5 day hike Picos de Europa Western Massif -Cangas

Follow Ruben, an AEGM certified guide, on this 5-days hike. Begin in Cangas de Onís in Spain and venture through the magical Picos de Europa. It will be an adventure you won’t forget!

Cordillère Cantabrique

5 Days

Jun - Aug

High

Intermediate

Description

Let me guide you on this 5-days trek, departing from Cangas de Onís in Spain, into Picos de Europa, a magical spot hard to compare.

The Picos de Europa National Park is located on the Cantabrian mountain range. The range covers the provinces of Asturias, Leon and Cantabria, Spain. It is formerly known as the Covadonga Mountain National Park. And it was created in 1918. So it is one of the oldest and most visited parks in the country.

Picos de Europa received its denomination as National Park due to its natural and ethnographic importance. It received this denomination in order to keep in time the wild nature of the place. Another goal is to preserve the traditions of the people that inhabit the area.

My goal is that you get to experience both. Thus, we’ll stay in some of the most charming and welcoming huts in the country. For example, we’ll lodge in the Vegarredonda, La Vega de Enol and Vega de Ario huts. There, you’ll meet wonderful folks. They will share the tales of the people that have walked these lands for millenia. And, you’ll incomparable views of all beautiful things around you.

You’ll also walk through mesmerizing paths, pretty meadows, enchanting forests, grasslands and sheepfolds. All, accompanied by the sight of the magnificent peaks that stand here like the Western Massif. Moreover, there’s the chance that you meet the creatures that inhabit this place. One of them is the rebecos, an ibex characteristic of this region.

During our 5 day trek you’ll see the most stunning corners of Picos de Europa including the Western Massif. So don’t miss this chance to explore it! Send me a request and I promise you will have a wonderful time.

Price includes

- Accommodation included

- Guiding fee

- Breakfast

- Dinner

- Personal insurance

Price details

Price includes: guide fee, Four nights accommodation in shelters, Four half-board (dinner + breakfast) in huts, Map 1: 25,000 Cornión Massif, Collective safety equipment, Accident insurance. It doesn’t include: transportation, any other item not mentioned as included.

Itinerary

Day 1: Cangas de Onis

We will depart from the Basilica Covadonga (260m). Then we will head to the Covadonga Lakes (1,100m). After that we will reach the Vega de Enol’s hut, located precisely in Vega de Enol. Here you’ll get incomparable views of the Western Massif and its most important slopes Orandi, Severin and Fana. If the weather allows us, we’ll reach the summit of Porra de Enol (1,269m) near our hut. The total distance we’ll walk on this day is of 10 km.

Day 2: Enol Lake

On our second day we will head to Enol lake, we’ll border it in order to reach the Ercina lake. Then we will go to Belbin sheepfold. After that we will keep trekking along Vega Maor, until we get to another beautiful sheepfold. Finally, we will go to the Vega de Ario hut, to recover our energies. If you still have some energy, we can ascend the Jultayu peak, to get a wonderful view of Cain and the Cares Gore. On this day, the distance we’ll cover is 11 kilometers.

Day 3: Vega de Ario - Vegarredonda

On this day, we will cross the Massif from east to west, from Vega de Ario to Vegarredonda hut (1,400m), where we will overnight. Beautiful day in the characteristic karst landscape of the heights of the Picos de Europa, where limestone rock chaos reigns between jous and hills, making the orientation is not easy. This is a good time to see “Rebecos”, characteristic ibex of the National Park.

Day 4: Ordiales

On this day, we’ll go to Ordiales Viewpoint (1.750m), beautiful viewpoint to Amieva and Ponga and landmark in the National Park, for being there the tomb of Pedro Pidal, Marquis of Villaviciosa and main promoter of the National Park. We return to the Vegarredonda hut, for a short descent to the Vega de Enol shelter, where we’ll have a second night, the last of trekking.

Day 5: Lagos de Covadonga

Our last day, we can only descend from the Lagos de Covadonga to the Basilica de Covadonga, where we will conclude our trek through the Cornión Massif. On our way we’ll pass across the beautiful Vega de Comeya, Huesera, and part of the Frassinelli’s path to reach the Priena Cross peak (722m), fantastic viewpoint on Covadonga. We can only descend to Covadonga, place where end our fantastic adventure.

Details

More info

There will be picnic lunches available for purchase at each shelter, in order to avoid carrying extra weight. Also, you’ll be able to find blankets on each shelter. Thus, with just a thin sleeping bag or bed sheet sleeping bag is enough.

Meeting point

Cangas de Onis bus station parking.

About the guide

Ruben

5.0

(2)

Mountain Leader

Hello!! My name is Rubén Cuesta Valparís and I am a Mountain Guide with official certification and AEGM-UIMLA accreditation (Member Number 913). I have extensive experience in mountain ranges around the world, from the Picos de Europa, my base and school, through the Pyrenees, the Alps, Patagonia, the Himalayas.

I love mountains and nature in general and from my experience and supported by my training, I like to enjoy them and make my clients enjoy them as much as I do, giving them the security they need to perform the activity they want, interpreting the landscape , flora, fauna, ethnography, and promoting respect for nature and the environment where activities take place. I speak Spanish and English.

From my company, Picos Outdoor, we organize activities of hiking, trekking, mountaineering, orientation, etc. and we offer introductory and specialization training courses (can be for groups and individuals) related to all the above.

Languages

English

Certificates

AEGM | UIMLA

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What people are saying about Explore-Share

Man

Climbing with guide Guillaume was absolutely a highlight of my 2-week Europe vacation. Originally, we were planning on climbing in the Calanques, but the park was closed due to wind and fire danger. Guillaume chose another amazing location (Pic de Bretagne) based on my climbing abilities and preferences and kindly offered train station pick-up and hotel drop off, which I appreciated very much. The multi-pitch route we did was not only fun but also the right amount of challenge, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The communication from the team (Gauthier) was prompt and clear—highly recommend!

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