Guided Canyon Walk from Hontoria del Pinar

The canyon begins in Burgos, at Hontoria del Pinar, and this is its least visited stretch: almost everyone enters through Ucero, in Soria, and goes down to the hermitage. Pedrete Guiados, an adventure tourism company in the area, runs a guided hiking route from Hontoria of about 8 km and three hours, at beginner level and suitable from age 5. It is a good way of getting to know the other end of the park with someone who tells you about what you are seeing.

What you do

The route crosses the canyon's karst landscapes, the limestone relief that water has gradually dissolved, and looks into the mouths of its most distinctive caves; along the way you enter a small cave. The guide tells legends and curiosities about the canyon. No experience is needed: it is an introductory walk. The company asks for comfortable, warm clothing and comfortable footwear for stony, slippery terrain, and in its activities it lends equipment such as headlamp, helmet and gloves when needed.

Prices and booking

You pay per person depending on the group: €25 for groups of 6 to 10 people and €18 from 11. Children under 5 do not pay. If there are fewer than six of you, you can join other groups, and for large groups they make a tailored quote. Book by phone or WhatsApp on 652 19 38 49, by email at [email protected] or with the form on its website. They do not publish a fixed calendar or the exact departure point in Hontoria: it is agreed when booking.

The Burgos stretch of the canyon

Hontoria del Pinar is at the north-western end of the park, which has been a natural park since 1985 and protects more than 20 km of canyon between Soria and Burgos. From the village two waymarked Patrimonio Natural trails also start. The Hontoria trail, PRC-BU-05, is circular, 10.87 km and about two and a half hours, of medium difficulty and 236 m of ascent: it passes through the moorland of junipers and Scots pine, the cliffs and the riverbank, and along a stretch of the old Roman road between Clunia and Uxama, with its bridge of Roman origin and a recreation of resin tappers' huts. The caving trail, of 8.81 km and circular, links the Torca Ancha, the Torca de la Hiedra and the caves of Tío Dios, Matalacueva and Blanca, and returns by the church of the Asunción and the hermitage of the Virgen de la Cueva.

The river trail, which runs the whole canyon, also ends at Hontoria, beside the Roman bridge. If you prefer the Soria side, the same company organises caving in the Galiana Alta cave, near Ucero.