Everything you can imagine
… relax, dream, rest, enjoy …
Our council offers the visitor a wide range of leisure activities in the heart of the Natural Paradise that is Asturias, a place where it is possible to rest, dream and enjoy. In which the mountain can be touched and where mythology shakes hands with reality to explain its origins.
Route of the Cares
The Route of the Cares is located in the Picos de Europa National Park.
Known as the “Divine Gorge”, the route, literally carved in the rocks of the mountains, is a wonderful journey of a little over 11 kilometers between the town of Caín (León) and Poncebos (Asturias). through the gorge that follows the river on one of the most spectacular hiking trails that can be done all over Europe.
Trekking
The possibilities of hiking in the area are innumerable, with different levels of difficulty or duration. Starting from the Valle de Arenas it has 16 marked routes with durations ranging from one to five hours.
On the other hand, the location of Arenas, just 5km from Poncebos, allows you to enter the central massif of the National Park and from there you can take the picturesque Ruta del Cares or other numerous mountain routes that although not as famous , they are of great beauty and impressive slopes..
Flora
The landscape of Picos de Europa, with its steep slopes and differences in altitude, comprises deep Atlantic forests with high humidity and subalpine grasslands. Here we can see a variety of over 1500 plants, part of which are exclusive of the Picos de Europa ecosystem.
Depending mainly on the altitude, the forests that we can find are composed of beech or oaks, holm oaks, ash trees, limes, chestnuts, elms and hazels … and plants such as orchids, dandelions, wild strawberries, chamomile, tea, oregano, arnica, bloodroot, gentian, calendula or bluish thistles.
Wildlife
The fauna of the peaks is very varied depending on the altitude and location-the valley, the middle or the high mountain-.
We can find the common fox, the Iberian wolf, wild cats, otters, badgers, roe deer or wild boar, groups of chamois …
If we focus on birds even if endemic ,we can find vultures, golden eagles, Egyptian vultures, goshawks, kestrels, kites, owls, carabucos, crows, choughs, woodcocks, woodpeckers, oropendolas, hoopoes, kingfishers. , herons, blackbirds …
Fishing
Although it is the Salmon the fish which for years has given name and prestige to the waters of the Cares River, it is also possible to fish for trouts and other fish.
For the practice of fishing, there are different seasons depending on the species.
The river sections are divided into free fishing areas- mainly for trout-, protected areas and closed areas where fishing is prohibited. In any case, a fishing license issued by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Principality of Asturias is required.
If interested, we can manage your license and provide you with information about seasons, rules and zones.
Mycology
Cabrales has an Atlantic and sub-Mediterranean climate. As a result there are large areas of Atlantic forest, shady and humid that favour the existence of many varieties of mushrooms. In the chestnut and beech forests that surround the village of Arenas de Cabrales it is common to find species such as Amanita muscaria, lacrymaria velutiana, lepiota cristata, legista nuda, macrolepiota, coprinus atramentarius or antialcoholico or yesqueru bicolor.
Remember that you can only pick them up in the valley and always outside the boundaries of the National Park.
Cave museum of cabrales cheese
The Cabrales Exposition Cave is located inside a natural cave gallery and shows the past and present of Cabrales Cheese through reproductions of a typical mountain hut, a current cheese factory and a maturation cave with natural formations.
Visitors will discover the whole tradition of this special handmade cheese during the guided tour that lasts approximately 45 minutes. (Visits in Spanish, English, French or German)