European Bison Reserve in San Cebrián de Mudá

In San Cebrián de Mudá, about 20 minutes from Aguilar, a 20-hectare plot of oak wood and meadow is home to several European bison in semi-freedom. The project aims to help recover a species that, as the reserve itself points out, by 1927 had no free-living individual left in the world. It is the animal outing in the Montaña Palentina, with reduced rates for children from 3 years old.

What the visit is like

The visit is always guided and lasts about two hours. It begins at the interpretation centre, which explains the species, and from there it is 2 km to the reserve, covered on foot, by bicycle or e-bike, in a four-wheel drive or in a horse-drawn carriage; in winter, if there is snow, also with snowshoes. Inside the reserve there are three observation points, and the guide chooses which to look from depending on where the animals are. The reserve clearly warns that it is not a zoo: what is guaranteed is the possibility of seeing the bison, not that you will see them.

Hours and prices

In winter it opens at weekends and on public holidays from 10:00 to 12:30, which is the time of the last visit. In summer it keeps that weekend schedule and, in June, July, August and September, also opens on weekdays with a single visit at 10:30, by four-wheel drive or e-bike.

On foot, general admission costs €10.50; over-67s and people with disabilities, €9.50; children aged 3 to 7, €5, and under-3s do not pay. With other means the price changes: bicycle, €14; e-bike, €18; four-wheel drive, €15; carriage, €15, with lower rates for children and over-67s. The carriage only runs if the weather allows. There is also a horses and bison visit for €25. If a small child occupies a seat in a hired vehicle, they pay.

Book online on its website or by phone, on 979 605 823 or 623 025 605. Groups of more than 15 people must call beforehand.

Tips

Go first thing: the hours are mornings only and in winter the visits end at 12:30. Wear warm clothes and country footwear, because most of the time is spent outdoors, and bring binoculars if you have them. If you are going with small children, the carriage or the four-wheel drive saves the 2 km each way.

What to do nearby

In the same village, the project runs the stargazing viewpoint, a former charcoal drying shed from 1956 converted into an observatory in 2006, visited by appointment and with a minimum of six people, and the Goina hostel, a former rectory with 30 beds for sleeping next to the reserve. After the bison, the collegiate church of San Salvador de Cantamuda, with its bell gable, fits in well a short distance away, and on the way back to Aguilar, the castle and old quarter.