© ParadoresHotelParador de Puebla de Sanabria
Why we like it: 42-room parador in the lower part of the town, with garden, seasonal pool, playground and padel, 12 km from the lake.
Duration2 nights
Best timeMid-September – mid-October
Budget€200–320 pp
Getting thereCar, A-52
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed for arriving on Friday evening. Before booking accommodation, fix the date of the rut with the guide, which depends on that year's rutting season, and book the Wolf Centre online.
Friday
- 119:00Arrival and dinner in the town
Leave the car below, beside the Tera, and walk up to the Plaza Mayor. Dinner at La Cartería or at La Posada, which serves dinner by reservation.
Saturday
- 110:00Laguna de los Peces
Drive up via San Martín de Castañeda to the lagoon. From there, an easy walk in the Sierra Segundera, among glacial lagoons, without pushing: the afternoon is long.
- 214:00Lunch at La Posada and San Martín de Castañeda
Broad beans and Sanabria beef on the Plaza Mayor. Then the Romanesque monastery above the lake, for €1.
- 318:00The rut with a guide in the Culebra
From Puebla to Villardeciervos is about 40 minutes. AHERCA organises rut-watching outings at dawn and dusk during the rutting weeks: the guide will tell you the meeting time. You watch from afar and in silence. Drive back slowly: deer cross at night.
Sunday
- 110:00Iberian Wolf Centre, in Robledo
Two hours guided round the semi-wild wolf enclosures, booked and paid online: €8, free up to age 7.
- 212:45Puebla castle, lunch and the drive back
The keep for €4 and lunch at the Parador before heading home.
In the Sierra de la Culebra, between Sanabria and Aliste, live some of the best-known deer and wolves in the Peninsula. From mid-September to mid-October the stags come into rut and bellow at dawn and dusk: it is the berrea. Puebla de Sanabria, half an hour from the sierra, is the perfect base: a medieval town with a castle, good tables and, a short way off, the lake and the glacial lagoons. With two nights you do the guided rut-watching unhurried and have the rest of the weekend for everything else.
Where to sleep
| Accommodation | Where | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| Parador de Puebla de Sanabria | Lower part of the town, with parking | Families and anyone returning late by car from the sierra |
| Posada Real La Cartería | Inside the town, on the Rúa | Couples: eight rooms, sauna and dining rooms in wine cellars |
| Motorhome area | El Pinar sports area, 800 m away | Motorhomes: €5 for 24 hours |
If you prefer dawn
The stags also bellow at daybreak. If you choose the Saturday-morning outing, change the order: rut early, a siesta, Laguna de los Peces in the afternoon. Go to bed early and lay out your clothes the night before: at those hours, in the sierra, it is cold even in September.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Lake Sanabria and Puebla de Sanabria, step by step
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
When to go to Lake Sanabria and Puebla de Sanabria
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
By car, along the A-52 and unhurried by the shore
Sanabria is explored by car: Puebla is next to the A-52, the motorway from Benavente to Ourense, and the lake is about 15 minutes away along the ZA-104. The beaches, Ribadelago, San Martín de Castañeda and the Laguna de los Peces are on different roads, so the car does not stay still.
70–130 €per person per day, approximate
- SleepParador, in the lower part…
- Getting aroundExit 79 of the A-52…
- EatLa Posada, on the Plaza…
- ServicesTourist office inside the castle
Sleep
- Parador, in the lower part of Puebla, with parking and a seasonal pool
- La Cartería, inside the medieval town, on the Rúa
Getting around
- Exit 79 of the A-52 from Madrid and Zamora, exit 85 from Galicia
- You cannot park on the Plaza Mayor in season: leave the car by the river
- The road to the Laguna de los Peces may have snow in winter
Eat
- La Posada, on the Plaza Mayor, every day except Wednesday
- Parador restaurant, with parking
Services
- Tourist office inside the castle
- Park House at Rabanillo, on the way to the lake
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights2
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're driving
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
© ParadoresHotel
© Posada Real La CarteríaSmall hotelPosada Real La Cartería
Why we like it: Eight rooms in an 18th-century house on the Rúa, inside the medieval town, with views of the Tera, sauna, Turkish bath and cellar dining rooms.
Campervan area
Puebla de Sanabria Campervan Area
Why we like it: Fenced and monitored municipal area beside the River Tera, 800 m from the old town, with emptying and water filling · €5 per 24 hours.
From €5
View details
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| Puebla de Sanabria | Castle, medieval town, Parador | |
| Lake shore | Beaches, Ribadelago, Park Visitor Centre | |
| San Martín de Castañeda | Monastery, viewpoints, climb to the lagoons |
Where to eat
Where to eat in Lake Sanabria and Puebla de Sanabria
La Posada de la Puebla de Sanabria
What to order: habones to start and the Sanabrian beef chuletón to share.
© ParadoresRestaurant of the Parador de Puebla de Sanabria
What to order: Sanabrian-style octopus and habones.
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© Posada Real La CarteríaRestaurant of the Posada Real La Cartería
What to order: the Tera trout or some tostas by the tavern fireplace.
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
Fix the date with the guide before the hotel: the rut depends on the year, and the first week of October can be better or worse than the last of September.
We'd skip it
Outside the rutting weeks: you won't see the rut. For the rest of the year, AHERCA has wolf-watching outings from €40.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
When is the rut in the Sierra de la Culebra?
From mid-September to mid-October, depending on the year.
How much does the rut outing cost?
AHERCA gives the price when you book. Its wolf-watching outing costs €40 per person.
How far is the Culebra from Puebla de Sanabria?
Villardeciervos, the starting point of the excursions, is about 40 minutes by car.
Is it a good plan with children?
With older children who can keep still and quiet. The Wolf Centre and the castle appeal to all ages.
Do I need a car?
Yes: the sierra, the lagoons and Robledo can only really be reached by car.