43.39° N · 5.19° W · Asturias
You hire a canoe in Arriondas and paddle down the Sella at your own pace to Toraño, Llordón or Llovio, between 7 and 16 km. The company picks you up at the end and takes you back to the base. No experience is needed, but you must be able to swim.
Part of AsturiasCantabrian CoastPicos de EuropaCamino del Norte
Who offers it
Independent companies: you book with them, on their terms. Prices are as they publish them and may change.
Step by step
You arrive at the base, park, change in the changing rooms and collect canoe, paddle, life jacket and dry bag. Before setting off they explain the safety rules, in person or with a video.
You enter the river next to the base. Jaire Aventura runs departures until 13:00 and Cangas Aventura until 13:30.
First pick-up point. It is the option for going with children or if you just want to try it.
Second pick-up point with Cangas Aventura, with a good part of the route done.
The finish is beside the Llovio bridge, already close to Ribadesella. A van takes you back to Arriondas.
You must be out of the water by 17:30. With Jaire Aventura, if you haven't passed the first pick-up point by 16:00, you finish there.
The Sella runs wide and calm from Arriondas, with the odd short rapid and pebble beaches to stop on. No experience is needed: the current does a good part of the work. Bring a change of clothes and put your phone in the dry bag.
It is the classic summer activity in eastern Asturias: you hire a canoe at a base in Arriondas, get into the river and paddle down at your own pace, with no guide in the canoe, to one of the points where the company picks people up. There you leave the canoe and a van takes you back to the base. In between there are currents and short rapids that add a little excitement, river beaches for lunch and pools for a swim.
It is not whitewater or a technical activity. It is a day on the river, paddling for a while, stopping for another and getting very wet. That is why it works so well with friends and with children who can already swim.
For anyone who can swim: both companies consulted require it without exception. With children, Cangas Aventura accepts them from age 5 and 1.10 m; Jaire Aventura sets no age, but asks for 1.15 m. The little ones go in a three-seater canoe with two adults. If you are a group with under-16s or 17s who are going without their parents, Cangas Aventura asks for a signed authorisation from their guardian.
You can also bring a dog. Cangas Aventura admits it at no charge in a double canoe, although it does not recommend it if it weighs more than 20 kg. Jaire Aventura hires out dog life jackets for €4.
Arriondas is on the A-64 and the N-634, between Oviedo and Ribadesella, and the bases are beside the river with their own car parks. Jaire Aventura is at El Merediz, at kilometre 0.5 of the N-634; Cangas Aventura, at the La Dehesa estate, on the banks of the Sella. Without a car, Arriondas has a halt on the narrow-gauge railway line between Oviedo and Santander, with few trains a day.
The companies open from March to October, and Cangas Aventura until November. In summer it is hotter, so getting wet is more welcome; in June and September, outside the school holidays, there are usually fewer people. In spring and autumn the water is cold: Jaire Aventura includes a wetsuit when conditions call for it and, from May to October, hires it out for €5, plus €3 for wetsuit boots.
At the beginning of August the International Sella Descent (Descenso Internacional del Sella) is held, the canoeing festival of Arriondas and Ribadesella. That weekend the village fills with people.
€35 per adult and €25 per child under 12 at both companies, with the canoe, paddle, life jacket, dry bag, insurance and return transport. Jaire Aventura sells an optional picnic for €5. Parking at the bases is free. Book online: Cangas Aventura asks for 24 hours' notice; Jaire Aventura charges half when you book and accepts cancellations in writing up to 48 hours before.
You are going to get wet anyway, so a drizzle won't spoil the day if you bring a windproof jacket. If it is cold and wet, ask for a wetsuit. If you would rather not get wet, swap the river for Cangas de Onís, a step from Arriondas, or the Lakes of Covadonga.
Who it's for
You can swim, want a day outdoors with friends or with children over 5 and don't mind ending up soaked.
You are looking for whitewater. This stretch of the Sella is calm; for real rapids, look at rafting or canyoning.
What to bring
More to do
Tips
With small children, stop at Toraño. The full route is four hours of paddling with stops.
If you enter the water at 11:00 you go without hurry and with a margin before the cut-off time.
Both companies publish their prices for advance online booking.
The International Sella Descent is held at the beginning of August: that weekend the river and Arriondas fill up.
Questions
Yes. Both companies require it of all participants.
From 5 years and 1.10 m at Cangas Aventura; Jaire Aventura asks for a height of 1.15 m. They go in double or triple canoes with an adult.
€35 per adult and €25 per child at the two companies consulted, with return transport included.
From March to October, and until November with Cangas Aventura.
Yes. Cangas Aventura admits it at no charge in a double canoe and Jaire Aventura hires out dog life jackets.
Yes. Both bases have changing rooms with showers. Bring your own towel and dry clothes.
No. You go down on your own, after the safety explanations, and the company picks you up at the point you have chosen.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/asturias/things-to-do/sella-canoe-descent
