Camaleño: Nature, High Mountains and Pilgrimage Culture

Camaleño is included in the Picos de Europa National Park because of its ecological value. The Circo de Fuente Dé is one of the glacial and periglacial landforms in the Camaleño and Picos de Europa area.

Other Locality Pages

Other locality pages lead to Cosgaya, Turieno, Fuente Dé, Pido, Espinama, Lon and Pembes. Another locality page leads to Villafufre.

Nature and High Mountains

The slopes of Valdebaró are covered by holm oak, Pyrenean oak and oak forests, as well as beech and birch stands; at higher elevations, subalpine shrubland and mountain pastures follow. The Hayedo de Salvorón provides habitat and a passage area for endangered species such as brown bears, capercaillies and otters.

On the PR-PNPE 23 Ruta Horcados Rojos, high-altitude vegetation, a rocky landscape with jagged peaks and alpine birds shape the experience. The PR-PNPE 24 Ruta Puertos de Áliva passes through extensive mountain meadows between the Central and Eastern Massifs of the Picos de Europa and then through dense forests on the southern slope of Pico de Valdecoro. The different landscapes along the two routes can be easily compared when planning your own trip.

Panoramas and Trails

The Teleférico de Fuente Dé overcomes a difference in elevation of 753 metres from the lower station in Fuente Dé at an altitude of 1,094 metres to the Mirador del Cable at an altitude of 1,847 metres. Located in the heart of the Picos de Europa and in the municipality of Camaleño, the Teleférico de Fuente Dé also overcomes a difference in elevation of 753 metres and takes visitors to an altitude of 1,823 metres in four minutes.

The Mirador del Cable is located in the municipality of Camaleño at the mountain station of the Teleférico de Fuente Dé, 800 metres from Fuente Dé, and offers views of the upper Deva basin and nearby beech forests. The Mirador de Santo Toribio is located outside the national park next to the Monasterio de Santo Toribio de Liébana and offers views of the southern side of the Eastern Massif of the Picos de Europa.

Fuente Dé lies at the foot of the Picos de Europa; from there, visitors can reach the Puertos de Áliva, which is why the locality is frequently visited by day-trippers.

Culture and Pilgrimage Tradition

The Monasterio de Santo Toribio in the municipality of Camaleño is an important religious centre and pilgrimage destination, as well as one of four places worldwide where a jubilee can be obtained; the other places mentioned are Rome, Jerusalem and Santiago de Compostela. The church of the Monasterio de Santo Toribio is Gothic in character and shows Cistercian influences; it includes the Baroque Lignum Crucis Chapel. The Camino Lebaniego runs between San Vicente de la Barquera and the Monasterio de Santo Toribio, passing through the municipality of Camaleño.

The architectural heritage of Mogrovejo includes a medieval tower and a manor house built onto it. A group of burial mounds more than 3,000 years old is located in the area around Peña de Oviedo.

The Museo de la Escuela Rural in Mogrovejo reconstructs a traditional school from the Liébana region and honours rural education. The museum is housed in the former school buildings and includes a room with audiovisual facilities and a reception for visitors, as well as a permanent exhibition featuring a reconstructed classroom with wooden desks, a blackboard and political maps.

The Centro de Interpretación de la Montaña in Espinama, a locality in the municipality of Camaleño, explains life in the mountains of the Liébana region through pictures and objects. The Fiesta de la Virgen de la Salud is celebrated every year on 2 July in the small chapel in the meadows of the Puertos de Áliva at an altitude of approximately 1,500 metres.

For the overarching travel overview: Cantabria.