The Asturian rivers have specialized in leaving us unforgettable images. Obliged to save enormous unevenness, they offer a great erosive capacity, digging in their path a multitude of sickles, canyons and gorges.
How to go to the Oneta Waterfalls?
You need to get to the village of Oneta (Villayón), either via the AS-36 from Luarca or the AS-25 from Navia. The route begins in the village center , along a wide, flat path, keeping the river to your left and the village houses to your right.
Due to their beauty and uniqueness, the network of protected areas in Asturias includes these waterfalls in the municipality of Villayón, a series of three cascades that cascade in just a few meters, marking the course of the Acebo River as it flows between rocks and numerous pools. Some, like the Diablu waterfall, are quite deep and contain dangerous whirlpools. Suddenly, the current plunges vertically from a height of around fifteen meters , forming a spectacularly beautiful waterfall. This is the Firbia waterfall , the most accessible and impressive of the three. Around it, the continuous rockfall has formed a cirque over which the waters crash thunderously. The constant, powerful sound is accompanied by an impressive wind effect: continuous gusts of air that are the invisible result of this great waterfall cascading down the ravine.
The rocky walls are densely covered in moss and ferns. The waterfall is surrounded by oaks, birches, and chestnut trees , and on its right bank is a channel that once supplied water to several mills . We are, therefore, in a privileged location to appreciate the close relationship between the Asturian landscape and its water-related ethnography.
Third Waterfall of Oneta
The marked trail we've followed ends here, at the Firbia waterfall. However, below it lie two other waterfalls, shorter but no less beautiful: Ulloa and Maseirua. The vegetation in their immediate vicinity remains lush, with a dense canopy of ash and alder trees.
There are many visitors who arrive at the first waterfall and few who find the path to walk down to the second. Reaching the third is more complicated, with a very dangerous downhill. So we admire it in the distance.
To find the second waterfall, we must follow the river as it gently descends through pools and small cascades. The track ends here; from this point on, it becomes an easy path for the first few meters, but less manageable once the waterfall comes into view. The track passes by an abandoned watermill that we can visit.
With luck, we might spot an otter along the river, the most representative fauna of this ecosystem. It's no coincidence that the presence of otters clearly indicates the high environmental quality of this area, and that it richly deserves its protection and the title it has earned: Natural Monument of the Principality.
Books "More Asturian Addicts" and "Mountain Routes and the Roads of Asturias"
If you want to know first-hand hiking routes through Asturias, we recommend you buy these two books: the book "More Asturadictos", written by Ana Paz Paredes, journalist and writer, specialist in rural issues of all kinds, gastronomy and tourist routes in the region; Y the book «Routes through the mountains and the roads of Asturias» by Ángel Fernández Ortega, with 31 routes, crossings and ascents.
Information:
The route of the waterfalls starts from the village of Oneta, where it is accessed from the municipal capital, Villayón, through the Local Highway AS-36 that connects that population with Luarca.
two kilometers of travel(round trip) that will take us one hour (round trip).
the journey that leads to the waterfalls has no loss, it is also a particularly suggestive route that first leads us to the head of the ravine.
From Oneta, the route starts at the beginning between meadows and farmland. Then the road narrows and starts a steep descent that leads to the waterfall of the Firbia. The route described, just over half an hour of comfortable walking, is part of the Network of Local Trails of the Principality of Asturias, with the key SL.AS-5, and it is properly signposted.
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
