Picos de Europa self guided walking holiday, Spain
Description of Picos de Europa self guided walking holiday, Spain
This Picos de Europa self guided walking holiday, Spain, is a week of flexible walks that reveal the highlights of this beautiful region. The Picos lie along Spain’s north coast, and are so named after ships arriving from Americas used ‘The Peaks of Europe’ as a key landmark. The Picos consist of the Central, Eastern and Western massifs; dramatic limestone landscapes, carved over millennia by weather and glaciers. Highlights of this beautiful region include the Cares Gorge (Garganta del Cares), which is 1.5km deep and divides the Central and Western massifs, and the peaks of Naranjo de Bulnes and Picu Urriellu. This eight day holiday focuses on the Eastern and Central massifs and includes a choice of walks each day, so that walkers of all abilities can enjoy it. Walks range in length from 12km to 24km. We ride on the El Cable (cable car) at Fuente De which carries us up 850m and make the walking easier. We cross the Eastern massif in the shadow of the huge Naranjo de Bulnes mountain to reach the lovely village of Sotres. We also hike to the remote village of Bulnes which was not accessible by any form of transport until 2001, but is now linked to the main road via a funicular railway. Another superb walk is along the Cares Gorge to the village of Cain. You will stay in friendly, good quality, local hotels which serve traditional and delicious local food and all breakfasts and two evening meals are included. All rooms are ensuite. You will spend two nights in each place, with a single night at the Cares Gorge. Your bags and luggage are transferred for you, so you can walk with just a small daypack. Any travelling is done using local taxi firms and we aim to keep all transport to a minimum. We also provide 24 hour assistance.
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9 Reviews of Picos de Europa self guided walking holiday, Spain
Reviewed on 09 Jun 2026 by Fred Husøy
We all had a very good time and we were satisfied with the program and the organizing of everything locally. Read full reviewReviewed on 16 Jun 2026 by Rosemary Findley
Excellent accommodation and meal options both at casa rurales and the villages. The walks were interesting and it was great to have a choice of walks. It was an excellent trip Read full reviewReviewed on 19 Jul 2025 by Sally Jefferson
I've long wanted to go to the Picos, de Europa, and this trip did not disappoint. The area is outstandingly beautiful and the people very friendly. The operator organisation and communication was excellent. Read full reviewReviewed on 19 Sep 2023 by Kevin Harkin
The hike along the Ruta del Cares from Poncebos to Cain was spectacular. While we were aware that it is a most scenic path we had no idea just how beautiful it was. Read full reviewReviewed on 22 Jun 2023 by David Briese
Excellent - accommodation and meals all good and varied, transfers worked smoothly, information and maps provided made everything clear. Good communication with the organiser. Read full reviewReviewed on 18 Jun 2023 by Jane Currie
A most enjoyable holiday and would recommend to friends. Read full reviewReviewed on 03 Oct 2018 by Peter Bavister
A new adventure for us. Fantastic mountains. Beautiful quiet valleys. The only noise busy bees in the heather and the sound of bells from hidden cows, sheep and goats. Read full reviewResponsible Travel
Planet
We are serious about maintaining the natural beauty of the Picos De Europa region and always ensure that the environmental impacts of our activities are kept to a minimum throughout the week.Our transport throughout the week is kept to an absolute minimum, with our feet being the preferred choice of transport.
We include in our walk packs flora and fauna guides to increase the awareness of the environment and cultural guides to make the walker aware of the local customs and traditions.
We encourage the use of filling your own to water bottle throughout the week to reduce the waste.
Last but not least, as hikers by passion, we have a strong ethic about respecting the places we go to and their environment, either for business or personally (e.g: not leaving any rubbish behind us during a day walk or using reusable water containers), and we encourage our guests to act responsibly while traveling.
People
As on all our holidays there is no exception in the Picos De Europa walking holiday. We work with local knowledgeable people and reserve your holiday direct with local family run hotels. We always use local transport for our baggage moves and airport transfers. This helps the local community survive as it is mainly cut off during the winter seasons.We always recommend local bars or restaurants were you are walking through a village around lunchtime or 11’s for a café con leche. All these little things help these very small communities survive and keep their traditions.
The hotels we use are all employers of local people, we don’t use chains! We do inspect the hotels regularly to keep the standards we expect.
The route on this walking holiday stays in some very traditional villages with some excellent local produce to try and we thoroughly recommend to try it!
We always send a phrase sheet before you arrive . The older generations in the small villages do not speak English and we find just having the bare basics will make your holiday a much more enjoyable one and help the villagers understand you.
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