43.36° N · 3.84° W
750 hectares of former mine turned into enclosures for animals from five continents, with a cable car. A quarter of an hour from Santander. From €25.
Part of Cantabrian Coast
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Visit · Full day · 750 ha and over 20 km of roads between elephant, bear, giraffe and rhino enclosures · From €25 adult in low season
Gondola · 15 to 60 min · Two lines and 6 km over elephants, bears and rhinos · Included in the ticket · Maintenance until 28 February 2027
Show · 30 min · Vultures, falcons and eagles in dives of over 90 m · Included in the ticket · At 12:00 and 16:00 in winter
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
Open all year. From November to March the ticket costs almost half and there are fewer people; in spring and autumn, the animals are more active. In summer and on bank-holiday weekends, heavy traffic inside.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Cabárceno is explored in your own car: more than 20 km of internal roads between enclosures, with car parks in each area. Without a car the park makes no sense.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
Cabárceno is Cantabria's family outing: huge enclosures toured by car, a gondola and a birds of prey display.
It works with small children because the car goes with you: you stop, see the animals and get back in.
For teenagers, Cabárceno has two ways to go beyond the car: the guided e-bike and the Wild Visit.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: Inn with 15 double rooms in the village of Cabárceno, beside the park's east entrance. Closed until late February; bookings from mid-January.
Why we like it: 1884 manor house with a 1727 Baroque chapel and a garden on the River Miera, in the historic centre of Liérganes, near Cabárceno. Ten rooms, homemade breakfast.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: a sandwich or burger at midday; if you are with children, arrive before 13:00
Map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
43.46° N · 3.93° W
By car
43.39° N · 4.11° W
By carCar-free
43.44° N · 3.46° W
By car
43.39° N · 4.29° W
By car
Tips
It is the recommended access, and first thing there are fewer cars and more animals in view.
On bank-holiday weekends and in summer you save the ticket-office queue.
The park's picnic areas are the most convenient option with children.
It can enter on a lead, but not the restaurants, the internal bus or the reptile house; on the cable car, in a carrier.
An August bank-holiday weekend at midday: queues at the ticket office, at the cable car and on the park's roads.
The Cabárceno Nature Park is neither a zoo nor a natural park. It is the landscape left by an open-cast iron mine in the Pisueña valley, 750 hectares of karst rocks, lakes and gorges, where the Government of Cantabria, through Cantur, has built enclosures of several hectares for animals from the five continents. Elephants, brown bears, giraffes, rhinos, primates and lions live in spaces where, apart from their food, they do almost as they please. You tour it in your own car, along more than 20 km of internal roads, and on foot along paths and viewpoints.
It is about 15 minutes away. The park recommends entering by the north access, in Obregón. You can also enter through the village of Cabárceno, to the east, via the El Acebo lake only in high season, and through Sobarzo, to the south, next to cable car station 4. From Burgos or Palencia you reach it by the A-67 in a little over two hours; from Bilbao, by the A-8, in a little over an hour. Without a car it makes no sense: the park is toured in your own.
It depends on the date. In low season (2 January to 29 March and 1 November to 30 December, excluding bank-holiday weekends and public holidays), €25 for adults and €15 for children aged 4 to 12. In mid season (7 April to 30 June and October), €35 and €20. In high season (Easter, July to September and all bank-holiday weekends and public holidays), €45 and €25. Up to age 3 is free. The cable car and the demonstrations are included. If you plan to come back, the friend card costs €80 individual and €170 family.
A whole day. Go in first thing, when the animals are most active, and stay until the afternoon: the schedule applies to entry, and once inside you can stay until sunset, although some animals retire from 17:45. In winter, on weekdays, the ticket office closes at 17:00.
It is open all year except 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January. Winter low season is the cheapest and quietest. In August and on bank-holiday weekends, traffic inside the park and on the cable car is heavy. Note: from 2 November 2026 to 28 February 2027 the cable car is under maintenance and its two lines open on alternate days.
The tour of the park is the main thing: zone by zone, parking beside each enclosure. The cable car flies over the enclosures on two lines, of 45 and 15 minutes. The bird of prey demonstration shows a vulture or a falcon swooping from more than 90 metres. With a reservation, the Wild Visit takes you into the bear and elephant enclosures with the keepers, and in autumn there is a guided electric bike route.
Inside, as of November 2026, the cafeteria and the Los Osos burger bar are open; the restaurant is temporarily closed. There are picnic areas if you bring your own food. To sleep next to the park, the Posada Cabárceno, in the village, is open from March to December. Santander, a quarter of an hour away, has everything else.
Questions
From €25 to €45 for adults and from €15 to €25 for children aged 4 to 12, depending on the season. Up to age 3, free.
No, it is included in the ticket.
Yes, on a lead, with limits in restaurants, the internal bus, the reptile house and the cable car.
Yes, all year except 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January.
Yes: cafeteria, burger bar and picnic areas. The restaurant is temporarily closed.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/cantabria/cabarceno-nature-park
