Evecan Safari Aventura is a leisure park in Soano, in the municipality of Arnuero (Cantabria), where dromedaries, European bison, deer and other species roam semi-free. You can ride a camel or a horse, put the little ones on a pony, and walk around the farm. It opens daily from 10:00 to 21:00; it's best to confirm prices and book by phone or WhatsApp.
Some plans with kids show up in every Cantabria guide — Cabárceno, the caves, a beach at low tide — and then there's this one, which surprises even people who've lived in the area for years: riding a camel in the middle of the Cantabrian countryside, surrounded by bison and llamas, just a few minutes from Noja. Evecan Safari Aventura has spent over a decade working as a mix of educational farm, species conservation centre and starting point for horseback routes, and its strength is exactly that combination of things you won't find anywhere else in the region.
You don't need to be an experienced rider or have older kids to enjoy it: some activities are designed specifically for the youngest visitors, and others — like the long horse route to Cabo de Quejo — are for those after something more demanding. It's the kind of place where you can spend anywhere from a spare hour to a whole morning, depending on the group's mood and ages.
Where Evecan Safari Aventura is and how to get there from Bareyo
The centre is in the Riegos neighbourhood, in Soano, within the municipality of Arnuero, just a few minutes from Noja. From Bareyo it's a short drive through Ajo and Arnuero — searching for the centre's name directly on Google Maps is the safest way to get there without getting lost on the area's rural roads. It's also listed in the official Turismo de Cantabria directory as an active tourism business in the region.
The semi-free animal farm: dromedaries, bison and much more
The heart of Evecan is its reserve of several hectares, home to deer, fallow deer, alpacas, llamas, pigs, foxes, donkeys, zebras, buffalo and, above all, a group of European bison that's part of a species conservation programme, all living semi-free. The farm visit lets you get close to the animals, and one of the most requested activities is the roughly 45-minute camel ride, suitable for almost any age, including young children and grandparents who'd rather not get on a horse. There's also a horse-drawn cart ride and, from time to time, a small show with one of the centre's ponies.
Pony and donkey rides: the star activity for the youngest visitors
If you're travelling with young children, the pony and donkey rides are usually what they ask to do again. There's no need to book ahead for this — you just pay on the spot — and it's usually where families with two, three or four-year-olds start, before the kids are ready for a camel or a horse. The centre also organises children's birthday parties and school visits with a portable educational farm, so if you're after an afternoon plan for kids of that age, this is one of the easiest to put together on the spot.
Horse routes and the Ruta de los Acantilados
For those after something more physical, Evecan also offers horse routes of varying length, from 45-50 minute outings up to the Ruta de los Acantilados, a long route of about three and a half hours that reaches Cabo de Quejo, in Isla. These routes are designed for over-9s and, unlike the pony rides, it's worth booking them a little in advance. If you want to dig deeper into this, our guide to horse riding routes near Bareyo covers Evecan alongside other options in the area, in case you want to compare before deciding.
What you need to know
The centre opens daily from 10:00 to 21:00. Prices vary quite a bit depending on the activity — from a single pony ride to the long horse route — and we found different figures depending on the source, so the most reliable option is checking directly at evecan.net or calling 659 06 29 66 before you go. It's worth booking the horse and camel routes in advance, especially on summer weekends; the pony and donkey rides don't need it. Online reviews highlight how well the staff treat visitors and how well it works for both young children and grandparents, so it's a plan that tends to suit multi-generational groups.
You don't have to go all the way to Africa for a child's jaw to drop at the sight of a camel up close; in Cantabria, just a short drive from the coast, it's possible too.
It's plans like this, a little different from the usual, that make a family holiday stick in the memory after you're back home. At Bareyo Residences we had experiences like this in mind when choosing the area: a setting where the beach, the countryside and unusual plans like this one are all a short drive away, with no need to build the whole day around a single spot. The homes will be available from September 2027.
