Driving the wild Puerto del Portillo

Driving the wild Puerto del Portillo

Spain, europe

Length

18.2 km

Elevation

1,250 m

Difficulty

hard

Best Season

Year-round

Okay, so you're in Spain, right? Specifically, Castile and León, in the province of Salamanca. You absolutely HAVE to check out Puerto del Portillo. It's a mountain pass sitting pretty at 1,250 meters (that's a cool 4,101 feet!).

Tucked away inside the Las Batuecas-Sierra de Francia Natural Park, this road, the SA-201, is completely paved. Score! Once you get to the top, there’s even a parking lot and a viewpoint waiting for you. Be warned though, it gets a little spicy – some sections clock in at a steep 11.5% incline!

The whole thing is about 18.2 km (or 11.30 miles) of pure driving bliss. And hold onto your hats, because there are 10 hairpin turns to navigate! The route runs from Las Mestas (in Cáceres) up to La Alberca (in Salamanca), heading south to north. Oh, and did I mention it's been featured in the Vuelta a España? So yeah, it’s kind of a big deal.

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Road Details

Country
Spain
Continent
europe
Length
18.2 km
Max Elevation
1,250 m
Difficulty
hard

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