Las Xanas Gorge

The Desfiladero de las Xanas gorge, located in the final stretch of the river Xanas, is almost entirely in the municipality of Santo Adriano, with only a small part of the gorge inland belonging to the council of Proaza.

It is a unique geological formation, shaped by the stream of the same name. One of its scenic attractions is the mass of woodland preserved inside the gorge.

It is a mixed forest with a very diverse composition. Hazel, hawthorn, ash, lime, maple, mustard and elm trees are common. In the area that opens out onto the meadows, there are beech and alder trees. Other species such as oregano and rock tea can also be found in the scrubland areas and on the vertical walls you can make out the Cantabrian endemism. Yew, holm oak and strawberry trees are abundant throughout the territory.

It is worth mentioning the presence of the rock plane and the black redstart, as well as the choughs of the common chough and the red-billed chough. The gorge is crossed by one of the best known and busiest paths in Asturias, both for its beauty and its easy access. The path was carved into the rock in an old project to connect the villages of Pedroveya, Rebollada and Dosango with the Trubia valley.

Due to its location in the centre of the region, it is very accessible from any point in the Principality, and the round trip takes three or four hours without haste.

Its name refers to one of the beings of Asturian mythology, the xanas, the fairies that inhabited the rivers and forests.