🔗 Want to know how it all began? This is the story of the very first Sella River canoe descent—the pioneering trip that launched the tourism activity we know today.
In 1991, Ricardo and Antonio Soto Zaragoza, two Asturian brothers passionate about canoeing and winners of the International Sella Descent, had an idea that would forever change active tourism in Asturias: offering the first-ever tourist canoe descent on the Sella River.
💡 Experts in the local environment and skilled in river navigation, they founded the Escuela Asturiana de Piragüismo, the first company to offer this experience. That visionary project became the seed for what is now one of the most popular adventures for visitors to Asturias.
🏆 Their work received multiple awards:
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Best Tourism Company Award (1997, Principality of Asturias)
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Tourism Quality Award (INCATUR)
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Healthy Environment Award (ASPAYM)
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Asturians of the Month (La Nueva España newspaper)
🌊 Thanks to that initiative, the Sella River descent by canoe has become a symbol of active tourism not only in Asturias but throughout northern Spain. Today, over 19 companies offer this activity in Arriondas, Ribadesella, and Cangas de Onís.
🎨 Every summer, the Sella comes alive with color and energy. People of all ages and skill levels enjoy a unique experience, paddling among mountains, nature, and tradition along the Sella River.
📸 Don’t miss the original photos of that historic day that marked the beginning of a new era in Asturian sport and tourism.
👉 Discover everything about the Sella River Descent.
tag: first sella descent by canoe
