Northern Spain
Hotel Tierra de la Reina
Located on the edge of the picturesque village of Boca de Huérgano, this is a small and simple but cosy and authentic rural guesthouse with plenty of atmosphere. All rooms have private bathrooms and a satellite TV. Facilities at the hotel include a restaurant serving local cuisine with three courses for lunch and dinner (set menu with vegetarian options). Please note that breakfasts generally consist of fresh toast and condiments, plus cakes, juices and tea and coffee only. The hotel is located on the edge of the sleepy village which is very pleasant to stroll around and there is a local bakery with biscuits and pastries to enjoy. The hotel is the best base for wildlife watching excursions within the surrounding Riaño mountain range and wildcats are often spotted in the fields close by. Please note that English is not widely spoken at the hotel.
Facilities
TV and free Wi-Fi in the rooms, restaurant, bar and garden.
Local Wildlife
Europe's highest density of wildcats can be found close by. The remote hills of Riaño are also home to one of the highest densities of Iberian wolf in the country. Local guides regularly monitor their movements and den sites giving excellent opportunities for sightings. There are also good numbers of red and roe deer, wild boar, broom hares, chamois, otters, red squirrels, and a small population of brown bears in the region. The birdlife is also impressive with black and middle-spotted woodpeckers, white storks, dippers, goshawks, honey buzzards, golden eagles and griffon and Egyptian vultures.
Optional Activities
Wildlife watching and photography and walking.
John Melton
Area Specialist
Please note that English is not widely spoken at the hotel.
If you have any questions regarding our Spain tours, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965
…Thank you for putting together yet another amazing trip…(our guide) looked after us very well, so please thank them on our behalf, they were a delight. We are glad that the original guide of choice decided that he didn’t want to guide us as (our guide) is an exceptional naturalist. He has great knowledge, not only of the Lynx and birds but also plants, trees, bushes, insects and Geology. He made our trip very special by amending our programme several times to take in different sites and bird watching at different and better times. He was also most attentive, organising an excellent lunch on the day we transferred to Tres Cantos and brought breakfasts for us when the second hotel let us down, and lunchtime pizzas when we stayed out all day to watch the Bee-eaters at their busy time. We would strongly recommend that they becomes your first choice guide … Hotel La Caminera was excellent. The views from the hotel were wonderful. The rooms and service were excellent with amazing bathrooms, as was the food and general ambiance of the place. We would certainly recommend its use to others … We were very lucky with our wildlife sightings and the local guides at all venues were most helpful. At Penalajo Estate we couldn’t have got off to a better start. On the first morning around 9am, a female Lynx ran across the track in front of us followed by ……. 3 cubs (around 2 months old). They settled down just behind some bushes but with the female facing out into the open. The cubs made brief appearances out into the open. After a while the female disappeared, coming back into view carrying a rabbit and they headed off up the track but returning a little later. The local guides were amazed. One – they had not been seen by anyone before us and had not been picked up on the camera traps! Two – they were early in the season. Certainly they were not seen by anyone else for a couple of days at least. We had a bonus view of a Lynx sitting in the window of the derelict farm on our way back at lunchtime.