# Three nights in the Picos de Europa: the Navedo canyon, the Cares gorge and a night beneath the Naranjo de Bulnes

One night in Liébana with the Navedo canyon and Santo Toribio, another in Arenas de Cabrales with the Cares route, and the third at the Urriellu refuge, at the foot of the Naranjo de Bulnes. For summer.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/cantabria/liebana-and-potes/itineraries/navedo-cares-and-a-night-at-urriellu · Revisado: 2026-11-14

Dónde: Liébana and Potes

Picos de Europa is best crossed from side to side rather than from a single village. This plan enters through Cantabria and leaves through Asturias, and each night goes up a step: the first in a manor house in Liébana after a canyon among beech trees, the second in Arenas de Cabrales after the Cares gorge, and the third at 1,960 metres, in the refuge at the Vega de Urriellu, with the west face of the Naranjo de Bulnes above your head.

## Three days, three different efforts

The Navedo canyon is the water day: short, fun and with no previous experience needed. Liébana Aventura lists €80 per person for two, €70 from three and €60 for families with minors; it includes a qualified guide, wetsuit, harness, helmet, insurance and photos. You need to be able to swim.

The Cares route is the long day: Turismo Asturias classifies it as very hard, not because of the slope, which is concentrated at the beginning, but because of the 22 km and a path a metre and a half wide with almost no railing on any stretch. Set out early, carry two litres of water per person and do not count on springs.

The climb to Urriellu is the real mountain day: 12 km from Sotres and over a thousand metres of ascent. The National Park rates it medium difficulty, and high with snow. If you find a space in the car parks at the Pandébano pass you save about 5 km each way; sleeping in the car is not allowed at Pandébano.

## The night at the refuge

The Urriellu refuge belongs to the Asturian federation and is staffed from 15 March to 15 December. You sleep in continuous 16-place bunks, with mattress, pillow and duvet; there are no showers or free kitchen. A bed costs €20 for non-members and dinner €19; breakfast, €8. It is booked through the Picos de Europa refuge central booking, and the place is held if you arrive before 19:00. Animals are not accepted.

NightWhereWhat it has

1Posada San Pelayo, 5 km from PotesA 13-room stone manor house with garden and pool; double from €90

2Hotel Torrecerredo, Arenas de Cabrales19 rooms, home-cooked dinner and packed lunch; closed from 6 January to 26 March

3Urriellu refuge, 1,960 mContinuous bunks, the refuge's half board

## What it costs

Counting the manor house and the hotel with breakfast, half board at the refuge, the canyon, the Poncebos bus, the cheese cave and meals, allow between €300 and €400 per person.

## El plan

### Day 1 · 10:00 · Navedo canyon
With Liébana Aventura, in the La Hermida gorge: two or three hours in the water among beeches and chestnuts, with jumps, slides, abseils and swimming stretches. Beginner level, from age 8. The meeting point is confirmed when booking.

### Day 1 · 16:30 · Santo Toribio and Potes
The monastery, 3 km from Potes, holds the Lignum Crucis; entry is free. Then a stroll over the bridges and the tower of Potes and dinner of cocido lebaniego or roast lechazo at Casa Cayo. Night at the Posada San Pelayo.

### Day 2 · 8:00 · To Cabrales and the Cares gorge
An hour via La Hermida and Panes to Arenas. Leave your things at Hotel Torrecerredo and go down to Poncebos on the seasonal bus: there is no room to park there. From the Poncebos bridge to Caín and back, 22 km along the path cut into the rock.

### Day 2 · 19:30 · Dinner in Arenas
Home-cooked dinner at the hotel and a packed lunch ordered for the next day.

### Day 3 · 8:00 · Sotres and the climb to Urriellu
Half an hour by car to Sotres, the highest village in Cabrales. From there, the PR-PNPE 21: about four hours and 1,070 metres of ascent to the Vega de Urriellu. Arrive before 19:00 so as not to lose your place; dinner at the refuge.

### Day 4 · 9:00 · Descent, Casa Cipriano and the cheese cave
Descend to Sotres by the same path and have a mountain lunch at Casa Cipriano: fabada, kid or tortos with Cabrales. It does not publish opening hours: call ahead. Back in Arenas, the cheese cave: 45 minutes with a tasting, €6.

## Un consejo más

If the forecast for Day 3 brings thick fog or a storm, change the order: do Urriellu on Day 2 and the Cares on Day 3. The Cares, enclosed, stands up to bad weather better than the Vega.

## Cuándo no ir

August on the Cares at midday: the gorge fills up and the initial climb takes a lot of sun. If there is no alternative, start before nine.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Do I need mountain experience?
For the canyon, no. The Cares and Urriellu call for strong legs and the habit of long days; with fog on Urriellu, navigation experience or the patience to wait for it to lift.

### Can it be done the other way round, from Asturias to Cantabria?
Yes: Urriellu first, the Cares afterwards and the canyon at the end, with the return from Potes.

### Do I need to book the Urriellu refuge?
Yes, through the Picos de Europa refuge central booking. In summer and at weekends, well ahead.

### Can teenagers go?
The canyon, from age 8. The Cares, the Principality recommends from 12. Urriellu, only with teenagers used to walking: it is 24 km between the ascent and the descent.

## Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Parador de Fuente Dé**: Where the Camaleño valley road ends, inside the Picos de Europa National Park and a few steps from the cable car's lower station, is the Parador de Fuente Dé. It is a modern mountain building, with warm interiors, spacious rooms and lounges that look onto the walls of the Fuente Dé cirque. At night, when the cable car closes and the cars leave, Fuente Dé falls silent.
At the foot of the cable car and the Áliva route
The reason to sleep here is to be at the door of the mountain. In the morning you walk to the cable car ticket office before the cars from Potes arrive; from October to the end of the year it opens at 10:00 on weekdays and at 9:00 at weekends. At the top begins the descent through the Áliva pastures, 14.5 km that end again at Fuente Dé, at the parador's door.
In November 2026: the cable car closes for works from 16 November, for a few weeks. If you book for those dates, count on there being no ride up.
With a dog, a bike, an electric car
The parador admits pets, with conditions to read when booking. Note that in the National Park the dog must always be on a lead and that on the cable car it goes up only in a closed carrier, with a supplement. It is set up for cycle tourists and has an electric-car charging point.
Dining without going down to the valley
The parador restaurant serves Liébana cooking: cocido, Liébana cheeses, sirloin with Tresviso cheese and local meats. It is also open to those who are not staying, so in summer it is wise to book a table even if you are sleeping in the building.
The road to the very end
From Santander it is 135 km: the A-8 to Unquera, the N-621 through the La Hermida Gorge to Potes and, from there, the Fuente Dé road until it runs out. The last kilometres climb the Camaleño valley through Cosgaya and Espinama.
Closed in the harshest winter
It closes from 22 to 31 December 2026 and from 1 January to 23 February 2027. For summer and long weekends, book in good time. Telephone, 942 736 651; email, fuentede@parador.es. Tourist registration number: G-5129.
- **Hotel del Oso**, desde 87 € / night: Two mountain-style buildings, of ashlar stone and timber, with 50 rooms between them: that is the Hotel del Oso, in Cosgaya, a village in the Camaleño valley on the road that climbs from Potes to Fuente Dé. It is run by the Rivas family. For those travelling with children, the useful part is inside the grounds: a garden with a pool, a tennis court and a play area.
Cosgaya, between Potes and the cable car
Sleeping here leaves you halfway between the two things people come to Liébana to see: the Fuente Dé cable car, up the road, and Potes with the Santo Toribio monastery, down the road. To get around the valley you need a car. Note that the cable car closes for works from 16 November 2026 for a few weeks.
Double, family and connecting rooms
Most are doubles; there are also singles, family rooms and connecting rooms. Ask how many people fit in each when you book. All have television, telephone, a safe and a hairdryer, and views of the surroundings. For babies a cot is available on request.
What each season costs


RoomLowJune and SeptemberEaster, July and August


Double€87€98€115
Single€77€82€95
Family€130€140€162
Connecting€145€155€176
Extra bed€28€32€36


Prices per night with VAT included. Breakfast is paid separately: the buffet costs €14 per adult and €7.50 for children up to age 10, and at the bar there is a mini breakfast for €7.50.
Pool, tennis and a hórreo to play in
The garden has an outdoor pool and a tennis court. The children have their own play area, with a little house and an hórreo (granary). The terrace looks onto the river and the village church, and inside there are several stone-and-timber lounges, with a fireplace for winter.
Dining without taking the car
For dinner you do not have to go anywhere: its restaurant publishes the menu with prices, with the cocido lebaniego at €14, mushroom-stuffed trotters and homemade desserts at €7.
- **Posada San Pelayo**, desde 90 € / night: Posada San Pelayo is a traditional stone manor house in the centre of San Pelayo, a hamlet in the Camaleño valley 5 km from Potes in the direction of Fuente Dé. It has 13 rooms, a garden of about 2,000 m² with local trees and plants, crossed by the Purón stream, and an outdoor pool with the Picos de Europa as a backdrop. It is run by a family, and is away from the bustle of Potes but 5 km from its restaurants.
The San Pelayo turn-off
You leave Potes along the Fuente Dé road and, after about 5 km, turn right where it says San Pelayo; the inn is in the middle of the village. From here, the Santo Toribio monastery is also 5 km away and the Fuente Dé cable car, 15. To go to the coast, San Vicente de la Barquera is 57 km away, the El Soplao caves 60 and Santander 113.
Balcony or attic
The 13 rooms differ in size, shape and decoration. Many have large windows or a balcony onto the National Park and the garden. All have satellite television, telephone, heating, a kettle and a full bathroom with hairdryer and toiletries. The price depends on whether it has a balcony or is an attic room:


DoubleLow seasonJune and SeptemberJuly, August, Easter and long weekends


With balcony€100€110€120
Attic€90€95€105


Prices per night with VAT. Breakfast is charged separately, at €12 per person.
The house inside
Downstairs there is a reading and games room with a library, a rest corner with a fireplace and free internet, and a bar-café. There is wifi throughout the house, room service, luggage storage and tourist information. Parking is private and free.
Deposit, arrival and cancellation
You check in from 16:00 and leave the room by 11:30. To confirm the booking they ask for a deposit of at least the price of the first night. If you cancel or change between 30 and 7 days before arrival, they may keep half the deposit; with less than 7 days, all of it. If you shorten your stay once there, you pay for the nights used and the deposit is not returned.
The website says nothing about pets or children's beds: ask on 942 733 210 or 615 604 895, or at informacion@posadasanpelayo.com.
- **Hotel Balneario La Hermida**: The Hotel Balneario La Hermida is at the bottom of the gorge of the same name, beside the Panes to Potes road, in the municipality of Peñarrubia. It is a four-star, 57-room hotel built over baths that have been used since the 18th century: the water rises from three springs at about 60 °C, at eight litres per second. What sets it apart from sleeping in Potes is that, with the room, you have the thermal circuit every day and the outdoor thermal cave a few steps away.
The circuit comes with the room
According to the listing for its rooms, the guest can use the thermal-leisure circuit for 80 minutes a day, booking a time. It is the covered circuit of eleven stations, with sauna, steam, cold bath, jacuzzi and a dynamic pool of jets and water beds. The outdoor thermal cave, with pools at 38 °C at the foot of the rock, is paid separately; there are half-board packages that include the night session, from 23:00 to 01:00, for adults only.
Three types of room, all exterior
The rooms are classic: standard, white-zone and attic. The standard is 20 m², and all face outside, with a view of the canyon landscape. They have air conditioning, a minibar, a flat-screen television, a hairdryer and wifi. The hotel has a lift and a gym. Smoking is not allowed in the rooms. The website does not publish check-in and check-out times: ask when you book.
Río Deva and the café with a terrace over the canyon
The restaurant, Río Deva, serves home-style Liébana cooking: cocido montañés, local meats and a good variety of cheeses, with a daily thermal menu and a seasonal menu of meats, game, fish and vegetables. The cellar combines young wines with well-known Riojas and Riberas.
The café is open to customers and visitors, with a terrace and chill-out area facing the gorge and the río Deva, a fireplace, board games and sports on screen.
Midweek packages in autumn
From 26 September to 22 December the spa sells packages of one to three nights (Special, Premium, Indian, Combo) that are not valid for Fridays, Saturdays or long weekends. The treatment menu runs from the 20-minute craniofacial massage, at €45, to the 90-minute Indian ritual, from €129.
Getting there and parking
Address: carretera La Hermida a Potes, s/n, 39580 La Hermida. It is 90 km from Santander airport and 172 from Asturias airport; from Madrid, about 500 km. The hotel has parking, which is booked through an external platform linked on its website; ask whether it has a cost.
From here, the gorge offers the next day: the La Hermida via ferrata and the Navedo canyon start in the same canyon, and Potes is about 20 km up the road.

## Dónde dormir if you're on foot
- **Parador de Fuente Dé**: Where the Camaleño valley road ends, inside the Picos de Europa National Park and a few steps from the cable car's lower station, is the Parador de Fuente Dé. It is a modern mountain building, with warm interiors, spacious rooms and lounges that look onto the walls of the Fuente Dé cirque. At night, when the cable car closes and the cars leave, Fuente Dé falls silent.
At the foot of the cable car and the Áliva route
The reason to sleep here is to be at the door of the mountain. In the morning you walk to the cable car ticket office before the cars from Potes arrive; from October to the end of the year it opens at 10:00 on weekdays and at 9:00 at weekends. At the top begins the descent through the Áliva pastures, 14.5 km that end again at Fuente Dé, at the parador's door.
In November 2026: the cable car closes for works from 16 November, for a few weeks. If you book for those dates, count on there being no ride up.
With a dog, a bike, an electric car
The parador admits pets, with conditions to read when booking. Note that in the National Park the dog must always be on a lead and that on the cable car it goes up only in a closed carrier, with a supplement. It is set up for cycle tourists and has an electric-car charging point.
Dining without going down to the valley
The parador restaurant serves Liébana cooking: cocido, Liébana cheeses, sirloin with Tresviso cheese and local meats. It is also open to those who are not staying, so in summer it is wise to book a table even if you are sleeping in the building.
The road to the very end
From Santander it is 135 km: the A-8 to Unquera, the N-621 through the La Hermida Gorge to Potes and, from there, the Fuente Dé road until it runs out. The last kilometres climb the Camaleño valley through Cosgaya and Espinama.
Closed in the harshest winter
It closes from 22 to 31 December 2026 and from 1 January to 23 February 2027. For summer and long weekends, book in good time. Telephone, 942 736 651; email, fuentede@parador.es. Tourist registration number: G-5129.
- **Hotel del Oso**, desde 87 € / night: Two mountain-style buildings, of ashlar stone and timber, with 50 rooms between them: that is the Hotel del Oso, in Cosgaya, a village in the Camaleño valley on the road that climbs from Potes to Fuente Dé. It is run by the Rivas family. For those travelling with children, the useful part is inside the grounds: a garden with a pool, a tennis court and a play area.
Cosgaya, between Potes and the cable car
Sleeping here leaves you halfway between the two things people come to Liébana to see: the Fuente Dé cable car, up the road, and Potes with the Santo Toribio monastery, down the road. To get around the valley you need a car. Note that the cable car closes for works from 16 November 2026 for a few weeks.
Double, family and connecting rooms
Most are doubles; there are also singles, family rooms and connecting rooms. Ask how many people fit in each when you book. All have television, telephone, a safe and a hairdryer, and views of the surroundings. For babies a cot is available on request.
What each season costs


RoomLowJune and SeptemberEaster, July and August


Double€87€98€115
Single€77€82€95
Family€130€140€162
Connecting€145€155€176
Extra bed€28€32€36


Prices per night with VAT included. Breakfast is paid separately: the buffet costs €14 per adult and €7.50 for children up to age 10, and at the bar there is a mini breakfast for €7.50.
Pool, tennis and a hórreo to play in
The garden has an outdoor pool and a tennis court. The children have their own play area, with a little house and an hórreo (granary). The terrace looks onto the river and the village church, and inside there are several stone-and-timber lounges, with a fireplace for winter.
Dining without taking the car
For dinner you do not have to go anywhere: its restaurant publishes the menu with prices, with the cocido lebaniego at €14, mushroom-stuffed trotters and homemade desserts at €7.
- **Posada San Pelayo**, desde 90 € / night: Posada San Pelayo is a traditional stone manor house in the centre of San Pelayo, a hamlet in the Camaleño valley 5 km from Potes in the direction of Fuente Dé. It has 13 rooms, a garden of about 2,000 m² with local trees and plants, crossed by the Purón stream, and an outdoor pool with the Picos de Europa as a backdrop. It is run by a family, and is away from the bustle of Potes but 5 km from its restaurants.
The San Pelayo turn-off
You leave Potes along the Fuente Dé road and, after about 5 km, turn right where it says San Pelayo; the inn is in the middle of the village. From here, the Santo Toribio monastery is also 5 km away and the Fuente Dé cable car, 15. To go to the coast, San Vicente de la Barquera is 57 km away, the El Soplao caves 60 and Santander 113.
Balcony or attic
The 13 rooms differ in size, shape and decoration. Many have large windows or a balcony onto the National Park and the garden. All have satellite television, telephone, heating, a kettle and a full bathroom with hairdryer and toiletries. The price depends on whether it has a balcony or is an attic room:


DoubleLow seasonJune and SeptemberJuly, August, Easter and long weekends


With balcony€100€110€120
Attic€90€95€105


Prices per night with VAT. Breakfast is charged separately, at €12 per person.
The house inside
Downstairs there is a reading and games room with a library, a rest corner with a fireplace and free internet, and a bar-café. There is wifi throughout the house, room service, luggage storage and tourist information. Parking is private and free.
Deposit, arrival and cancellation
You check in from 16:00 and leave the room by 11:30. To confirm the booking they ask for a deposit of at least the price of the first night. If you cancel or change between 30 and 7 days before arrival, they may keep half the deposit; with less than 7 days, all of it. If you shorten your stay once there, you pay for the nights used and the deposit is not returned.
The website says nothing about pets or children's beds: ask on 942 733 210 or 615 604 895, or at informacion@posadasanpelayo.com.