Lagos de Covadonga – Your COMPLETE Travel Guide (+free map)

Where Are the Lagos de Covadonga?

The Lagos de Covadonga are located in the North of Spain, in the region of Asturias.

The lakes are part of the Picos de Europa National Park, the first National Park of Spain. They are in the north western part of the park.  In fact, the lakes were the original center of the National Park, which was then expanded to include more areas, including parts in Cantabria & Castile and León.

Exploring the Covadonga Lakes

Prior to exploring the Covadonga Lakes, I had already spent 4 days in Picos de Europa. I hiked from Poncebos to Bulnes & Sotres, then took on the famous Ruta del Cares hike.

Truth be told, I had already seen some pretty epic stuff in the area, and it was going to be hard to do better.

We woke up early, around 7:00 am, to make sure we could make it to the lakes on time before they close the road at 8:30 am.

We crossed the checkpoint in time, and drove up the mountain towards the lake. But before actually reaching the lake, we found a parking spot on the side of the road, with a lot of cars parked (too many for this time of the day), and decided to stop as well.

Mirador de la Reina

We were actually right to stop there, because there was a reason as to why there was so many cars parked: it was actually a viewpoint!

The Mirador de la Reina is a viewpoint right before the lake, offering an absolutely spectacular view over the valley. We were lucky to witness a cloud inversion that morning, with a sea of clouds covering up the valley and creating this gorgeous scene.

We spent around 30 minutes at this spot, taking photos & taking in the view, then hopped back in the car to drive the rest of the way to the lakes.

The switchback road turned one last time, offering us our first glance of the lake.

We drove down the road on the side of the lake, and parked the car in the parking Lagos de Covadonga, next to the first lake.

Lago de Enol, the First Covadonga Lake

After parking the car, we walked 2 minutes to reach the first Covadonga lake, Lago Enol.

We got close to the lake, then followed the trail leading up the hill to get a better view of the lake from above.

As we climbed the hill, we saw our first animals of the day: cows. In Asturias, there are a lot of animals out there in the wild such as cows, sheeps, goats or horses, and Lagos de Covadonga was no exception.

I took a few shots of the cows, then climbed the rest of the trail to the top of the hill, to reach the viewpoint.

Mirador de Entrelagos

At the top of the hill is the viewpoint, the Mirador de Entrelagos. The mirador is located on a hill in the middle of the 2 lakes, and it offers the best views of the lakes in the whole area!

Can you spot the mountain hut between the 2 lakes?

Of course I spent way too much time there, taking shots after shots, and even coming back at different times of day to enjoy the view under different light & take more photos.

Here are a few shots taken from the mirador:

If you’re trying to see where the mirador is, it’s located right in front of that stone mountain hut, on a hill in between the 2 lakes.

I spent a while up there in the morning, then decided it was time to head back down to get some breakfast.

When you’re at the mirador, you’ll see a flight of stairs going down to the other lake, Lake Ercina; at the bottom of these stairs, to the left, you’ll find a restaurant.

It’s rather unusual to have a restaurant right next to an alpine lake, so it was a great opportunity to sit down & enjoy some good food for breakfast, including hot coffee.

Lago de la Ercina

From the terrace of the restaurant where I was having breakfast, I had a good view on the second Covadonga lake, the Lago de la Ercina.

This is the view of the Lake Ercina from the mirador

The Lake Ercina is often the first lake people get to, as it’s right next to the bus parking. There is a vast open area in front of the lake, where people stack up. Don’t worry though, it’s easy to escape the crowds: simply walk a bit along the lake, and you’ll soon be alone with the cows.

So there you have them, the main spots in Lagos de Covadonga Asturias! It was definitely one of my favorite spots in Asturias, along with the Lago del Valle in Somiedo Natural Park.

Ready to explore a bit more? Let’s hike around the lakes

Hiking around Los Lagos de Covadonga, Asturias

I loved hiking around los Lagos de Covadonga, as even in August we were all by ourselves with my friend Laurent after just walking a bit further than the main spot where all the tourists stay.

There are 3 main hikes you can do in the area:

• hike around Lake Enol – 20 minutes
• hike around Lake Ercina – 20 minutes
• full circuit from the parking lot to Mirador de Entrelagos & around both lakes – 2h

The 2 first hikes around the 2 lakes are very gentle hikes, more like strolls. They are perfect for discovering more around the area, seeing wild animals, and perfect for families too.

Here’s the profil of the 3rd hike, the longest one:

Hike Ruta Lagos de Covadonga

The last hike takes a bit longer, and will also get you behind the mountains in more remote places where you’ll escape the crowds and see much more wild animals.

This is the hike I did when I was exploring the Lago de Covadonga, and definitely the one I recommend doing if you visit!

You’ll find below the map of the hike:

You can download the GPX file by clicking on the image above if you want to use in your GPS app/smartwatch.

What to Expect on the Ruta Lagos de Covadonga

Want to hear a bit more about my experience hiking around the lakes? Trying to figure out what to expect? Or simply need to see even more photos from this amazing place? Then you’ll find what you’re looking for below 🙂

Start of the Hike

We started the hike from the Buferrera parking lot, and walked 2 minutes to reach Lake Enol.

Climb to the Mirador de Entrelagos

From the lake, I followed the trail up the hill to reach the mirador.

Walk Down to Lago de la Ercina

I took the stairs down from the mirador to the 2nd lake, Lake Ercina.

You can see on the image below the trail going down from the hill in between the two lakes, to reach the restaurant and the parking lot, right in front of the lake.

Walk Around Lake Ercina

From facing the lake, I went to the left and walked around the lake. I quickly got away from the crowds, and found myself in a quiet area next to the lake, with only wild animals around.

Walk Around the Mountain

After walking around half of the lake, I went behind the mountain towering above the 2 lakes.

The trail is on the left-middle part of the image, crossing the mountain to do a loop towards Lago Enol

The part of the hike behind the mountain feels like you’re in a different place, surrounded by tall mountains, walking on rocky terrain, and occasionally getting stuck in cows traffic jams.

Looping Around to Lago Enol

The loop got me back to Lago Enol, but from the other side of the lake this time. It almost looks like a totally different lake from that side, with no one around and a lot of wild animals.

Don’t mind the moody weather; it was hot there!

Back to the Mirador

I did the full loop and ended back at the Mirador de Entrelagos, where I had totally different conditions from the morning: no one around, dramatic skies, and even 2 sheeps keeping me company.

Sunset at the Mirador

I stayed at the mirador for the rest of the day, laying down on the grass, waiting for the sunset.

And I can tell you I’m glad I did, because the sunset was amazing!

How to Get to the Lakes of Covadonga

You can either get to the lakes of Covadonga by car, or by bus. There is a big misconception around not being able to drive to the lakes in summer, which is not entirely true.

From June to October & a few days at the end of the year the road to the lakes closes; however, you can still access it before 8:30am and after 9pm.

Get to Lago de Covadonga by Car

If you plan to drive straight to the Covadonga Lakes, you’ll find below the estimated time it takes from the nearby cities:

• From Covadonga: 25mn
• From Cangas de Onis: 35mn
• From Santander: 2h
• From Bilbao: 3h

As you read above the road is closed to personal vehicles during summer & at the end of the year.

Here’s when the road is closed:

⛔️ Road to Covadonga Closing Days

On these dates, the road closed during the day; if you want to avoid having to take the bus to the lakes, you’ll need to wake up early, to go through the checkpoint before they close the gates.

Once you’re at the lakes, don’t worry you don’t have to wait until 9pm to go back; you can take the road to leave the lakes whenever you want.

If you go outside of the dates above, you can enter with your car at any time of the day.

Parking Lagos de Covadonga

Once you get to the Covadonga Lakes with your car, drive all the way to the end of the road, to reach the lakes. There, you will find 3 huge parking lots where you can park your car for free.

Get to the Lakes by Bus with Autobus Lagos de Covadonga

If you don’t have a car, or if you don’t want to wake up really early, you can reach the lakes by bus.

Please note that the buses only run during road closure days, in summer and a few other days in the year (check above). Outside of these dates, there are no buses going to the lakes.

Here’s the autobus Lagos de Covadonga schedules:

Autobus Covadonga April to October

Autobus Covadonga November to December

How to Take the Bus

You can take the bus on any of the 11 first stops on the map below.

However, you can only purchase a ticket in the 4 parking lots (P1 to P4 below); you can’t buy a ticket at the bus stop or in the bus. Alternatively, you can purchase your ticket beforehand online: Covadonga Lakes Bus Tickets

Map from Parque Nacional Picos Europa

If you’re coming with your car, you can park in any of the 4 parkings; there are more than 1,600 parking spots available so you shouldn’t have any problem finding a spot where to park.

You’ll find below the prices for bus tickets:

Bus Lagos de Covadonga Tickets Prices

The bus tickets are valid for the whole day: you can take the bus as many times as you want with it. For example, you can take the bus in Cangas de Onis, stop in Covadonga, then take the bus to the lakes, and go back to Cangas de Onis, all with the same ticket.

Tips for Planning Your Trip to Lagos Covadonga, Spain

If you’ve gotten this far, chances are pretty high that you are seriously considering going to Lagos Covadonga.

You’ll find below a few tips to help you plan your hike, and to make sure you have the best experience you can while you’re out there:

• there are 3 restaurants next to the lakes, so you don’t have to worry about packing food for the day, or carrying too much water, because you’ll be able to refill in the toilets
• bring a jacket with you in summer and a raincoat in other seasons, as the weather changes quickly at the lakes
• I highly recommend going there with a car if you want to catch the sunrise or sunset (buses arrive too late & leave too early for that)
• the cows, sheeps and goats are friendly but they remain wild animals; don’t bother them
• check the weather before going if you’re spending several days in the area (see below webcam Lagos Covadonga)

Check the Weather on the Webcam Lagos de Covadonga

Due to its proximity to the sea up north, the Picos de Europa National Park has a very changing weather. It can be all clear with blue sky one hour, and completely covered in fog the next hour.

That’s what happened when I went up the Fuente Dé cable car, and I couldn’t see anything up there.

If you are spending several days in the area, I recommend checking the weather at the lakes before going, to make sure you’ll be able to actually see something there.

Check the Covadonga weather on the webcam Lagos de Covadonga here: Covadonga Weather

Where to Stay near Lago Covadonga, Picos de Europa

Accommodation near Lago Covadonga, Picos de Europa, is usually all booked-out, especially during summer. If you’re planning to visit in summer, make sure to book in advance.

Here are several options for where to stay:

• I slept in La Riera, which is a small village right above Covadonga, in the Covadonga Hostel.

The owner Andres is very friendly, and gave us tips for our travels in Asturias. The place is clean, and it’s the lowest prices you can find in the area which is great for solo backpacking.

Check for Best Price

• The best place to stay is the Casa Rural Priena (sadly it was full when I booked my trip)

It’s the highest rated hotel in the area, and it’s in Covadonga right next to the lakes. The prices are so low it’s hard to beat, and breakfast is included too! It gets booked out pretty quickly, so make sure to secure your spot fast.

Check for Best Price

Visit Spain

Planning a trip to Asturias and Spain? You can find below several other articles about this wonderful part of the world to help you plan your trip:

Asturias Guides:

What’s better than 2 lakes? 3 Lakes! Visit the Lagos de Saliencia

The EPIC Coastline of Cabo Vidio

The Best Beaches in Asturias, Spain

Spain Guides:

The 36 Best Castles in Spain

Best Daytrips from Madrid

Discover Toledo, the City of 3 Cultures

I hope you enjoy your trip to Asturias and to Spain!

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below, I always reply.