Kayak down the stunning Río Deva and SUP along the dramatic cliffs and secluded bays of the Atlantic Coast
Slip and slide your way through the Picos de Europa, tackling natural water slides, abseiling down waterfalls and jumping into clear pools
Hit the trails of the spectacular Cares Gorge, hiking through rocky tunnels in the shadow of imposing peaks
Pedal a coastal section of the iconic Camino de Santiago on e-bikes, before cooling off in the pool at your base on the Costa Verde
Day 1
Your host will meet you on arrival at Bilbao Airport and transfer you to Llanes, a charming port town nestled on the rugged Costa Verde. Meet up with the rest of your group for a dinner and chat through the adventure ahead with your host.
Day 2
Kickstart your adventure with a kayak descent of the spectacular River Deva, set to a stunning mountainous backdrop beneath the jagged jaws of the Picos de Europa mountain range. Tackle the exciting but manageable rapids in twin sit-on-top kayaks, with some easygoing paddling needed on the calmer stretches. Tuck into a picnic on the banks of the river and grab a dip if you're brave enough - the water has come straight from the Picos and is rather fresh! Enjoy dinner back in Llanes.
Day 3
Swap the river for the sea today, heading along the coast near Llanes on a paddleboard. This stretch of shoreline is home to a series of cliffs giving way to scallop-shaped sandy beaches. Sea conditions will dictate where you head to find the calm waters - your guides know all the best spots and will provide instruction to anyone who hasn't been paddleboarding before. Tuck into a picnic lunch on the beach and enjoy a swim in the sea before going underground in the afternoon, as your guide leads you into some of the best limestone caves in Spain. Hike and crawl through a subterranean world, past amazing rock formations.
Day 4
Tick off an iconic and famous hike today. The Cares Gorge Trail is a spectacular path cut into the limestone of an imposing ravine, perched 300m above the Río Cares and surrounded by 2000m+ peaks. Drive into the heart of the Picos de Europa, finding the trailhead at Caín to set off on the narrow trail. Wind through small tunnels carved out of the rock and across bridges that hang over the abyss, while the river rages below and mountain goats watch from above. Finish up this memorable hike at Poncebos.
Day 5
Hop on an e-bike at the small village of Buelna to pedal along the coast, discovering wonderful beaches, reaching clifftop lookouts and witnessing the spectacular Bufones de Pria - a natural phenomenon unique to this area, jets of seawater spout from holes and cracks eroded in limestone cliffs. You'll cycle along a section of the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route, passing pilgrims on their way. Finish up in Llanes for another post-adventure dinner and maybe a drop of rioja or a cold sidre.
Day 6
Your final day of adventuring is a barnstorming one: head back into the Picos de Europa to explore this unique landscape from a totally different angle. Slip on a wetsuit, clip into your helmet in and spend the day leaping into natural wells and pools, slaloming along carved rock water slides, whizzing along zip-lines and abseiling down waterfalls. Your guides will instruct you and keep everyone safe along the way. Cap off a memorable day and toast an epic week of wild adventures with a visit to a local cider brewery for a typical Asturian dinner, washed down by plentiful amounts of sidre - the region's most famous tipple.
Day 7
The adventure comes to an end today as your host drives you back to Bilbao Airport in time for your onward flight home. If you are lingering longer in Spain, the Asturian and Cantabrian coastlines have some incredible beaches, good surf and laid back bars and cafes to discover.
Our trips do not include flights, trains or other travel to the start point and back from the end point.
Tips are not included in the trip cost; these are entirely at your discretion. If you would like to tip, the amount should be reflective of your perception of service and quality.
You should factor in tipping 10% on top of the bill in any bars and restaurants during the trip.
Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing. Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness. Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine (opens in new tab), as their insurance offers all of the above.
Visa requirements often change, and you are responsible for obtaining any required visas for this trip. Please check with your nearest embassy or consulate for up-to-date advice.
You know your own spending habits best, so please budget an appropriate amount for things like optional meals and drinks, shopping, optional activities, and laundry.
Looking for a private room? See Optional Extras for details and pricing.
Breakfast at the hotel in Llanes is a sumptuous buffet that always gets rave reviews. Breads, pastries, baked treats, cereals, fruit, meats and cheeses. Lunches will be sandwiches and snacks to be enjoyed on beaches, riverbanks, clifftops and mountai…
For solo travellers looking for their own space, an optional private room can be booked for an extra charge, see Optional Extras for the price. Please request this at the time of booking.
To request any extras, message your host via your Much Better Adventures account once you have booked your trip.
All extras must be paid before your trip starts.
Perfect for adventurers looking to gently step things up
All of the activities on this trip can be done without any previous experience - you'll have expert guides to show you the ropes and help you navigate the kayaking, canyoning ...
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Friday 29th May 2026
to Thursday 4th June 2026
Last minute - Host approval required
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Know before you go! Some stuff we'll provide, other things you'll need to bring.
The water in the Picos is safe to drink and you are able to fill up freely at your hotel base and at stops along the way in the Picos and along the coastal stretches of the trip. Make sure to bring a couple of 1-litre reusable drinking bottles or a bladder.
Yes, you can leave your main pack and any other luggage in the hotel in Llanes throughout the adventure, just taking a daypack with you for each day out.
This trip operates in areas where daytime temperatures can reach extreme highs, where limited shade and high humidity can also be a factor. These conditions can affect physical performance and increase the risk of dehydration or heat-related illness. Your guide will adjust the pace and monitor the group closely, but hydration, proper clothing, and sun protection are essential.
Before travelling, consider your ability to be active in high temperatures and consult a medical professional if you have concerns – especially if you have any cardiovascular or heat-sensitive conditions. Arriving a day or two prior to the trip may help you adjust gradually to the heat.
Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.
Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).
For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.
We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. You must be over 18 to join one of our trips.
You're always in good company on one of our adventures.
Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.
Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.
It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.
Don't just take our word for it:
See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.
The weather in this part of Spain can be very changeable, so be sure to pack for all weathers. Mainly it tends to be dry and sunny on the south face of the Picos (where you'll be doing the Cares Gorge hike and the canyoning). June and September are cooler months to visit, while temperatures i July and August can rise above 30°C/85°F.
We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 153kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity, ensuring the protection of the reserve and its wildlife.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
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75% join our trips as solo travellers, with most in their 30s-50s. 95% give our group dynamic 5 stars.
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