See the bike rental
The Tuñón-Proaza section is 10.5 km each way, flat and surfaced, and packs in two must-sees of the Ruta del Oso: Molina the bear’s enclosure and the entrance to the Peñas Juntas gorge. It is the best section for first-timers.
Distance and difficulty
From Tuñón to Proaza it is 10.5 km along the greenway, with a gradient you will barely notice while pedalling and not a single climb that forces you off the bike. On foot it is a walk of about 2.5 hours each way; by bike, under an hour without stops — though nobody does it without stops: the enclosure is halfway along.
Real difficulty: low. This is the section we recommend to families with children, to groups of mixed abilities and to anyone who has not been on a bike since last summer.
There are no road crossings and the surface handles trailers and pushchairs without trouble. By bike, the stops at the enclosure and at Buyera also break the ride into three short stretches that take care of themselves.
10.5 km each way
From Tuñón to Proaza along the greenway, with the enclosure at the halfway point.
- Flat and surfaced
- No road crossings
- Suitable for trailers and pushchairs
Under 1 h by bike
Without stops — though nobody does it without stops.
- Buyera and the enclosure break up the section
- Three short stretches that take care of themselves
About 2.5 h on foot
Each way, at an easy trail pace.
- A gradient you barely notice
- Not a single climb that forces you off
Low difficulty
The section we recommend for first-timers.
- Families with children
- Groups of mixed abilities
- Anyone who has not pedalled since last summer
What to see along the way
The Buyera recreation area and the bear enclosure
Halfway along, the Buyera recreation area is the essential stop: picnic tables, a fountain and the access to the bear enclosure, level with Proaza. From the trail itself you can see the 4-hectare enclosure where Molina lives, a brown bear rescued as a cub who cannot return to the wild.
Until 2025 this enclosure was the home of Paca and Tola, the most famous bears in Asturias. Whether you see her active depends on the season: in summer, go early, before the heat.
The approach to Peñas Juntas
Past Proaza, the valley walls begin to close in towards the Peñas Juntas gorge. Even if your plan ends at Proaza, go as far as the start of the gorge: it is ten minutes more and it is the photo everyone takes home.
How to get to the start
Tuñón is about 25 minutes by car from Oviedo on the AS-228 (towards Trubia and the Trubia valley). The car park by the trailhead is free. High-season trick: if you arrive after 11 and Tuñón is full, carry on to Proaza and do the section in the opposite direction; the enclosure is even closer.
By public transport, the Oviedo–San Martín de Teverga bus line (Pullmans Llaneza) runs the valley with stops in Tuñón, Villanueva-Buyera, Proaza and Caranga. Timetables change by season: check them with the Asturias Transport Consortium before you go.
The plan we recommend, hour by hour
Leave Tuñón at 10:00 by bike, take a long stop at Buyera and the enclosure around 10:45, reach Proaza by 12:00 and have a vermouth or a coffee in the village.
Ride back at an easy pace and you are at the car by 14:00, with just the right appetite for lunch in the valley. With kids, the same plan on foot stops at Buyera and the enclosure: enough for a perfect morning.
No bike? Rent one with pick-up on the trail from €28 a day, helmet and insurance included. And if this section leaves you wanting more, link up with the Entrago–Caranga section through the Teverga valley — the most beautiful on the trail — or open the full map to decide with everything in front of you.
Ruta del Oso