The Ancares National Reserve is one of the remote and isolated parts of Spain. The mountains here are beautiful and as untouched by development as anywhere in Western Europe.
The climb from Tejedo begins on a narrow lane through dense forest, before the scenery opens up towards the top of the climb. Here there are stunning views looking over the peaks of the National Reserve, a view which former Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre famously described as the best in the world.
Ancares is a relative newcomer to the Vuelta a España. First used in 2012 when a stage finish here was won by Joaquím Rodríguez, it also hosted a famous mano-a-mano between Chris Froome and Alberto Contador in the 2014 edition - the stage and race both eventually being won by Contador.
Techincally the top of Ancares is just over the border from Castilla-y-León in Galicia. However, from this side the vast majority of the climb is in the province of León.
Ancares closes at times in winter due to snow, but is usually open from mid-April to early December.
The final steep section before the top
Roads & Traffic
The road surface is generally in good condition and there is little traffic on the climb.
The view looking into Galicia
Alternative Routes
This is the only way to climb Ancares from the east; however, there are several routes from the west - all of which begin in the region of Galicia.
The three most common routes are all very challenging:
We currently do not have any cycling holidays that include Puerto de Ancares. However, our
Great climbs of the Vuelta and
Camino de Santiago cycling holidays pass nearby and could be adapted to include the climb.
Find out more in the links below about these and other mountainous tours that we run nearby.
Spain