Wolves, Wildcats & More Wildlife in Northern Spain

Your trip begins here!
After you arrive at the airport, you drive into the gorgeous Picos de Europa. You’ll be staying in a gorgeous 3-star hotel in the midst of the mountains, where you’ll  have free parking, breakfast, and access to an outdoor pool.

Together with a local English-speaking guide, you will spend the day searching for a variety of birds. Some of these include:

• Golden eagle
• Short-toed snake eagle
• Buzzards and honey buzzards
• Bearded vultures
• Peregrine falcons
• Middle spotted woodpeckers
• Red-backed shrike…

And more!

You’ll also be able to access a lookout point to spot birds from above (vultures, blue nuthatches, goldcrests).

Included: Picnic with local products, birdwatching equipment.

Our next route focuses on finding butterflies in the Picos de Europa! You’ll travel by 4×4, along with an expert English-speaking guide, to an area of special botanical and butterfly interest (especially orchids and mountain butterfly species) within the national park.

The starting point of this route will be determined based on the area with the best blooming conditions at that moment, depending on the weather conditions.

Included: Picnic with local products, transportation, materials

We head towards Verdiago today, a small, picturesque village in the province of León. It’s surrounded by rugged mountains and lush natural landscapes, and you’ll stay in a 4-star, small-scale hotel. Here, you can enjoy the swimming pool that is open in the high season, as well as the shared garden. 

Today, you’ll join experienced guides to search for wildcats, golden eagles, and the wolves that inhabit this area (Montaña de Riaño y Mampodre Nature Park). The guide speaks good English and will take you in his jeep.

Duration: Morning (4 hours) and evening (4 hours) – 8 hours in total

• Morning: Wildcats and golden eagles from a hide
• Afternoon: Wolves and other wildlife

This picturesque village is not far from the accommodation, and the view over the town and the lake is stunning. It offers a gateway into Spanish history; the current town of Riaño was built in the 1980s after the original village, along with about nine others in the area, had to be relocated due to the construction of a reservoir under the Franco regime.

Today, you venture into the Somiedo Natural Park, a stunning UNESCO-listed biosphere reserve known for its beautiful landscapes, lakes and rich biodiversity– as well as being a stronghold for the endangered Cantabrian brown bear.

You’ll be staying in a restored Casa Rural in the heart of the park, certified by the eco-tourism label Corridor de Ecoturismo de España Verde. All the main hiking trails start here: Lago del Valle or Braña de Sousas with a low difficulty level, Lagos de Saliencia, or Puerto de Somiedo.

Together with a local, English-speaking guide, you will explore Somiedo’s geology, flora, and fauna during a 4-hour tour. Since it is a private excursion, the guide can adapt the pace according to your wishes. The tour starts very close to your accommodation!

Today is a fun day, as you’ll start by immersing yourself in Somiedo’s museums and finish off with a completely unique bear-spotting tour!

Museums and interpretation centers in Somiedo

First, you’ll learn all about Somiedo by visiting a range of small museums. These include:

• The Bear House (Casa del Oso): In Pola de Somiedo, you can visit the Casa del Oso, an interpretation center in Somiedo and the headquarters of the Oso Pardo Foundation.
• The Nature Center at the Pola de Somiedo Tourist Office: In the tourist office of Pola de Somiedo, there is a beautiful exhibition about the geology, ethnography, flora, and fauna of this nature park.
• Ecomuseo de los Oficios and Ecomuseo la Casa: These two museums share an entrance ticket but are located in different villages. Note: Open only on weekends; in July and August, open daily.

Bear watching with an English-speaking guide

In a small group, you’ll head into the Somiedo Nature Park to observe brown bears with an English-speaking guide. This happens in the late afternoon and evening to maximize the chances of seeing bears. You might even spot other animals, such as wolves, wildcats, deer, and chamois!

This morning, you can take a beautiful hike to the Lago del Valle reservoir (12 km round trip). It is a well-maintained, flat path with stunning views of the surrounding mountains.

Afterwards, take the chance to sample traditional Asturian food at one of the small restaurants in Valle del Lago (the starting point of the route) or in Pola de Somiedo. You’re sure to enjoy it after the hike!

Today, you’ll be waving goodbye to northern Spain – hopefully with good memories and exciting stories to tell!