Hut-to-Hut Trekking in the Picos de Europa
A wild trek amongst the high peaks of this hidden gem of a mountain range in Northern Spain
What's Included?
Activities & Certified Guides
All itinerary activities with expert, English-speaking mountain guidesAll accommodation
4 nights in mountain refuges, 2 nights in rural guesthousesMeals
6 breakfasts and 6 dinnersTransfers
Airport transfers and everything in betweenEquipment
Hiking poles, if you need themSmall Like-minded Groups
Solo-friendly by design, join our small n’ sociable groups of up to 14 like-minded, active and outdoorsy people…
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What's it like?
Tackle an epic route through rugged limestone peaks and deep valleys in one of Europe's quietest mountainous corners
Bag the summits of Jario (1913m), Cotalba (2026m) and La Padiorna (2319m) as you go, with fun scrambles to reach epic vistas
Bunk down in mountain refuges deep in the Picos, sipping local sidre at sunset and fuelling up on delicious Spanish food
Soak up the good life in Asturias and Cantabria provinces, Spain's best kept secret far away from the crowds in the south
Key Information
Day 1
Arrival
Your host will meet you on arrival at Bilbao Airport and drive you to the picturesque town of Cangas de Onis. Meet up with your guides for a chat about the challenge ahead and tuck into a traditional meal.
Day 2
The trek begins
Hiking
Head off early to the Covadonga Lakes to kick off the trek in the west of the Picos. Hit the trailhead at Pan de Carmen and after an hour or so of hiking, the towering peaks of the western massif reveal themselves. The trail gets a bit rockier and you might spot chamois as you approach the Mirador de Ordiales, an epic viewpoint with a 1000-metre drop to the Angon Valley below. This spot is the final resting place of the founder of the Picos de Europa National Park, Pedro Pidal. Trek up to the Cotalba peak at 2026m, enjoying a cool little scramble just before you hit the top. Once you're up there, the high peaks of the western massif seem so close, and you can spot the lakes in the distance, plus the stunning Ponga Mountains. Descend to the Vegarredonda Refuge for dinner and your first night in the Picos' network of welcoming mountain huts.
Day 3
Vegarredonda to Vegabaño
Hiking
Today is the most challenging day of the trip, so fuel up at the refuge before kicking things of with an ascent to Collado Les Merines at 2100m, entering a huge limestone area through the Pozas Jou. Take a rest at the Prieta spring before continuing past the enormous peak of Vega Huerta and heading south down the Canal del Perro. Descend among the beech trees that surround the Vegabaño shelter, a welcome refuge after a killer day. Soak up this beautiful spot – next to the source of the Dobra River and by the thousand-year-old oak tree of Vegabaño – with sundowners, dinner and an overnight stay at the refuge.
Day 4
Vegabaño to Santa Marina de Valdeon, via Jario peak
Hiking
Bid farewell to the Vegabaño shelter and enter a beech grove, going up a gentle slope and passing the habitat of capercaillie birds. Time for another summit: hike steadily up to the peak of Jario at 1913m. Separated from the rest of the massif by large meadows, you'll find an extraordinary viewpoint here, from which you'll see the summits of the Picos de Europa. Continue through the virgin woodland up to Dobres Rock, before starting your descent into the Valdeon Valley all the way to the village of Caldevilla. Follow the course of the Cares River to the village of Posada de Valdeón for a late lunch back in civilisation, before carrying on to the small village of Santa Marina de Valdeon to settle into the auberge here for dinner and another well-earned sleep.
Day 5
Valcavao to Collado Jermoso refuge
Hiking
Soak up the views from one of the Picos' most stunningly situated refuges this morning with a coffee and breakfast before taking a short transfer to the Pandetrave mountain pass and on by farm track to Valcavao. Today's section is a wonderful route from Valcabao to Collado Jermoso mountain hut via the Canal de Pedabejo, trekking through the spectacular Vega de Liordes and along the cliffs of Colladinas until arriving at Collado Jermoso. The refuge here is blessed with sweeping views of the Valdeón valley and the Western Massif, and sunsets here are often spectacular.
Day 6
Collado Jermoso to Fuente Dé
Hiking
One last epic day of trekking in the Picos awaits today as you head towards the finish line. Set off from Collado Jermoso mountain hut and retrace your steps until Las Colladinas, which marks the start point of an ascent to the fabulous summit of La Padiorna (2319m) with stunning views of the whole Central Massif and Liebana Valley. Descend via the Canal de San Luis traversing a lunar landscape in this high part of the massif, all the way to the cable car station. Hop in the cable car and enjoy a brisk 750m descent in a matter of minutes down to Fuente Dé at the foot of the mountain range. Take a short drive to Espinama to settle into your guesthouse back in civilisation after a wild week in the mountains. Late in the afternoon, you can visit the picturesque medieval town of Potes before heading back to Espinama for a farewell dinner and some drinks to toast the culmination of an epic trek in the north of Spain.
Day 7
Adios Asturias
The adventure comes to an end today as your host drives you back to Bilbao Airport in time for your onward flight home. If you are lingering longer in Spain, the Asturian coastline has some incredible beaches, good surf and laid back bars and cafes to discover.
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Bilbao Airport
12:30
Ends
Bilbao Airport
12:00
Transfers
Please arrive at Bilbao airport by 12:30 on Day 1 in order to join the group transfer to Cangas de Onis for your first night. On Day 7, your host will provide a group transfer from Espinama back to Bilbao airport, dropping you off at approximately midday.
If you are arriving/departing at different times, on different days or flying to/from alternative airports (Asturias Airport or Santander Airport) your host can arrange private airport transfers for an additional charge, subject to availability. Please see Optional Extras for prices.
Travel options
Bilbao Airport is accessible via various direct flights from the UK and mainland Europe. Flights from outside of Europe are typically indirect. If you're looking to make your own way to Cangas de Onis and not use the group transfer at Bilbao Airport, you may wish to look into combining flight options into/out of Asturias, Santander & Bilbao airports, all of which are only an hour or two's drive away from Cangas de Onis, with public transport options between them.
Rail travellers can get to the start of this trip via Bilbao's main railway station - Bilbao Abando - which is well connected to various major cities in Spain and France if you are travelling by train from the UK. From Bilbao you can get as far as Arriondas by train, and from there it's a short bus ride to Cangas de Onis.
Day 1
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2 – Day 3
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 4
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 5
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 6
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 7
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
For the first and final day of the trip, your evening meals will be local specialities in restaurants selected by your guide. You'll enjoy a variety of tapas and 'pinchos' (small traditional snacks popular across northern Spain), a main course usually with fish or meat, dessert and local wines. In the mountain huts, you'll keep fuelled up with dinners that typically consist of pasta, lentils, chickpeas, soups and meat-based dishes. Lunches are not included, you can buy your own each morning before the day's trekking either from local bakeries and shops in Arenas de Cabrales (for Day 2) and Espinama (for Day 6), or from the mountain refuges for the other days. You should budget around €15-20 per day for your lunches and any snacks.
Asturias is famous for its milk, so there are plenty of cheeses to sample throughout the trip. Another local Asturian speciality is cider; your final meal of the trip is at a local cider factory where you can toast the climax of the trek in style and attempt the traditional pouring method - raising the bottle above your head and pouring into the glass from a height, so as to carbonate the cider while holding the glass low in your other hand. This becomes more challenging after your 3rd, 4th and 5th glass!
Vegetarians, vegans and other dietary requirements and allergies can be catered for - please just request on your passenger info form.
What is the accommodation like?
Cangas de Onis
Your first night of the trip is spent at Hotel Los Lagos Nature in the centre of the picturesque town of Cangas de Onis, which sits at the foot of the Picos and on the banks of the Sella River. Housed in a historic building with a characterful bar and restaurant, you'll stay in twin-share rooms with en-suite bathrooms.
Mountain and Village Refuges
You'll spend three nights at different mountain refuges within the Picos de Europa National Park, namely Refugios Vegarredonda, Collado Jermoso and Vegabaño. In these you'll stay in mixed dorm-style bunk rooms. Since Covid, the refuges have stopped providing bedding and pillows, so you'll need to bring a lightweight sleeping bag and travel pillow. The refuges will serve your evening meal and breakfast, and you'll also be able to buy your lunch for each day from the refuges before setting off. There are shared toilet facilities and showers available to use. You'll also spend one night in a village refuge at the Refugio La Ardilla Real in Santa Marina de Valdeón. This refuge is of a higher comfort level, more like a B&B with smaller dorms and a cute restaurant and bar. Your host will try to arrange same-sex share basis for this night depending on availability.
Espinama
After the more rustic stays at the mountain refuges, you'll stay at Hostal Remoña in Espinama, a charming guesthouse in a quaint village nestled beneath the Picos - not far from where the road comes to end, as it meets the impassable mountains. The guesthouse is well known for its homemade, traditional Cantabrian food and extensive wine list, which you'll enjoy while taking in the views of the Picos. You'll stay in twin-share rooms with private bathrooms.
Upgrades
A limited number of optional solo room upgrades are available on some nights of the tour (not available in the mountain refuges) - please see Optional Extras for Prices.
If you would like to book extra nights' accommodation in Cangas de Onis before the tour or in Espinama after the tour, please contact your host for availability and prices. We are not able to list prices as they tend to vary throughout the season.
This trip has been rated as Challenging
This is a significant trek, comparable to the famous trails like the Tour du Mont Blanc in terms of distance and elevation gain and the general level of fitness needed. You'll be doing five consecutive days of hiking between 6-9 hours hours per day with up to 1100m elevation gain and loss to achieve each day, so you'll need to be comfortable with doing this on a mixture of terrain from easygoing dirt trails and pastures, to the tougher-going limestone rock areas in the higher mountain areas. You won't need any technical mountaineering knowledge but some experience of multi-day trekking will be useful, however as long as you are fit and determined with good hiking boots and a comfortable pack to trek with, this trip can be done by anyone just with some experience of long day hikes. There are some light scrambles to reach the summits long the route, no experience is needed for these and an expert guide is there to help if there are any sections where you feel you need a hand. You will be carrying your belongings in a backpack - see FAQ.
What will I need to carry?
From Day 2 to Day 6 you will need to carry all of your necessary gear for five trekking days and four overnights in the mountain and village refuges. In addition to clothes and toiletries, you should factor in having to carry drinking water and a packed lunch each day.
The weather in the Picos can be very changeable, so be sure to pack for all weathers. Mainly it tends to be dry and sunny on the south face of the Picos and at high altitudes over 1,500m. Lower altitudes and on the north face of the Picos is more humid and sometimes rainy. The maximum temperature is around 20 degrees and the minimum around 8-12 degrees. Perfect trekking temperatures!
You can plan for everything - just not the weather!
I’d dearly love to sit here and tell you we had all the ingredients for a great experience. We had lovely tour guides, a diverse and positive attitude group, all the gear needed and no delays or issues - the weather on the other hand, had other ideas. A relentless barrage of mist and rain for 4 straight days meaning you could see 100 yards ahead at best, but not even close enough to marvel at the majesty of the Picos. We all made jokes and made the best of it, but in truth it really “dampened” (excuse the pun) what could have been a super trip.
On a positive note, the sun came out on the last day and allowed for a bevvy of photos we’d been holding out for. Dario and Sergio were attentive and friendly and considering the language barrier did their absolute best to effectively communicate and look after all involved.
If you like hiking craggy terrain and overcoming some technical tracks with jagged sandstone and granite everywhere around then you won’t be disappointed, and is very fun giving you that sense of achievement when you arrived at the refugios. Personally I wouldn’t agree with the “Challenging” rating given in terms of difficulty. I have done the Tour Du Mont Blanc and that was more challenging and warrants the title I’d say.
In summary, the guides were great, the company was a pleasure, food was enough in some parts but other refugios offered nothing more than a slice of bread for breakfast, but the mountains and viewpoints.. well, if you get a bad bout of weather 80% of the trip, then your only act of solace is to enjoy the photos of the mountains on here and the few in your phone gallery.
Excellent trip
We were well taken care of every step of the way by our excellent guides! We had mostly bad weather the first week of September but it got better towards the end and we had incredible views. Apart from the first refugio, which needs work in both the accommodation and the food, both were excellent. I suggest taking a protein source for breakfasts! I loved every minute of it, I met some very interesting and nice people which was great as I went by myself.
Stunning
What an amazing experience! From the start, till the end, you'll not be disappointed. The views are stunning and the the walk is equal parts challenging and pleasant. A big word of thanks to Dario and Sergio- they were always on the lookout, fun around dinners and always there to answer questions. Overall, I'm a very happy customer
Great trip with great views!
The views on this trek are stunning! Unfortunately we have had a mix weather .. still the experience was incredible. You need to be prepared to eat a lot of cheese and ham.
Had a fantastic time!
Dario and Sergio were awesome guides and made sure we knew about the day well in advance. They could not control the weather, but did a fantastic job of keeping everything light and fun through the rain and snow (on the 5th day of September). We had a great group we hiked with - funny, flexible and willing to roll with any situation. This was my first group hike and I had a blast. Will definitely do it again and highly recommend this company!
An amazing experience
The scenery is just breathtaking. So much variety and guides that are very knowledgeable of the area and technical.I felt safe and appropriately challenged throughout. I appreciate how MBA takes you to special places in the world that even some locals haven't been. It was a lifetime wish to do a hut to hut, and while the huts may have been more magical in my mind, the treking was better than imaginable.
Awesome week's hiking!
Fully recommend! Great group, and great guides. Both very knowledgeable and very personable. The itinerary was very well thought out, from the logistics to food; no stress at all! The hikes were not overly difficult or technical, so most people should find this tour accessible. Thanks Txetxu and Midori for a fantastic time 😊 (p.s the sunsets are out of this world!)
The Picos trip was well
The Picos trip was well organised and well led- the leaders communicated with participants clearly and were knowledgeable about the Picos, nature in the area and local culture and were fun to be with too. Unexpected issues or surprises were dealt with quickly and efficiently. The trek was really challenging, scenery and views exceptional.
Stunning views around every corner
Adrenaline-raising, breathtaking mountain hiking with excellent guides
A most excellent adventure!
This is a superb taster experience of the Picos de Europas with the hikes taking you through ancient lowland forests, alpine meadows and the high mountains and staying at some beautiful refuges with fantastic views. A great trip!