Wonders · Subbética

Cañón del Río Bailón

The Cañón del Río Bailón is a limestone canyon that opens beneath the castle of Zuheros, Córdoba, the final stretch of the 12 km Río Bailón trail, for which a free permit is needed.

About Cañón del Río Bailón

The Río Bailón rises on the Sierra de Cabra, crosses the Nava de Cabra, a flat-floored karst basin or polje at almost 1,000 m, then drops north through a canyon cut into limestone formed on the seabed some 170 million years ago. It emerges between the cliffs of the Charco Hondo below the village and castle of Zuheros.

In the canyon the path follows the river among tamarisk, hawthorn and fig, crossing it twice past small cascades and pools, below rock shelters such as the Cueva del Fraile, named after a rock resembling a hooded monk. Griffon vultures, Bonelli's eagles and peregrines patrol the cliffs, and the last stretch frames Zuheros between the rock walls.

Many walkers enter the canyon from the car park by the Puente del Río Bailón at the bottom of Zuheros and return the same way. The full linear trail runs 12 km from near the Ermita de la Virgen de la Sierra above Cabra, 4 to 5 hours one way. The Junta requires a free permit, applied for online. The stony path with river crossings suits fit walkers, not wheelchairs.

Spring is best, when the river runs and the polje is green; there is little shade, so avoid hot summer days. After heavy rain the crossings can be impassable, and the Cueva de los Murciélagos above the village makes a good pairing.

Cañón del Río Bailón in pictures

The Río Bailón flowing down its rocky bed in the Cañón del Río Bailón, Zuheros

What you’ll find

Access permitEntry permitApply
Car parkParkingFree
Hiking trailHikingFree
ViewpointSightseeingFree

Nearby places to visit

The canyon ends at the foot of Zuheros, where the castle-palace and the archaeological museum stand above the river. The Cueva de los Murciélagos de Zuheros show cave is 4 km up the mountain road and best booked for the same day. Just below the village, an old railway viaduct carries the Vía Verde del Aceite cycle route over the Bailón. Cabra, at the other end of the full trail, has the Municipal Archaeological Museum Cabra (13 km) and the Museum of the Passion (13 km), while Priego de Córdoba's Adolfo Lozano Sidro House Museum (16 km) and Rute's Anís Museum (24 km) round off a day in the Subbética.