent to the remote village of Bulnes (no road access). After a swig of water and helpful 'tapa' to keep you going, it continues to be all downhill, this time through the craggy goat-filled Teju Gorge to Poncebos. You have now come full circle, back to the very start of your trek. A splendid journey full of mental snapshots and, most certainly, an inordinate number of holiday photos!
Challenge: 5 - 6 hrs, 9.5 km / 6 mi, 50 m ascent, 1900 m descent
Alternative through Pandébano: 5 - 6 hrs, 13 km / 8 mi, 425 m ascent, 1100 m descent
Villages along the way: Vega de Urriellu, Bulnes, Poncebos, Arenas
Your self-guide trek comes to an end today after breakfast. Taxi transfers can be arranged to the airport (Oviedo, Santander or Bilbao).
Challenge: Departure from the Picos de Europa
The hotels on this trip have been carefully selected for their location, atmosphere and/or unique services. All rooms are en-suite. Some of the hotels we work with appear here. If a certain hotel is unable to confirm due to lack of availability, we will request a similar one and inform you about the alternative booked.
Extra nights:
Extra nights can be booked at any of the accommodations along the way.
Welcoming rural accommodation, located in the limit of the National Park of Picos de Europa, no too far from the well-known "Cares Gorge" route. Warm atmosphere and traditional decoration, with good quality services that will make your stay a very nice experience.
Welcome to a place where you can enjoy the beauty of Valle de Valdeón and the Picos de Europa.
Rural tourism is not at odds with comfort and style, two of the criteria that have marked the design of the rooms at Hostal Remoña. The combination of a taste for detail and attentive service to its guests, together with the presence of technological advances and the comforts of urban life, have been combined in the design of the rooms at Hostal Remoña.
Family-run hotel, inaugurated in 2005. The rooms and terraces offer spectacular views to the Picos de Europa. They have a restaurant that offers the traditional gastronomy of the area.
Urriellu mountain refuge is located in the very heart of the National Park of Picos de Europa, just at the base of the iconic "Picu Urriellu", also known as "Naranjo de Bulnes". It has a total of 96 beds, grouped in 4 dormitories of 24 beds, distributed in 4 large bunk bed rows.
NOTE: This trip is also offered as a 12-day option (See trip "Picos de Europa 12 day Mountain Trek")
NOTICE: Due to the lack of availability of taxis in high season, you might need to share the taxi on Day 2 with other s-cape clients for the transfer to Poncebos (start of walk)
You can start on any day of the week, subject to availability, between May and October
The nearest airports to the Picos de Europa are Oviedo - Asturias (OVD), Santander (SDR) and Bilbao (BIO).
Arrive in Arenas de Cabrales
From the airports there are good bus connections to city centre bus stations, where you can catch a connecting bus to your destination (ALSA bus company, see time tables at www.alsa.es).
From Oviedo centre there are direct buses to Arenas de Cabrales, though these services cannot be booked in advance. From Santander and Bilbao, you take a direct bus to Unquera and then continue by taxi to Arenas de Cabrales.
NOTE: It is wise to book your bus tickets and taxi transfer in advance, especially for arrivals and when travelling in summer or on Friday afternoons. You can buy your bus tickets through the ALSA website www.alsa.es .
Departure from Arenas de Cabrales
Your trek ends in Arenas de Cabrales. Bus tickets can be booked in advance through S-cape Travel.
Airport transfers for arrival / departure can be booked in advance through S-cape Travel. Costs will depend on number of passengers, airport used and time of pick up.
GPS tracks are available on request.
Included
- 7 nights' accommodation with breakfasts
- 4 dinners
- Transfers on days 2 (to the beginning of walk in Poncebos, luggage continues to Sotres, where it will be kept until day 4)
- Luggage transport on days 2 (Arenas - Sotres) & 7 (Sotres – Arenas)
- Digital detailed route notes and maps in English
- Access to the trip on GUIBO navigation app
- 24-hour telephone assistance
Not included
- Transport to first / from last accommodation
- Dinners not mentioned in the "included" section
- Lunches
- Luggage transfers on day 2, 3 and 4 (Poncebos-Valdeon-Espinama-Sotres)
- Bus and cable car ticket on day 4 and funicular ticket on day 7
- Optional taxi transfers
- Personal expenses such as drinks, phone calls, extra transfers, tips, etc.
Extras
- Single Room Supplement(s)
- Solo Traveller Supplement
- Luggage transport on days 2, 3, 4 (Poncebos-Valdeon-Espinama-Sotres) can be booked as an optional service
- Transfers from / to airports on arrival /departure can be arranged
- Extra nights can be booked at any of the standard accommodations
- Extra nights can be booked at city hotels in Oviedo, Gijón or Bilbao or at charming rural accommodations on the Asturian coast
- Shipment of printed documents to the first accommodation
This trip is also offered as a 12-day option
23-07-2022
We were actually pleasantly surprised by the level of difficulty. We had expected the route might be too easy for our tastes, but it was a good mix of challenging terrain and mileage. Excellent value for the price! I would definitely recommend this option for travelers who are adventurous and budgets conscious.
We really enjoyed Hotel Cumbres Valdeón. The service was excellent and the restaurant deserves a rave review! The dinner waiter at Hostal Remoña in Espinama was extremely welcoming and obviously working very hard to make sure all the tables were well attended. And the dinners at Hotel Restaurante Sotres were exceptional, including a bottle of wine for each table. The two gentlemen running the hotel were very kind as well.
Katherine
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8-day Picos de Europa Mountain Trek
Contact
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Edificio Sovega bajo, Crta General s/n
33554 Arenas de Cabrales
Asturias , Spaininfo@s-capetravel.eu
+34 (0) 985 846 455
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Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9:00am – 6:00pm (CET)
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9:00am – 6:00pm (CET)