ALTERNATE ROUTE FROM BORRENES TO LAS MÉDULAS

Camino de Invierno

ALTERNATE ROUTE FROM BORRENES TO LAS MÉDULAS

This off-road alternative takes you straight to the Mirador de Orellán — the best viewpoint for Las Médulas. You'll also pass the Roman galleries (open for visits), the ancient tunnels that channeled water at increasing speed to blow apart the hills and extract gold. From the mirador, you can descend to Las Médulas village or bypass it entirely and continue to Puente de Domingo Flórez.

The alternative is about 11 km with 475 m of elevation gain (compared to 300 m on the official route). It's well worth the extra effort — arriving at the best viewpoint before you reach the village leaves your afternoon free for other things. A GPS is recommended. The official route from Borrenes doesn't pass the Orellán viewpoint.

City Map

Comments

26. September 2025 - 13:22

All Caminos App User (not verified)

We followed the alternative from Borrrenes to Orellan. The undergrowth reported in previous comments has been cleared, and the trail is perfectly navigable, in addition to being beautiful. There was little evidence of the recent fires until we reached the hamlet of Orellan, and for the short distance between there and the mirador, local workers directed us to stay on the traffic -free road. The galleries are closed for visits because of the fires, but the wonderful views remain. As noted above, the trail is unmarked, so gps is essential. 26/9/25.

9. July 2024 - 21:29

All Caminos App User (not verified)

In order to have an easier time with the terrain and way-marking I suggest staying on the road from Borrenes past La Chana.
The path wasn’t cleared at all after La Chana. There was tall grass everywhere and overgrown bushes, shrubs, and thorny plants. I had to shove past large brambles blocking the path more than once and had limited ground visibility. Wild boars are in the forest too so be sure to make enough noise so they hear you coming. In the end, the approach is nicer than entering las médulas town and then climbing up to the viewpoint.

14. May 2023 - 21:12

Camino de Sant… (not verified)

The first part on the alternate route (up until Orellán) is not marked at all and a lot of areas that not taken care of. It doesn’t seem like a lot of people are using this path so depending on the day it might take some effort to get through high grass and wilderness. In my case I also had to claim across two rockfall areas and fallen trees. The climbs and descends are relatively steep with uneven grounds with rocks or grown over paths and if the weather is not good it can get quite dangerous. Make sure to watch your GPS as it is easy to get off track in a few spots. If you are fit, confident in your abilities, and not overly sore (or handicapped by an injury/condition or bad blisters of previous days) it is absolutely worth the extra effort. The hike between Orellán and the Mirador de Orellán is well marked and relatively easy (some steep areas but walkable wide paths) and you are rewarded by gorgeous views across the hills. The Mirador de Orellán itself is an incredible viewpoint and definitely worth a detour.

28. February 2023 - 19:13

Camino de Sant… (not verified)

through the wooded hills. Always check the map in the app to make sure you’re on the right track.