Some camps are places you visit. Others are places you return to. Villar is the second kind: a quiet Cantabrian village that every July transforms into a stage, a classroom and a summer home for over a hundred children and young people. This is an account of what a day there looks like, what families who have been coming back for years say about it, and what makes it, edition after edition, truly one of a kind.
Arriving at Villar: the First Day
The coach turns off the road from Reinosa, the participants lean towards the windows and recognise — before they have even stepped off — the village frontón, the church tower, the door of the Albergue Las Indianas. First-timers scan for new faces with a flutter of nerves. Those who are back — and most of them are back — look for last year’s activity leader. Around 80% of the group are returning campers: that figure, which sounds like a statistic, makes sense the moment you see the hugs in the car park. It is the first proof of what families call the “Villar feeling”.
A Day at Villar
No two days at the camp are the same, but there is a common rhythm that runs through every one: a Cantabrian way of filling the hours that combines fresh air, cooperative play and long evenings that stretch until the last laugh of the day.
A gentle start: the village wakes slowly, to birdsong and the first voices of activity leaders making their way through the hostel rooms. Morning routine, home-cooked breakfast in the Las Indianas dining room and a team meeting to divide up the morning.
Technical activity morning: climbing on the hostel’s own climbing wall, archery on the meadows, an orienteering route through the village paths or hiking into the nearby woods. Each group rotates through the multi-adventure disciplines over the course of the camp.
Lunch and rest: a meal using local produce in the hostel restaurant, supervised free time in the garden, the terraces or the games room. This is the time when friendships form — on plastic chairs with a deck of cards.
Big game afternoon: this is when Villar’s signature activities come in — live Cluedo through the village streets, Capture the Flag in the woods, treasure hunts with a final challenge, creative workshops tied to the day’s theme.
Evening event: after dinner, one of the two multi-purpose rooms at the hostel is transformed — with lights, props and costumed activity leaders — into the stage for the evening. When the lights go out, you can still hear quiet conversation in the corridors: that is the best part of the day.
What Families Say
The most honest thing we can share about this camp is not our own words, but those of the parents and carers who have trusted Villar with their children’s summer year after year. These are four first-hand testimonials, reproduced as written:
“The years of success they have had running these camps says it all. This year was the first time for both my children at Villar in Cantabria, and when they called from there they told us they didn’t want it to end. Their experience was magnificent from day one and the first thing they said they loved most (after the surf) was how friendly and caring their activity leaders were. I would recommend it wholeheartedly — I’d even sign up myself — and next year they will definitely be going back, as long as we are quick with the registration because places go fast!”
Carlos“My children have been going to Villar for 7 years. They say it is the best moment of the summer and we travel a lot… a full day of super creative activities. They don’t want to go anywhere else!! The Villar feeling, they say.”
Nuria“Whatever Villar has, my girls spend 365 days thinking about camp!! They already have Villar 2024 in mind!! And this is already our 9th year in a row. You are the best!! Thank you so much!!”
Curra“Simply spectacular. My children could not be in better hands every year at their July camp in Villar. It is their greatest motivation throughout the year. The activity leaders are fantastic professionals with a wonderful dedication.”
Carlos L.What Makes This Camp Unique
Humor Amarillo
A full day of inflatables and giant structures spread across the hostel meadows. Teams rotate through each attraction and the collective laughter can be heard from the other side of the village. The most requested activity year after year.
Olympics with a podium
A full day at Somo beach competing in fifteen team games alongside the Santander 15 Days Camp. The day closes with a podium, medal ceremony and a plunge in the Cantabrian Sea. For many, the most vivid memory of the summer.
Surf at Somo
A full day of beginner or improver surf with an official school. Board and wetsuit provided by the organisers, theory on the sand and the rest left to the waves, the sun and teammates cheering from the shore.
The Villar feeling
Not an activity: a word that the families themselves invented. It is what happens when eight out of ten participants return every summer, activity leaders know names before reading the list, and the whole village welcomes the camp as if it were family.
Practical Information (Summer 2026)
📅 Dates and prices 2026
1st Fortnight: 1 to 14 July — 886€
2nd Fortnight: 16 to 29 July — 856€
Ages 7 to 17, divided into age groups. Full board with four meals a day.
🚌 Departure and return points
Departure from Madrid (Parking del Civitas Metropolitano, 9:00), Las Rozas (Navalcarbón, 10:00) and Burgos (Parque Fuentes Blancas, 14:00). Return via the same points. Optional coach service from Madrid and Las Rozas.
🍽️ Four meals a day
Breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner, prepared in the in-house kitchen using local produce. Menus are adapted for allergies and intolerances notified at registration.
📱 Mobile phones and pocket money
The camp is all-inclusive, with no optional activities at extra cost. We recommend bringing 20 to 30€ pocket money for an ice cream or snack. Mobiles are collected on arrival and returned for calls home every 3–4 days.
Frequently Asked Questions (From Parents Facing Their First Villar)
It’s their first time — will they settle in quickly?
The vast majority settle within the first 24–48 hours. The activity leader team is trained to support that landing, and the fact that most of the group are returners helps newcomers integrate fast: someone always appears to explain how dinner works, where the evening event is held or who is who on the team.
What if they have never slept away from home?
It is common and not a problem. Rooms group children of similar ages, activity leaders are accommodated in the hostel itself, and the first day is designed so that night falls after many hours of shared play. Healthy tiredness does most of the work.
Is it normal to miss home?
Occasionally, especially in the first days if it is their first camp, but activity leaders are there for those moments and keep regular contact with families to offer reassurance. The sign that everything is going well usually comes quickly: when the next morning the child is already asking about the next game, the homesickness from the night before is left behind.
How do we receive news during the camp?
On the first day we send a text message confirming the coach’s arrival at the camp. From the following day, campers call home every 3–4 days, from their own mobile if they brought one or from a phone we provide. Every day a camp diary is also published on social media with photos and videos. For queries, the office is open 10:00–14:00, and the camp coordination number is available 24 hours in case of emergency.
What makes so many children want to come back?
It is difficult to sum up in one sentence, but families tend to point to three things: the activity leader team — many of them former campers themselves — the balanced mix of mountains and seaside, and the feeling of belonging to a group that reunites every July. They call it “the Villar feeling”, and it describes pretty well what happens.
Want to find out more about Villar?
Find all the practical details for the Villar Multi-Adventure Camp: sessions, ages, places and enrolment.
View the Villar camp
We organise trips for primary, secondary and high school
School Trips
across Spain
alicante madrid barcelona more destinationsCamps from 6 to 17 years old, in different regions of Spain: Alicante, Madrid, Ávila, Cantabria and Cuenca.
summer camps
2026
multiadventure surf english immersion