As if he were singing the great song of Raw, Alejandro could say that Cantabria, “I like everything about you.” His wonderful beaches (some beautiful even on rainy days), its spectacular gastronomy, its impressive landscape, its people…
Cantabria is a province with a lot to see, and one of its best-known places is the Cabarceno Nature Parkperfect destination especially for family getaways.
What is the Cabárceno de Cantabria Nature Park?
Located in the Pisueña valley, municipality of Penagos, and only 15 km from the Cantabrian capital, this park is an ideal destination if you are visiting Santander with the family because since last September 1, boys and girls up to ten years old can enter for free.
Located in an old opencast iron mining operation that closed at the end of the 1980s, the Cabárceno Nature Park covers some 750 hectares of land. Those reddish lands in the foothills of Peña Cabarga, which at times seem to transport us to USA, are now home to more than 150 species of animals from around the world. Tigers, elephants, zebras, buffalo, gorillas, birds of prey, giraffes… In this natural area, a spectacular karst landscape which has become home to all of them.
In addition to the remains of the abandoned iron mine, during the route through the enclosure we will see animals of all kinds in its more than 20 kilometers of internal roads. You can stop at different points along the route and even organize a picnic in the park. Is a ideal excursion to do in one day which, moreover, is pet-friendly and allows us to go with our pets in the car and walking through the park.
In addition to the route through the safari park, there are exhibitions of birds of prey (included in the price of admission), a reptile park and attractions such as the famous funicular or cable car. East park plan It will give you all the clues of the possible stops to make.
Cabárceno cable car
The Cabárceno Nature Park cable car is 6 kilometers long and has two lines, with the duration of the complete journey (on both lines) being around 50 minutes.
The tour has four stations located at strategic points in the parkStation 1 in Cabárceno next to the East access, Station 2 next to the Mirador de Rubí in the North area of the park, Station 3 next to the bear enclosure in its northern part and Station 4 next to the South access through Sobarzo to the park.
And good news: you can now access the Cabárceno Nature Park cable car with our pets, just as the park itself has announced Recently.
Hours of the Cabárceno Nature Park
The park is open all year except on December 24, 25 and 31 and January 1, and has different hours depending on the season. The timetable is for entry, since you can stay in the Park until sunset, but we are going to tell you when the ticket offices close:
- From 03/01 to 11/01 open from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- From 11/02 to 02/28 (Monday to Friday) from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- From 11/02 to 02/28 (Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and long weekends) from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Holy Week (from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday) from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The cable car has different schedulesand the last upload is 30 minutes before it closes:
- June, September, long weekends and every weekend of the year: open from 10am to 6pm.
- July and August: open from 10am to 7pm.
- March, April, May and October: open from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- November, December, January and February: open a single line, Monday to Friday, from 11am to 5pm.
- Holy Week: from April 9 to 13, open from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; from April 14 to 17, open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Tickets for the Cabárceno Nature Park
Tickets for the Cabárceno Nature Park are priced from 20 euros for adults in low season (from 07/11 to 31/03, except bridges and holidays) and 10 euros for the youth ticket for children from 11 to 16 years old.
The price in medium-high season (from 04/01 to 11/06 except from 07/15 to 08/31, and Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Easter, in addition to all bridges and holidays) amounts to 32 euros per adult and 18 euros by children.
Furthermore, there is a friend of the park card that allows you to go as many times as you want throughout the year and that has a price from 64 euros for adults from 18 years old. If we want a family card, there are three options: the Mono card (86 euros for an adult and children up to 17 years old), the Family card (for parents and children up to 17 years old with a price of 150 euros) and the Manada card, with a price of 182 euros and is valid for parents and children up to 17 years old and two grandparents.
More activities in Cabarceno
In addition to the normal ticket, Cabárceno offers experiences like “Wild Visit”, a different way of getting to know the park in a vehicle together with experts and getting much closer to the animals and their way of life. Includes food and an exclusive route. The price is from 230 euros per adult and 115 euros per child.
One of our favorites is “Cabárceno en EBike”, a bike route in groups of a maximum of seven people, with which we will do sports without realizing it (as with these sports that do not give laziness) and has a price of 65 euros for adults and 50 euros for children from 9 to 12 years old.
Hotels near Cabarceno
As we told you at the beginning of this article, Cabárceno is a perfect destination if we are visiting Santander. It is barely 15 km away and since we will be using the car inside the park, staying in the city is a wonderful idea.
The Hotel Santemar, for example, is a five-minute walk from the Gran Casino del Sardinero and the Bay of Biscay and is priced from 75 euros.
Double room at Hotel Santemar from 75 euros for two people.
If we go with a dog, the NH Ciudad de Santander allows some animals and has a price from 70 euros or the Santander Centro Apartment, with a price of 133 euros.
Double room in NH Ciudad de Santander from 70 euros for two people
1 bedroom apartment Santander Center from 133 euros per night
If we look for something even closer, the Hotel Las Huertas is four kilometers away and has a price from 35 euros the night, although we stayed with the beautiful Posada Semilla less than five kilometers from the park and with a price from 80 euros the night.
Double room at Hotel Las Huertas from 35 euros for two people
Double room at Posada Semilla from 80 euros for two people.
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Photos | Cabarceno Nature Park
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