Cantabrian Bear Coexistence Adventure

Watch Bears in Spain’s wildest region

The European Nature Trust, in partnership with local Spanish NGO Fundación Oso Pardo (FOP), presents an exclusive 7-night journey to the wild heart of Northern Spain. On this expertly guided experience, you’ll join conservationists and ecologists in one of the most biodiverse regions for wildlife in Spain. This is your chance to see iconic species, including the Cantabrian brown bear, wolves, eagles, vultures, and more.

As well as exceptional Spanish wildlife watching, you’ll hike through ancient woodland and across sun-dappled mountain terrain. Afterwards, you’ll return to charming accommodation and enjoy traditional Asturian cuisine. Crucially, this trip drives ecosystem recovery through a meaningful donation to conservation.

Why This Adventure?

Unspoiled. Wild. Abundant. In the northwest of natural Spain, these three words capture an untamed, vanishingly rare beauty. And here, in the wild heartlands of Iberia, the Cantabrian bear roams cascading mountains forged during the Alpine orogeny, and wolves howl in the vast valleys below. Meanwhile, bearded vultures soar overhead, and wildcats prowl in the rich grasslands and native meadows. With such a unique blend of fauna, this is an exceptional region for anyone interested in wildlife and ecology in Spain.

Running alongside the Bay of Biscay, the proximity of the Cantabrian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean creates ideal conditions for life to thrive. As a result, a cool, nutrient-rich climate supports unique forests. These give life to more than 2,000 plant species, more than 100 of which are endemic to the region. The Cantabrian Mountains also form some of Europe’s most iconic landscapes.

It’s here that one of Europe’s most iconic species makes its home – the Cantabrian brown bear. Observable from a safe distance, seeing a bear in the wild heartland of Spain is on the bucket list for every nature lover. And on this journey, you’ll learn how the species is staging a recovery with the support of our conservation partners at Fundacion Oso Pardo.

Most importantly, your participation directly contributes Fundacion Oso Pardo’s ongoing conservation work on the ground.

Wildlife and Landscapes of Northern Spain

Your Conservation Impact

A Story of Spanish Wildlife Recovery, in the Making
Northern Spain is the home of one of Europe’s most remarkable conservation stories, the recovery of the Cantabrian brown bear. Once pushed to the brink by habitat loss, persecution, and fragmentation, this isolated population has staged an extraordinary turnaround through coordinated action.

Throughout the 20th century, habitats were increasingly fragmented by agricultural and infrastructural development. Illegal hunting also took a significant toll. And as the population shrank, isolated groups faced a damaging cycle of genetic introgression and reduced resilience.

As a result, by the 1990s, fewer than 100 individuals remained across the entire Cantabrian range. At that point, the species faced a very uncertain future.

However, thanks to the tireless efforts of conservation groups, local communities, and regional and national authorities, recovery programmes have helped reverse the trend. Today, there are more than 400 Cantabrian brown bears in the wild.

Our Coexistence Adventure explores this story first-hand, while contributing to practical conservation work. In joining us, you’re supporting habitat improvement, monitoring, and the long-term coexistence strategies that healthy populations of large carnivores rely on. You’ll also learn about bear ecology with guidance from conservationists at Fundación Oso Pardo.

How This Adventure Supports Conservation
Included within the cost of your adventure is a direct contribution to Fundacion Oso Pardo’s conservation work.

Although the Cantabrian brown bear population has recovered significantly in recent decades to more than 400 today, ongoing conservation work is important and requires continued support. The species is still vulnerable to a range of threats, including habitat fragmentation, climate change, human disturbance, and illegal hunting. As bear numbers recover across more of their historic range, interactions with people, livestock, and infrastructure are also likely to rise, making effective management and conflict-prevention measures increasingly important. Conservation funding supports habitat restoration, wildlife corridors, scientific monitoring, and education programmes that help local communities coexist with bears.

Fundacion Oso Pardo is at the forefront of these critical conservation actions in Northern Spain. By joining this adventure, you’ll support the bears’ future, helping people and wildlife live alongside one another in Europe.

50% Of Your Trip Cost Is A Donation

Your participation helps fund:

• Habitat and woodland restoration
• Effective bear population monitoring
• Establishment of wildlife corridors between the bear’s east and west subpopulations
• Community engagement and education
• Bear damages and conflict prevention

Your Journey through Spain’s Wildest Region

Day 1 and 2 | Welcome to wildlife in Spain
We begin on Day 1 in Oviedo, with a 90-minute road transfer to the region of Fuentes del Narcea. Here, you’ll meet conservationists from Fundación Oso Pardo. Working with local authorities, they have coordinated landscape-scale conservation projects to recover the Cantabrian brown bear from fewer than 100 individuals to more than 400 today.

On our first evening, you’ll enjoy a delicious dinner based on local food and recipes followed by a meeting with the FOP team, who will make an introduction to the Cantabrian brown bear ecology and the conservation work carried out by this NGO in the last decades. Both dinner and reception will take place in the lovely rural accommodation La Pumarada de Limés, your home for the next two nights.

On Day 2, you’ll rise early for bear observation in a mountain area. Then, you’ll walk through ancient oak forests, where you may see and find tracks of roe deer, red deer, wild boar, and even pine marten. After lunch at a local restaurant, you can rest in the afternoon. Later, you’ll return for an evening bear watch to a different viewpoint. This rhythm supports wildlife viewing while giving you time to reset between field sessions.

Day 3 and 4 | Introducing the Cantabrian brown bear and the Iberian Wolf
On Day 3, a morning bear observation takes you into more rugged mountain scenery as you head to Somiedo. Here, conservationists from FOP actively develop coexistence measures between communities and the Cantabrian bear. You’ll also learn how changing patterns of bear behaviour, linked to climate change, present new challenges and opportunities. Afterwards, you’ll enjoy authentic Asturian cuisine at the Asturias Hotel Rural Valle de Lago. This day closes with a clear focus on coexistence and why it matters long-term.

On Day 4, you’ll make your way to Redes Nature Park, stopping at landscapes and viewpoints en route. Then, you’ll check into Cabañas Patagónicas in Maraña, at the foot of the Mampodre Massif, for the following two nights. Wolves howl in this region at night, and the sound ripples through the surrounding mountains. At sunrise, you’ll try your chances at observing the Iberian wolf. This species has staged a dramatic recovery in northwest Spain, but sightings require patience and local knowledge. However, with our experts, you’ll have the best chances of seeing wolves in their native habitat.

In the afternoon, you’ll turn your attention to the wildcat, which often stalks prey in the grasslands of Montaña de Riaño. Then, you’ll enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. If you enjoy active travel, this stage also includes hiking in Cantabria-style terrain, while keeping wildlife observation as the priority.

Day 5 | The Montaña de Riaño
We will enjoy of a whole day dedicated to wolves and wildlife in the Montaña de Riaño. Being in the mid of the rutting season, we will try to spot wolves whilst the bellowing of rutting stags echoes through the valleys, all the while keeping an eye on the sky to spot golden eagles and perhaps the first bearded vulture of the trip. Montaña de Riaño is in the Southern slope of the Cantabrian range, and shows a different lanscape, relief structure and, in the last, a different natural rythm, atmosphere and colours.

Day 6 and 7 | The Cantabrian coast and return
Your final location is Cangas de Onís, nestled at the gateway to the Picos de Europa. It’s a haven for nature lovers, with lush valleys, dramatic peaks, and pristine rivers. With local experts, you’ll spot deer, vultures, and likely bears in nearby protected areas. You’ll also visit the forgotten hamlets of Viboli and Casielles, with views over the canyons where bearded and griffon vultures soar overhead.
You’ll stay at Los Lagos Nature Hotel for these two nights. This gives you time to relax, reflect, and enjoy traditional Asturian cuisine and traditions, such as the local method of pouring hand-made cider. You’ll also visit the Bearded Vulture Mountain Visitors Centre in Benia de Onís, and learn how the bearded vulture has staged its recovery. Then, you’ll look for the species in the wild at the Lakes of Covadonga.

Day 8 | The Cantabrian coast and return
On the final day, you’ll journey along the coast past rugged seas and Cantabrian towns before returning to Oviedo for outbound travel or an extended stay. In other words, you’ll experience the full breadth of Spain wildlife in one carefully designed route.

Cantabrian Bear Adventure Accommodation

La Pumarada de Limés
A charming rural hotel set in the heart of Fuentes del Narcea, surrounded by native woodland and meadow. Well placed for bear observations in this key conservation area, it offers comfort and character after a full day in the field.

Asturias Hotel Rural Valle de Lago
Set in the natural park of Somiedo, this rural hotel sits in prime bear country. Authentic Asturian design and locally sourced cuisine make it a fitting base for this stage of the journey.

Cabañas Patagónicas (Marañá)
Located at the foot of the Mampodre Massif within Montaña de Riaño and Mampodre Regional Parks, these cabanas offer a genuinely wild setting. Wolves move through the surrounding landscape, and the mountain air at dawn sets the scene for early-morning wildlife watching.

Los Lagos Nature Hotel
Positioned at the gateway to the Picos de Europa in Cangas de Onís, this hotel combines comfort with access to some of the most spectacular scenery in northern Spain. It’s an ideal place to relax and reflect before the journey home.