Somiedo Viewpoints: landscapes, access and recommendations
The Somiedo Natural Park, in Asturias, stands out for the power and authenticity of its landscape, considered one of the best-preserved areas of the Cantabrian Mountains. Deep valleys, high-mountain brañas (traditional summer pastures), glacial lakes and rugged ridgelines shape a unique natural environment, modelled over centuries by a human presence that has remained respectful and in balance with nature. This exceptional setting makes Somiedo a privileged destination for nature lovers, hikers and wildlife enthusiasts.
To enjoy it at a relaxed pace, Somiedo offers a well-integrated network of viewpoints, many of them accessible by car or via short and easy walks. Using Pola de Somiedo as a base —just a few minutes from Villa Caunedo— these viewpoints can be comfortably explored over several days.
This guide will help you choose which viewpoints to visit, how to reach each one and when is the best time to enjoy them, combining landscape appreciation, photography and wildlife observation.
📍 Viewpoints around Pola de Somiedo
🌄 La Pola Viewpoint (urban)
Location and views
Located in the heart of Pola de Somiedo, next to the Natural Park Visitor Centre. Its circular structure is inspired by a traditional cortín and features interpretive panels that help identify villages, valleys and mountains throughout the municipality.
📍 How to get there from Pola de Somiedo
Fully accessible on foot. Located on Rafael Rey López Street, just a few minutes’ walk from anywhere in the village.
🌄 Accessible Path and Aguino River Viewpoint (La Malva)
Location and features
One of Somiedo’s most special walks. It runs alongside the Somiedo River, is completely flat and includes interpretive panels (some in braille). The route ends at an accessible viewpoint overlooking the La Malva hydroelectric plant and its surroundings.
This route, known as the accessible path of Pola de Somiedo, follows the old traditional path that once connected Pola with Veigas. It offers a pleasant riverside walk through woodland and mountain scenery. The trail runs parallel to the river and includes sections protected by safety railings, making it ideal for families with children, older visitors and people with reduced mobility.
Along the way, walkers pass through a mixed forest of beech, oak, ash, lime, maple and hazel trees, a highly natural environment, perfect for observing flora and fauna within the Somiedo Natural Park. There are rest areas with benches and picnic tables, as well as interpretive panels about the natural environment, some adapted with braille text, reinforcing the route’s accessible and educational character.
This is an ideal walk if you are looking for a peaceful stroll in the heart of Somiedo, whether travelling with children, elderly companions or visitors with limited mobility.
📍 How to get there from Pola de Somiedo
The path starts at the end of the village and is clearly signposted as Senda Accesible or Senda de La Malva.
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⏱ Approximate duration: 1 hour round trip
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👶 Ideal for families with young children or visitors with reduced mobility
🌿 Valley and nearby braña viewpoints
🌄 Aguino Viewpoint
🔭 Views
The Aguino Viewpoint is located on the slopes of La Faeda, overlooking Aguino, and offers a wide panorama of the Somiedo River valley —one of the greenest and most continuous natural corridors in the park. From here you can clearly see shady beech forests, valley-bottom meadows and wooded hillsides characteristic of this area.
This viewpoint is particularly appreciated for its tranquillity and easy access, making it ideal for a first introduction to Somiedo’s landscape without demanding hikes.
📍 How to get there from Pola de Somiedo
Via the local road towards Aguino. The viewpoint is located at a signposted lay-by with space for several cars.
🌄 Coto de Buenamadre Viewpoint
🔭 Views
Located beside the road that climbs towards Valle de Lago, this viewpoint offers an excellent panoramic view over the Somiedo valley and the surroundings of the village of Buenamadre. It is highly accessible and well integrated into the landscape, making it ideal for stopping to appreciate the valley’s structure and its surrounding forests.
From this natural balcony you can see mountain meadows, extensive beech forests and prominent peaks such as Cerridiel and Peña Blanca, which frame the horizon and define the character of the landscape.
📍 How to get there from Pola de Somiedo
Via the SD-1 road towards Valle de Lago. The viewpoint appears on the right after several tight bends.
🌄 Caunedo Viewpoint
🔭 Views
The Caunedo Viewpoint, overlooking the Caunedo valley, is one of the most peaceful and representative viewpoints in the Somiedo Natural Park and stands out for its immediate proximity to Villa Caunedo, just a few metres from the accommodation. This privileged location allows you to enjoy the viewpoint without using a car, walking directly from the villa.
From here you can enjoy a complete panorama of the valley, where traditional meadows enclosed by stone walls, beech and oak-covered slopes, and small brañas reflect the historical organisation of the Somiedo landscape.
The Caunedo Viewpoint forms part of Somiedo’s official network of wildlife and landscape viewpoints, developed from the 1990s onwards to organise visitor flow, support landscape interpretation and protect sensitive wildlife such as the Cantabrian brown bear. Its design reflects a sustainable nature-tourism model, concentrating observation in specific, well-integrated locations.
📍 How to get there from Pola de Somiedo
Located in the village of Caunedo, just a few metres from Villa Caunedo.
🌄 Orderias Viewpoint
🔭 Views
Situated near the village of Orderias, this viewpoint is part of the official wildlife and landscape viewpoint network of the Somiedo Natural Park. It is a quiet, little-visited observation point that offers an authentic view of traditional rural Somiedo.
From here you can enjoy open views over hay meadows, small brañas, wooded hillsides and the valley floor, providing a faithful image of how the territory has historically been organised in this mountain area.
📍 How to get there from Pola de Somiedo
Via the AS-227 road towards Belmonte, then take the local turn-off to Orderias. A short walk from the parking area leads to the viewpoint.
🌄 Robléu / Robledo Viewpoint
🔭 Views
Located at the entrance to the village of Robledo (locally known as Robléu), this viewpoint is one of the most pleasant places to admire the Pigüeña River valley, one of the main natural arteries of western Asturias. It is a quiet and easily accessible spot, ideal for relaxed stops and for those seeking open landscapes without strenuous walks.
From here you enjoy wide views of hay meadows, riverside woodland and forested slopes that clearly showcase Somiedo’s traditional rural landscape.
📍 How to get there from Pola de Somiedo
Follow the AS-227 to Aguasmestas, then continue towards Santullano and Robledo. The viewpoint is located at the village entrance, with nearby parking and immediate pedestrian access.
🏔️ High-mountain viewpoints and panoramic lookouts
🏔️ Alto de la Farrapona Viewpoint
🔭 Views
The Alto de la Farrapona is one of Somiedo’s great natural balconies and one of the most spectacular mountain passes in Asturias. Situated at over 1,700 metres above sea level, it marks the boundary between Asturias and León and offers vast high-mountain panoramas, including views of the Saliencia valleys, glacial lakes and surrounding limestone peaks.
It is a privileged location for enjoying alpine scenery, panoramic photography and observing the transition between the landscapes of the Somiedo Natural Park and the Leonese mountains.
📍 How to get there from Pola de Somiedo
Take the AS-227 towards Belmonte, pass the La Malva hydroelectric plant, and turn right towards Saliencia, passing through Veigas, Villarín, Arbellales and Endriga.
The final section climbs to the Alto de la Farrapona (1,708 m), the usual access point to the Lakes of Saliencia.
🏔️ Lake of La Cueva Viewpoint (Lakes of Saliencia)
🔭 Views
This viewpoint is located within the Lakes of Saliencia, one of the most spectacular glacial landscapes in the Somiedo Natural Park. From an elevated position, it overlooks Lake La Cueva —the largest of the group— surrounded by limestone walls, high-altitude pastures and remnants of former mining activity.
From here you can clearly read the glacial landforms, including cirques, moraines and basins that explain the origin of these high-mountain lakes.
📍 How to get there from Pola de Somiedo
Follow the same route to Saliencia and the Alto de la Farrapona.
From the parking area, an easy 10–15 minute walk leads to the viewpoint.
🏔️ El Príncipe Viewpoint (La Peral)
🔭 Views
Located in the braña of La Peral, El Príncipe Viewpoint is one of the most emblematic and frequently visited viewpoints in the Somiedo Natural Park. It was named in honour of the then Prince of Asturias as a symbol of commitment to landscape conservation, traditional brañas and mountain ways of life.
From this natural balcony you enjoy sweeping views of the Somiedo valley, with mountain meadows, beech and oak forests, and the peaks of the Cantabrian Mountains framing the scene.
Its elevated and open position makes it an excellent spot for observation and photography, especially at sunrise and sunset.
📍 How to get there from Pola de Somiedo
AS-227 towards the Puerto de Somiedo, then take the signposted turn-off to La Peral. A pleasant 10-minute walk from the village parking area leads to the viewpoint.
🏔️ Infanta Sofía Viewpoint (Santa María del Puerto)
🔭 Views
Located near the village of Santa María del Puerto, the Infanta Sofía Viewpoint is one of the newest and most symbolic viewpoints in Somiedo. It offers wide panoramas of the Cantabrian Mountains, with open views towards the natural border between Asturias and León.
Its high-altitude location and unspoilt surroundings convey a strong sense of openness, silence and mountain wilderness, making it especially suitable for unhurried contemplation.
Inauguration and institutional significance
The viewpoint was inaugurated in 2021 by Their Majesties the Kings of Spain during an official visit to the Somiedo Natural Park, and is named in honour of Infanta Sofía. The inauguration recognised Somiedo’s conservation model, sustainability and balance between tradition and nature, reinforcing its status as a leading nature-tourism destination in Spain.
Santa María del Puerto – Exemplary Village
Santa María del Puerto is one of Somiedo’s most emblematic villages and has been awarded the title of Exemplary Village of Asturias, recognising its preservation of traditional architecture, care for the environment and strong mountain community life. Visiting the viewpoint is also an excellent opportunity to stroll through the village and understand its historical role as a natural pass towards the plateau via the Puerto de Somiedo.
📍 How to get there from Pola de Somiedo
Continue along the AS-227 towards the Puerto de Somiedo. The viewpoint is signposted next to the village of Santa María del Puerto.
🏔️ Alto de San Lorenzo Viewpoint
🔭 Views
Located at the San Lorenzo Pass, this viewpoint is one of the great panoramic balconies of western Asturias. Situated at around 1,350 metres above sea level on the AS-265 road, it marks the natural boundary between the municipalities of Somiedo and Teverga.
From here you can enjoy wide high-mountain views over both the Somiedo Natural Park and the Las Ubiñas–La Mesa Natural Park, making it an exceptional place to understand the continuity of the Cantabrian landscape.
📍 How to get there from Pola de Somiedo
AS-227 towards Belmonte as far as Aguasmestas, then climb via the AS-265 to the San Lorenzo Pass.
🐻 Viewpoints and wildlife observation
Somiedo’s network of viewpoints is designed to concentrate visitors at specific locations, minimising disturbance to wildlife. Many of these viewpoints are excellent places to observe brown bears, chamois, deer and birds of prey, especially:
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Aguino Viewpoint
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Coto de Buenamadre
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Caunedo and Orderias
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Robléu
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La Peral
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Santa María del Puerto
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Alto de San Lorenzo
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Alto de la Farrapona
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Lake of La Cueva
🌿 Practical tips for your visit
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Combine drive-up viewpoints with short walks to enjoy the landscape at a relaxed pace
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Bring warm clothing even in summer — mountain weather can change quickly
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Respect silence and park regulations
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Do not leave waste and stay within marked areas
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Best time to visit: sunrise and sunset
🌄 From Villa Caunedo
Thanks to its privileged location, Villa Caunedo is the perfect base for discovering Somiedo at your own pace, combining viewpoints, hiking routes, local gastronomy and peaceful rest surrounded by nature.
If you wish, we can help you organise your daily itinerary according to the season, available time or whether you are travelling with children. For those seeking a more in-depth and guided experience, it is also possible to hire a professional mountain guide —ideal for discovering the territory with greater insight, safety and respect for the environment.
🥾 Mountain Guide in Somiedo
We recommend contacting Luz María Rodríguez Vidal, a local guide specialised in Somiedo:
👩🦰 UIMLA International Mountain Leader
🎓 Member no. 1863 of AEGM
⛰️ Certified Sports Technician
🌿 Extensive experience in landscape interpretation and tailored routes
Contact
✉️ Email: info@coleccionistadepaisajes.com
📱 Phone: +34 699 402 595
🌐 Website: www.coleccionistadepaisajes.com
A perfect option for discovering Somiedo’s viewpoints, brañas and trails through an expert local perspective —whether it’s your first visit or you already know the area.
