41.32° N · 3.83° W
A limestone canyon with vultures, the hermitage of San Frutos and canoe routes, with Sepúlveda as a base: how to get there, permits, where to eat and sleep.
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Walk · 1 h · 1.9 km there and back · Free · From the car park to the priory above a meander of the canyon, with a viewpoint and vultures; no permit all year.
Canoe · 3 h 30 · From €25 · About 8 km of calm water beneath 100-metre cliffs and vulture colonies, guided or independent.
Walk · 2 h · 5 km circular · Free · From the Park Centre, through the gates of the wall and the bridges over the Duratón and the Caslilla.
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
Spring and autumn, with mild temperatures for walking and paddling. In summer, San Frutos first thing or at dusk: the moorland has no shade. From January to July the birds nest and some areas have restrictions.
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.
Without a car you cannot reach San Frutos or the canoe put-in. Sleep in Sepúlveda or Villaseca and split the day between the canyon from above and from the water.
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.
The Gorges work with children because the best is close by: the hermitage of San Frutos is 925 metres from the car park and the vultures can be seen without binoculars.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: Four-star rural hotel in the historic centre of Sepúlveda, next to the Duratón Gorges Natural Park.
Why we like it: Renovated guesthouse of the El Panadero asador, on calle Conde de Sepúlveda, with en-suite rooms and views of the valley.
Why we like it: Rural tourism centre in Villaseca, inside the natural park and on the way to San Frutos, with 34 places in rooms for one to four people.
Why we like it: Rural hotel and apartments on Plaza de España in Sepúlveda, with breakfast included at the hotel.
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: roast suckling lamb; order it when you book, with the number of diners.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
41.13° N · 3.81° W
By car
41.00° N · 3.64° W
By car
41.60° N · 4.11° W
By carLuxury
40.90° N · 3.88° W
By carCar-freeOn foot
Tips
There are no services at San Frutos or on the river.
At the bottom of the canyon there is no coverage from any operator.
Both are prepared for the number of people who book.
From January to July, don't leave the signposted paths.
The River Duratón crosses the north-east of the province of Segovia through a limestone canyon with walls up to 100 metres high, full of tight meanders. On its ledges the griffon vulture nests, and you will see it flying over your head, and on top of one of the meanders the hermitage and priory of San Frutos, the patron saint of Segovia, are preserved. The Junta de Castilla y León declared it a Natural Park in 1989. It can be seen in two ways: from above, walking across the moorland to the hermitage, and from below, paddling down the river. Both fit in one day.
By car, along the A-1 as far as the Boceguillas area and then towards Sepúlveda, or via Segovia and Cantalejo. The route planner gives about an hour and forty minutes to Sepúlveda and a little under two hours to the San Frutos car park. From Segovia it takes about an hour and ten, from Valladolid an hour and forty and from Burgos a little over an hour and a half. Public transport is no use: the only line to Sepúlveda is an on-demand service with Boceguillas. Without a car you can't reach San Frutos or the canoe put-in.
There are three points. For the hermitage of San Frutos, the San Frutos car park, reached from Villaseca; the last kilometres are a track. For the Senda de los Dos Ríos and the town, the Talcano car park, next to the bridge, below Sepúlveda. For the canoe, the meeting point you are given when you book: San Miguel de Bernuy or Sebúlcor. Start, if you can, at the Park Visitor Centre, in the old church of Santiago in Sepúlveda: they inform you about the state of the paths and the restrictions during the nesting season.
For the San Frutos path, no: the park's official leaflet says it isn't needed at any time of year. From January to July, when the birds nest, some areas of the canyon have regulated access; ask at the Park Visitor Centre before leaving the signposted paths. Climbing, caving, overnight stays and unauthorised drones are not allowed in the park. For the river, Situral explains that inside the protected area you go with a guide-monitor; its independent route leaves from San Miguel de Bernuy.
A full day covers the canoe in the morning, lunch in Sepúlveda and San Frutos at sunset, which is when the light is best over the meander. With a night you can add the Senda de los Dos Ríos and the town of Sepúlveda without rushing.
Sepúlveda is the base: it has roast-lamb restaurants with wood ovens, such as El Panadero, where the roast is ordered when you book, and rural hotels in the centre, such as the Vado del Duratón or the Hospedería de los Templarios. If you want to sleep inside the park, El Cañón del Duratón is in Villaseca, on the road to San Frutos.
Spring and autumn are the best times: temperatures for walking on the moorland and paddling without the heat. In summer the sun beats down hard up top and there is no shade; do San Frutos early or late in the afternoon. In winter the canyon has a very clean light, but check the hours of the canoe companies.
Questions
About an hour and forty minutes by car to Sepúlveda, and a little under two hours to the San Frutos car park.
No. The San Frutos path needs no permit at any time of year.
With Situral, €33 per adult guided and €25 independent; children up to 14 pay €20 and €15.
Yes. The San Frutos path is short and flat, and the canoe has a child rate. Keep an eye on them at the viewpoints.
On the paths, yes, under control at all times, as the park rules require.
Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/duraton-gorges
