SPAIN - Traverse of the Picos de Europa
Walking through Spain's finest mountain landscapes - The summit of Pena Vieja - Dramatic Cares Gorge walk - Continuous 6-day trek
7 nights hotels, guesthouses and refuges, 6 days DEMANDING trekking. Max altitude - 2613 metres. All meals included.
demanding
Spain's Picos de Europa mountain range, close to the northern Atlantic coast, is a region of steep-sided valleys, isolated villages and rugged limestone trekking peaks. Home to some of Europe's most impressive wildlife species, including wolf and bear, the Picos de Europa was Spain's first national park. Trekking all three of the massifs of the Picos, our traverse begins with a hike to the Vegarredonda Refuge high on the slopes of Pico Cotalba (2026m / 6645ft), our first objective. Taking a high level route across the western massif, we drop down into the 1500 m / 4900 ft-deep Garganta del Cares or Cares Gorge, following one of the great Picos treks as it descends this precipitous gorge on a spectacular cliffside pathway. Climbing back up into the central massif, we overnight at a refuge below the awe-inspiring Naranjo de Bulnes (2519m / 8262ft) and continue across a lunar landscape to the superb viewpoint at the summit of Pena Vieja (2613m / 8570ft). A picturesque final day's hike to Potes at the eastern end of the range, concludes this gem of a European walking holiday.
This is real mountain journey with significant amounts of ascent and descent on most days. The trails are predominantly good but there are sections on scree and bare rock. We will be walking for between 5 and 8 hours each day. This trip is suitable for regular hillwalkers, looking for an excellent week's mountain walking in a quiet region untouched by tourism. Three of the refuges that we use during the trip are not accessible by vehicle and this means that group members will need to carry minimal personal equipment for the first 5 days of the trek, with access to your trek bag at the hotel in Puente Poncebos after the first 3 days. In reality, since sleeping bags and camping mats are not needed, you should be able to keep the weight of your daysack down to no more than 7 or 8 kgs. The fact that this trip is not vehicle supported does affect the overall difficulty.
The trip pages are only a brief summary of the details available within our trip dossiers. It is important that you read the full day to day description and further information for this trip before making your booking.
Download a dossier for SPAIN - Traverse of the Picos de Europa
