Cantabria · Liébana and the Picos de Europa
Liébana is Cantabria’s gateway to the bear: a vertical valley at the foot of the Picos de Europa where the brown bear returns year after year. Potes and Pesaguero hold the centres that make this recovery understandable.
The area
Cantabria is living its own brown bear success story: from a token population in the 1980s to steady growth that today spreads across the eastern Cantabrian Mountains, with Liébana as its great valley of expansion.
The two centres of the region — Potes and Pesaguero — tell this recovery from a Cantabrian perspective: coexistence with livestock farming, the riverside forests and the direct connection with the Asturian side of the national park.
Must-sees
Centres, viewpoints and experiences, with practical info to plan your day.
Interpretation centre In the very heart of Potes, the capital of Liébana, the Bear’s House brings visitors closer to the biology and the recovery of the Cantabrian brown bear, with the Picos de Europa as the stage and the valley as an open-air classroom.
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Interpretation centre About 13 km from Potes, the Casa de la Naturaleza de Pesaguero is a good starting point to understand the area: a 17th-century manor house, the former town hall, that introduces the Liébana region and its Natura 2000 network, with the brown bear as one of its key species.
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Everything you need to know before your visit.
In Potes, in the Casa del Capitán building (historic centre). About 13 km away, in Pesaguero, is the Casa de la Naturaleza, devoted to the nature of Liébana and its Natura 2000 network, with the brown bear as a key species.
Yes, more and more: the eastern bear population is growing, and sightings in the mountains of Liébana, especially in autumn, are becoming common. The likelihood is lower than in Somiedo, but it is on the rise.
Yes: the San Glorio and Pandetrave passes link Liébana with the Asturian side (Fuentes del Narcea). Many bear routes are planned across both regions.
Choose your area, choose the season and go with accredited guides who know every trail. We will take you to the viewpoint.