We are back with one of those post that aims to show you something different to do from Barcelona. Cabrera Sanctuary is a place where no tourists go. Only locals wanting to hike or spend a day in the nature. The sanctuary is located in the county of Osona at the top of a rocky hill. As you can expect, the views from the top are astonishing and the climb is completely worth it. It can be done with children and it is a fantastic spot to have a picnic. If you ever travel to Catalonia and want to be far from the crowds, this is really an option for you.

To reach Cabrera Sanctuary you need to go to the small village of Cantonigrós, one and a half hour driving from Barcelona. In Cantonigrós there is also one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Catalonia, the Foradada, but we will show that in a future post. You can park the car near the football field. From there, go to the north walking by the side of C-153 road, just 100 metres, and then turn right through a gravel road. Here you have a vertical sign showing you the route to the sanctuary. From here it is really easy to not get lost.

It was a perfect winter sunny day. After some minutes walking among grass fields the coat was no more useful but a nuisance. At the beginning the path is flat but when it reaches the forest it starts to go up. It rained the day before, so there was mud in some points and it became a little bit slippery. However, it didn’t prevent cross bikers to go up and down making noise… well, this was not the best for a quiet walk.

When the bikers left we continued till we found a rock wall in front of us. Then, steepy stairs start. For me this was the best part of the route because, although you get tired, you also get the best veiws to the south. There are ropes and railings and it makes it easy for all kind of people. No climbing expertise needed.

And when we reached the top we found the sanctuary. The top is a narrow area with cliffs at both sides. If you walk to the north from the sanctuary you will see a place were it is so narrow that you walk in a path no wider than 3 metres with cliffs on the left and on the right. We walked through that point and reached a viewpoint to the north were we had a rest and lunch.

With full stomachs we just enjoyed the views of the Puigsacalm and Canigó peaks to the north and started descending to go back home. It was really a nice day in a not well known spot in the middle of Catalonia. Ah! And if you don’t want to bring your food, there is a bar in the sanctuary. They get the food using a zip line because there is no way to get a car or a donkey to the top.