Yes, There Are Bears in Spain: When and Where to See Them in the Wild

Aug 5
3 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Yes, there are bears in Spain. Wild ones, in the mountains, and more of them every year. Most people who visit Spain have no idea. That's part of what makes finding one such a remarkable experience.

The comeback story

The Cantabrian brown bear was on the edge of extinction in the 1980s, when only a handful remained in the mountains of northern Spain. Today, thanks to decades of serious conservation work, around 350 to 450 bears roam the Cantabrian range across Asturias, León, Cantabria, and Galicia. The population has tripled in recent decades and is still growing. It is one of Europe's genuine wildlife conservation success stories, happening right now in the green mountains of northern Spain.

Where to go: Somiedo Natural Park

The best place in Spain to see a wild brown bear is Somiedo Natural Park in southwestern Asturias, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of glacial lakes, ancient beech forests, and mountain villages that haven't changed much in centuries. It holds the largest concentration of Cantabrian bears anywhere. Other good areas in the same general zone include Degaña, Cangas del Narcea, Ibias, and Teverga, all in the western Asturian mountains.

There are dedicated observation points. The Bear Viewpoint at Fonduveigas, the viewpoint at Brañas d'Arriba, and the Mirador del Príncipe in the Peral area are the main established spots where watchers set up and scan the slopes. The Muniellos Forest Biosphere Reserve, one of the largest and best-preserved oak forests in Spain, is another extraordinary habitat, though access is strictly limited to 20 people per day and requires advance planning.

When to go

The two best windows are spring and late summer through early autumn. In spring, bears emerge from their winter rest and are active on the slopes. In late summer and early autumn, particularly August through September, they enter a feeding phase before hibernation and are out foraging throughout the day, which makes sightings considerably more likely. Winter, when they are dormant, is the worst time to try.

Do you need a guide?

For bears, a good local guide is genuinely worth it. Unlike the lynx, where you can reasonably try a public road yourself, bear territory in Somiedo is vast and the animals are shy. A guide with recent knowledge of sightings, behavior, and where the bears have been moving that week dramatically changes your odds. Several licensed ecotourism companies operate in the area and run dedicated bear-watching trips; plan at least two days to give yourself a real chance. Even experienced guides cannot guarantee a sighting, but they get you as close as it's possible to get.

Is it realistic with kids?

More so than the lynx, actually. Bear watching involves scanning open mountain slopes with binoculars from a viewpoint, which gives children something to actively search for across a wide landscape. The scenery is spectacular and Somiedo is full of other wildlife, including wolves, chamois, eagles, and red deer, so something is almost always moving even if the bears don't cooperate. As with any wildlife watching, manage expectations before you go and treat every morning in that landscape as a win regardless.

Where to stay

Base yourself in or near the Somiedo Natural Park for the best access at first light. The village of Pola de Somiedo is the main service hub inside the park. Here are places to stay near the bear country:

Affiliate disclosure: this map contains affiliate links. If you book through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Make a bigger trip of it

Somiedo sits in one of the most beautiful and least-visited parts of Spain. The green, dramatic Asturias surrounding it has the Picos de Europa, extraordinary prehistoric cave art, a coast full of wild beaches, and some of the best cider and cheese in the country. It is well worth more than a bear-watching trip alone.

This is research-based, not firsthand. When we make it to Somiedo, this post gets the firsthand upgrade it deserves.

For more Spanish wildlife: where to see flamingos and exactly when, where to whale watch in Spain, how to see the Iberian lynx, and chameleons and lizards in Spain.