The best active holiday ideas for exploring Asturias

Aren’t you just dying to get away to Asturias? Well, given the time of year, we’d like to tempt you with 11 active tourism ideas you simply won’t be able to resist. On land, in the water or in the air, you’ll feel free and relaxed – so much so that you’ll wish your adventure in this paradise would never end. This adventure map of Asturias will take you on a journey across the whole region, discovering incredible places and experiencing new travel sensations.

Are you ready for such an adrenaline rush? Well, to get you started, here are 11 active tourism ideas to help you lose yourself in Asturias!

Asturias has so many paths and trails to explore that one could say the whole region is a landscape criss-crossed by hundreds of routes, laid out not only to facilitate travel since time immemorial, but also for the enjoyment of nature lovers, who are always keen to savour it at a leisurely pace.

For this reason, hiking in Asturias is right at your fingertips, with trails of varying levels of difficulty and diverse landscapes. The possibilities are so vast and varied that you’d need a whole lifetime to explore Asturias from one end to the other… and really make the most of active tourism.

That said, whichever route you choose, it will always have something to delight you: a landscape featuring woods or rivers, with stone or wooden bridges, mills, panoramic views of the mountains or the sea, a descent into a valley, or an ascent to a summit…

When you talk about hiking in Asturias, you’re talking about losing yourself in a sea of trails, each one more fascinating than the last. It’s like immersing yourself in an ocean of greens and blues – those of the earth and the sky – and discovering Asturian nature step by step, as can be seen in this photo of the Montegrande beech forest in Teverga.

Can you picture a completely unspoilt river, with its crystal-clear waters, its green banks, its hidden corners, and its lush trees lining the banks…? Well, it’s not a dream – it’s Asturias!

Out on the riverbed of any Asturian river, you’ll feel like the leader of an expedition into a land of untamed nature. It’ll be a whole new way for you to travel, to observe nature, to reach places you can’t get to by any other means, to become one with the local flora and fauna… and, ultimately, to enjoy active tourism.

And of course, it’s an ideal way to improve your fitness and shake off everyday stress, slipping into total relaxation, lulled by the sound of the water and the birds, and now and then caressed by the wind…

So make the most of the variety of canoeing routes that Asturias has to offer!

A perfect example of the purity of an Asturian river is the Polea – pictured here – a tributary of the Navia nestled in the heart of Western Asturias.

Need a bit of an adrenaline rush? Well, don’t think twice – don’t just stick to the same old routine. Asturias is the perfect place to get that adrenaline fix that makes you feel so alive.

One of the active tourism activities that can help you do just that is canyoning. The truth is that a canyoning descent demands your full concentration, and navigating the various obstacles and natural features will keep you in a state of healthy tension and alertness. Whilst you’re pushing yourself to the limit, the backdrop is one of breathtaking natural beauty, offering you siphons, waterfalls, pools and caves…

In short, it’s a spectacular show in which you’re the star performer. You’ll see how adrenaline cascades through the gorge, both inside and outside you!

All across Asturias, there are stunning ravines of varying levels of difficulty. Today we’ve chosen one in western Asturias, specifically in Riofrío, in Boal.

Asturias – and particularly its eastern region – is a land riddled with thousands of caves, grottoes, chasms and other cavities… This geological and scenic reality will provide us with plenty of opportunities to enjoy the secrets and mysteries held by a natural world that is ever-changing and full of surprises.

So one experience we highly recommend is visiting natural caves in Asturias or going caving. Exploring a cave – always with a good guide and taking the necessary precautions – will be an unforgettable experience for you. You’ll be amazed by the depths of the Asturian earth!

Please note: Cueva Huerta is temporarily closed

All my life, climbing walls – in the sense of rock climbing – has been a blend of sporting courage, technique and artistic skill. If you’ve never tried climbing before, Asturias is the place for you, as there are plenty of places to do it, some of which are very challenging whilst others are suitable for beginners. And you’ll thoroughly enjoy them all.

Although the Picos de Europa region boasts the longest history of climbing, in recent years destinations such as Quirós – and, more recently, Teverga – have been offering climbers and enthusiasts plenty of incentives to take up a sport that is attracting an ever-growing number of followers.

The art of scaling rock faces will captivate you!

I’m sure that at some point in your life you’ve dreamt of flying like a bird, letting the air currents carry you along. Tandem paragliding is one of those active tourism activities that’s sure to leave a lasting impression. You’ll fly high above the ground, soaring over wonderful places and landscapes.

Paragliding will give you a different perspective on the Asturian countryside, its mountains, valleys, coastline and beaches. Just by looking at this picture of Gijón’s east coast, you’ll realise the possibilities this sporting adventure has to offer.

It’s a high-flying sport that will change the way you see this region of serene beauty!

And what about a nice ride on horseback? You see life in a different light when you’re on horseback, and when it comes to beautifully preserved natural surroundings, well, I don’t even need to tell you.

The panoramic view you get from horseback will help you enjoy the scenery even more, and notice some subtle details that you might otherwise miss. Once you’re on horseback, you won’t want to get off; you won’t want the ride to end. You’ll make leisurely stops along the way – on a path, on a hilltop, on a mountainside, by a river or lake, or right on the coast, as in this picture.

It is an indisputable fact that Asturias is a paradise to explore by any means of transport. And if, on top of that, it’s an eco-friendly, non-polluting and sustainable mode of transport such as a bicycle, well, that’s the icing on the cake. Because it turns out that cycling fits in perfectly with the natural environment, allowing you to enjoy it to the full without causing any harm.

There are so many routes, landscapes, hidden corners, towns, villages and more that you can discover and enjoy whilst cycling through Asturias…To give you an idea, here we are cycling along the ‘Senderos del Carbón’!

The sensation of standing and floating on the water, keeping your balance, is unlike anything else you’ve ever experienced. There are many water sports for navigating the seas or rivers, but amongst them all, there is one that offers a very special sense of disconnection and relaxation, and that is stand-up paddleboarding.

This sport, which has been around for a few years now, has seen a real boom in Asturias over the last five years, and the fact is that the Asturian coastline offers idyllic spots for practising it, where not only is the scenery beautiful – which it certainly is – but the geographical conditions of the rivers, estuaries and some beaches mean the waters are as calm as those of a swimming pool…

So Asturias is a real paradise for stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), and if you give it a go, you’re sure to want to come back. To whet your appetite, this picture of Niembru Cove in Llanes is worth a thousand words, isn’t it?

If you’ve never tried gliding through the air on a zip line, you don’t really know what you’re missing. The sensation must be similar to that of a bird in flight, surrounded by nature, especially as you pick up speed, and the gradual rush of adrenaline will leave you with a feeling of infinite relaxation, particularly at the end of this lightning-fast journey that will leave you wanting more…

In Asturias, our zip lines are always set amidst dreamlike landscapes. This makesthem so much more enjoyable to experience; it’s like a kind of aerial journey through forests and valleys, gorges and almost impossible terrain that you’d otherwise never get to see.

As an example, the picture shows a zip-line ‘ride’ at an adventure park in Asturias. It’s simply a dream come true!

The first thing that catches your eye about the Cantabrian Sea is the strength of its tides and the beauty of its waves. There are many ways to play in the waves and enjoy them, and one of the most educational and rewarding is surfing. Sport, choreography, balance, an appreciation of the natural environment, stamina, power, relaxation… A good surfing session – like the one pictured here on the famous Salinas beach – will give you all this and much more.

Suitable for children and adults alike, surfing is a sport that helps to strengthen social and family bonds. So it’s not a bad idea for the summer to sign up for a course at one of Asturias’s wonderful beaches, which are home to numerous surf schools – in the west, the centre and the east alike.

And you don’t need anything else… Just let yourself be carried away by the warm spell of the waves!

On our website, you can check out the wide range of active tourism activities we have on offer in Asturias!