Cueva del Buxu
While the Altamira cave draws crowds in Cantabria, the tiny Cueva del Buxu sits quietly 3 km from Cangas de Onís, sheltering genuine Upper Palaeolithic engravings and paintings — horses, deer, ibex — made 10,000 to 15,000 years ago by people who lived in the Sella valley. Visits are strictly limited to eight people per day, which means the art feels like a private revelation.
Inside the cave
The cave is small and low in places, requiring visitors to crouch through one narrow passage, which only heightens the sense of intimacy with the art. The engravings are executed with a precision that still astonishes — a horse's mane rendered in a single confident line, a cervid's antlers branching across the ceiling as if growing from the rock itself.
A knowledgeable local guide accompanies every visit and explains the techniques the Magdalenian artists used: engraving with flint burins, applying ochre and manganese pigments with fingers and rudimentary brushes, exploiting the natural contours of the rock to give their animals volume and movement.
Practical planning
Reservations must be made in advance through the Asturias cultural heritage booking system (patrimonio.asturias.es) or by calling the site directly. Demand far exceeds supply in summer, so book as soon as your travel dates are confirmed — slots for July and August often fill within hours of being released.
The site is managed by the Principality of Asturias and admission is a token €2.50 per person. The cave entrance is signposted off the AS-261 road towards Benia de Onís; there is a small car park with space for about a dozen vehicles.
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