Two specific aspects stand out when planning a trip to La Borbolla: a circular route through the Valle Oscuru and the town’s Indianos architecture. The Sierra Plana and the Río Cabra are also prominent features of the landscape. When looking for accommodation, consider whether you would prefer to plan your stay around a circular route, the town’s cultural heritage or its natural surroundings.
Explore the Valle Oscuru on foot
The Ruta de los Colores del Valle Oscuru passes through La Borbolla. It is a circular route approximately 13 kilometres long. This approximate distance gives you a clear idea of the route’s scale for planning, while its circular layout is a practical point of reference if you prefer a loop. You can treat the roughly 13 kilometres as one part of your trip planning and arrange the rest of your stay around it.
The Ruta Indiana offers another perspective on La Borbolla. While the Ruta de los Colores is a circular route that puts the landscape centre stage, the cultural route focuses on the village square and mansions. This makes it easy to distinguish between the two options when planning your trip: a route through the Valle Oscuru and a look at the town’s architectural heritage.
Nature between the Sierra Plana and the Río Cabra
The Sierra Plana de La Borbolla has been designated a Site of Community Importance (SCI) because of its protected fauna and flora. This protected status makes the landscape an important natural feature of the region. The source of the Río Cabra is also located in La Borbolla, providing another specific point of interest for anyone choosing a destination based on its landscape and waterways.
The riverside woodland along the Río Cabra is also noteworthy: it is one of the best-preserved areas of riverside woodland in eastern Asturias and is considered a priority habitat under the European Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC. The river is also home to one of Asturias’s most stable otter populations. The Río Cabra is therefore notable both for its protected habitat and for its significant animal population. This information concerns the ecological importance of the river and its riverside woodland; it does not promise opportunities to see wildlife.
Indianos architecture in the townscape
The Ruta Indiana introduces visitors to La Borbolla’s village square and several mansions in the Indianos style. The town in the Valle Oscuru also has the largest concentration of Indianos architecture. Those interested in architecture will find not just individual buildings, but a distinctive architectural focus within the valley.
In addition to the mansions, the architectural heritage includes schools, a hall and a park. These facilities were built with donations from the Indianos. The donations are part of the history of these buildings and distinguish them in the story of the town from a mere collection of different structures. Together with the village square and mansions, they offer a specific reason to make the cultural route and architecture a focus of your stay.
Getting there and other routes in the Llanes area
The Valle Oscuru can be reached from Llanes via the N-634 and the AS-343 from Puertas de Vidiago, or via the LLN-4 from Buelna. From Unquera, take the N-634 and then the AS-346 from La Franca. Before setting off, check local information about any temporary roadworks.
As part of the wider regional network, the coastal route from Bustio to Pendueles runs through the Llanes area. It passes partly through the ZEC and ZEPA protected area of Ría de Ribadesella–Ría de Tinamayor, as well as through the Sierra Plana de la Borbolla ZEC area in the Natura 2000 network. This route covers a wider area than the circular route through the Valle Oscuru, so the two should be considered different route options.
Discover more destinations: Piñeres, Bricia, Debodes, Villahormes, Nueva De Llanes, Los Callejos, La Galguera, Niembru
For the main travel overview: Llanes.
