Jan 31, 2026
En el norte de Burgos confluyen las cumbres de la cordillera cantábrica. La fuerza de sus aguas ha moldeado el paisaje con grandes depresiones como el curso del río Ebro y sus principales afluentes, desfiladeros estrechos, grandes cavidades subterráneas, escarpadas montañas y espectaculares cañones, pero sobre todo las fantásticas y numerosas cascadas de la comarca de Las Merindades.
Para conocer una veintena de cascadas realizaremos el recorrido de oeste a este, por norte de la provincia, finalizando en el límite con Álava en el salto del Nervión, el más espectacular de la Península Ibérica.
Comenzamos en Hoyos del Tozo. Bajo una gran peña está la plástica cascada de "La Coladera" o “La Churra”. Un pequeño salto de agua escondido entre los muros rocosos y cuyas aguas mueren a pocos metros en el río Rudrón.
Cerca de Fuenteodra está la cascada de la Yeguamea, con un chorro a presión que surge de una pared rocosa, que solo es visible tras la nieve, durante el deshielo.
En el valle del Rudrón, Tubilla del Agua tiene tres saltos o cascadas de fácil acceso. Tanto en el interior del pueblo, como a pocos metros del él, con la Fuentona.
En el imponente cañón del río Ebro, encontramos una de las más espectaculares y caudalosas de la provincia, la cascada de Orbaneja del Castillo. El torrente brota de la Cueva del Agua, atravesando el centro del pueblo acariciando las fachadas de piedra de las casas hasta descolgarse 15 metros, sobre una serie de terrazas de toba formadas por la cal del agua.
Desde Villabáscones de Bezana, siguiendo un camino paralelo al curso del arroyo de la Gándara, encontraremos dos idílicas cascadas. La cascada de las Canales, rodeada de una espesa capa de musgo, y continuamos hasta lo más profundo del bosque, en un desfiladero de verticales paredes, la cascada de las Pisas, en el que las aguas del río de la Gándara, cerca de su nacimiento, caen por una de las más espectaculares y bellas cascadas de la provincia.
Partiendo de Puentedey, siguiendo diez minutos a pie la carretera que lo une con Quintanilla de Valdebodres, en las Merindades, encontramos la cascada de la Mea, de unos 30 metros de caída en un estrecho cañón.
En uno de los valles pasiegos de Las Merindades, encontramos La Cascada de Guarguero, un precioso salto de agua que se desliza por las rocas hasta una poza.
En el Valle de Sotoscueva, una ruta circular de 9 kilómetros siguiendo el arroyo de San Miguel desde Quisicedo, pasa por la cascada de La Salceda, un espectacular salto de unos 30 metros en forma de escalera de piedra.
Siguiendo un sendero desde Padrones de Bureba, y atravesar un tramo boscoso y frondoso llegamos a la bonita cascada de la Huevera, escondida en un paraje del Valle de Caderechas.
Una tortuosa y precaria carretera llega a Tartalés de los Montes, a través de un túnel "artesanal", excavado en roca. Junto a él encontramos la bonita cascada, de 35 metros, de El Fuerte" o de "El Castillo" por donde se precipita un pequeño arroyo antes de morir en el rio Ebro.
En Tobera, cerca de Frías, el río Molinar atraviesa los elevados montes de los Obarenes, creando una estrecha garganta con varios saltos de agua en su camino hacia el Ebro.
Cerca de Pedrosa de Tobalina está la cascada del Peñón, donde el río Jerea se precipita 20 metros, con más de 100 metros de anchura, formando una espectacular piscina natural.
En Irús, en el Valle de Mena, siguiendo un poco por el Camino Real de las Enderrozas, nos encontraremos con dos espectaculares cascadas del río Hijuela.
La bonita Cascada de Aguasal, al pie del Zalama, está algo escondida y los caminos para llegar a ella suelen estar embarrados, el más fácil es desde San Pelayo.
En el Valle de Angulo está la Cascada de San Miguel, una de las más espectaculares ya que, con grandes lluvias o en durante el deshielo, se precipita más de 100 metros desde las paredes rocosas de Sierra Salvada.
Cerca del pueblo de Las Fuentes, también en el Valle de Angulo, se encuentra una de las cascadas más escondidas de Las Merindades, la cascada de Peñaladros. Sus 13 metros de caída están encajonados entre una frondosa vegetación.
El Salto del Nervión es el más grande y espectacular de la Península Ibérica con sus 222 metros de desplome, desde el páramo del Monte Santiago en el Valle de Orduña, hasta el fondo del Cañon de Delika, ya en Álava, con un mirador de inmejorables vistas panorámicas.
Hemos conocido gran parte de las cascadas del norte de Burgos, pero hay más por la zona y también en el este y sureste de la provincia, en la sierra de la cordillera Ibérica. Las iremos descubriendo, poco a poco, para admirarlas en un próximo capítulo.
Música
1 cancion
Broken
Patrick Patrikios
Broken
To the north of Burgos the peaks of the Cantabrian mountain range converge
The power of its waters has shaped the landscape creating vast
depressions such as the course of the Ebro River and its main tributaries
arrow gorges vast underground caverns
steep mountains and spectacular canyons
but above all the fantastic and numerous waterfalls of the Merindades region
To explore around twenty waterfalls
We will travel from west to east along the northern part of the
province ending at the border with Álava at the Salto del Nervión
e most spectacular on the Iberian Peninsula
We begin in Hoyos del Tozo
At the start of the path leading to Barrio Panizares
beneath a massive boulder lies the sculpted waterfall of Coladera
Olachurra a tiny hidden cascade nestled between rocky walls
and whose waters vanish within a few meters into the Rudrón River
You can stroll along its banks to enjoy its swift currents and small waterfalls
Near Puente Otra lies the Yehuamea waterfall a
powerful jet of water bursting from a rocky cliff
It is only visible after the snow during the ice test
Nearby are other small waterfalls that also feed the headwaters of the Otra River
In the Rudrón Valley Tubilla del Agua features three easily accessible waterfalls
both within the village and just a short distance from it near the
Fuentona a lovely waterfall accessible through open countryside
In the majestic canyon of the Ebro River we find one of
the most spectacular and voluminous rivers in the province
e Orvaneja del Castillo waterfall
The stream emerges from the Cueva del Agua
crossing through the heart of the village brushing against the stone facades of the houses
anging 15 meters above a series of travertine terraces formed by the mineral-rich water
Depending on the time of year the flow may be greater or lesser
but it always carries water
Before merging with the Ebro it forms turquoise-colored
pools A few meters from its source and aware of its destiny
This stream has carved an eternal work of art
From Villabascones de Bezana following a path parallel to the course of the Arroyo de la Arándara
Through a stunning alley we’ll come across two idyllic waterfalls
Shortly after beginning the journey the path makes a tight bend
Its edge plunges into the Cascada de las Canales surrounded by a thick layer of moss
After crossing the Arroyo de Piedra en Piedra which merges with the Arroyo de la Gándara just a few meters downstream
We continued deep into the forest and after crossing a wooden
bridge we arrived at a narrow gorge with steep vertical walls
where rocks and trees merge with the thunderous rush of water from the Cascada de las Pisas
where the waters of the Río de la Gándara flow near their source
It flows through one of the most spectacular and beautiful waterfalls in the province
This spectacle can only be seen during the thawing months and in the season of heavy rains
For the rest of the year without water you can reach as far as the base of the waterfall
Starting from Puente Dei with its natural bridge carved by the Nela River over time
and walking another 10 minutes along the road connecting it to Quintanilla de Valdebodres
In Las Merindades we find the Cascada de la Mea a waterfall
about 30 meters high plunging into a narrow canyon
In one of the valleys of the Las Merindades region near the source of the Trueba River
Starting from the Guarguero recreational area we come across the Guarro Waterfall
A beautiful waterfall cascading down the rocks into a pool nestled
in one of the most picturesque natural corners of Las Merindades
In the Sotos Cueva Valley among the Samo Mountains
a 9-kilometer circular route following the Arroyo de San Miguel from Quisciedo
passing by the Cascada de la Zalceda
A spectacular 30-meter drop in the form of a stone staircase
Spring is when it carries the most water
Yet we can admire its beauty almost throughout the year
Following a trail from Patrones de Bureba leaving the Arroyo de Valdelacrilla on your right
en leave it to the left and pass through a wooded rugged
stretch arriving at the lovely Cascada de la Huevera
dden in a secluded spot in the Caderechas Valley
a small waterfall cascading into a green emerald pool
and leaves no one indifferent
An ancient wooden staircase aided by a rope
It allows climbing a steep muddy section up to a small upper ledge
Between the Sierra de Tesla and the Desfiladero de la
Horadada in the foothills of the Valle de Valdivielso
A winding and precarious road reaches Tarpales de los
Montes through a centuries-old tunnel carved into the rock
Next to him we found a beautiful 35-meter waterfall through
which a small stream tumbles before vanishing into the Ebro
It is the Cascada del Fuerte or del Castillo
and the remnants of the arduous trail
leading on foot to the village are still visible up until the mid-20th century
when the neighbors themselves dug the tunnel
In Tobera near Frías the Molinar River flows
through the rugged mountains of the Oarenes
creating a narrow gorge with several waterfalls along its path to the Ebro
Starting from the hermitage of Santa María de la Hoz
The Sanctuary of Christ of the Remedies and the medieval bridge
over the Molinar River a path follows the river's whimsical course
spanning a kilometer and fifty meters of elevation change through
the village offering a chance to enjoy the Molinar waterfalls
and can also be seen from various viewpoints
Following the river we come across small nooks where waterfalls appear
The town derives its name from the tufa
e type of limestone abundant in these lands
Continuing along the riverbank
we reached the bridge where we found another waterfall
These waterfalls have been utilized for centuries
for mills grinding stones and a paper mill
And now with a hydroelectric power plant located nearby
Near Pedrosa de Tobalina lies the Peñón waterfall
where the Jerea River plunges 20 meters wide with over
100 meters across forming a spectacular natural pool
A magnificent spectacle especially during thawing periods and heavy rains
In summer it's a wonderful bathing area
However several fatal accidents have occurred due to people
recklessly climbing onto the rock pools from the cliff's edge
In Iruz in the Mena Valley following a short
stretch of the old Enderozas royal road
We will encounter two spectacular waterfalls of the
Ihuela River during periods of heavy rainfall and snowmelt
Following a path to the right of the roadway
one reaches the base of the second waterfall
The beautiful Aguasal waterfall at the base of Zalama is
somewhat hidden and the paths
leading to it are often muddy
The easiest route is from San Pelayo
In the Valley of Angulo lies the San Miguel waterfall one of
the most spectacular especially
during heavy rains and snowmelt
It plunges more than 100 meters down the rocky cliffs
of Sierra Salvada visible
from a viewpoint along the road
which ascends to the Peñangulo
port or via a path leading
to the top of the waterfall from the port's parking area
Near the town of Las Fuentes also in the
Valle de Angulo lies one of the most secluded
waterfalls in the Trinidades
The Peñalagros waterfall The winding curves of
the road bring us almost
right to the waterfall
The 13-meter drop is nestled
among lush vegetation
making spring the ideal time
to see it flowing abundantly
El Salto del Nervión is the largest and most spectacular
waterfall on the Iberian Peninsula
with a drop of 222 meters
from the Monte Santiago páramo in the Orduña Valley
to the bottom of the Délica Canyon now in Alhaba
with a viewing platform offering unparalleled panoramic views
Parking tends to be overwhelmed
on days of heavy rain and snowmelt
But this natural park has several hiking trails
along the cliff edges that pass by the waterfall
We've explored most of the waterfalls in northern Burgos but there are more
in the area as well as in the eastern and southeastern parts of the province
the Sierra of the Iberian Range
We will gradually uncover them
to admire them in a future chapter
