Fuente Dé Cable Car

Fuente Dé sits at the southern end of the Picos, in the Cantabrian municipality of Camaleño, at the head of a valley enclosed on three sides by nearly vertical limestone walls. The Teleférico de Fuente Dé (cable car) rises 753 metres from the valley floor to the high plateau of the Espinama area — a 4-minute ascent that delivers you to an entirely different landscape. From the upper station at 1,823 metres, you step out into an open expanse of karst terrain with views across to the Central Massif and down to the valleys below.

The upper plateau is the starting point for serious mountain walks. The route to the Aliva refuge crosses high-altitude terrain and leads further into the Central Massif. A longer route connects to Sotres and eventually to Poncebos at the top of the Cares Gorge. The cable car is very popular in summer and queues can be long — arrive early or late. In winter, the car may be suspended by wind. The village of Fuente Dé itself has a small selection of accommodation and is a useful base for exploring the southern side of the park.

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A story
Fuente Dé marks the head of the Liébana valley, a dead-end of stunning natural proportions in Cantabria. The cable car was built in 1966, rising 753 metres in 4 minutes. Before it existed, the only way to the high plateau was a four-hour climb. The engineers who designed the car surveyed the cliff face and determined that a direct vertical ascent — rather than a diagonal — would be both more efficient and, from a certain psychological perspective, more terrifying. They were right on both counts.