Travelling to the central Spanish Pyrenees
DOs and DON'Ts
You could also be interested in Travelling to the central French Pyrenees
On September 2004 I went to the central Pyrenees (Spain) with my wife. We don't like arranged travels and we prefer to travel on our own, because we think is the only way you can get in touch with the real country and its people. This way of travelling is harder and more expensive than others, but also more pleasant, relaxing and, that's the best, gives you a different point of view on the culture and way of life.
After my experience here you have my advice if you plan to travel on your own to the central Pyrenees. You have to understand that this is MY PERSONAL POINT OF VIEW and that it is not my intention to criticize the people or culture of the mentioned places. You also must take into account that these observations are from year 2004. Things might have changed (either in the right or in the wrong way) since then.
Click on the links on the map to see some photos of the area in my photo album.
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because we have taken our car with us with the ferry from Mallorca .
Although it would have been possible to get to the Aran valley, our first
destination, in only one day, I preferred to split the way in two journeys
and so start the holidays in a more relaxed way.,
a small village where the most interesting things are the impressive and
well preserved castle on top of a hill, the ruins of a roman bridge and the
salt mine. We have booked a room in the castle
(Well, I should say that the castle now holds the excellent Parador
Nacional de Turismo de Cardona )
and after a restful night we went to the old salt mine, with its curious and
unique salt mountain .
This mine is no longer in production and some of the corridors of the higher
levels can be visited in a very interesting guided tour. I certainly recommend
you this visit if you pass by Cardona.
where we stopped for a late lunch. Then, following the C 13 we drove up to
the Port de la Bonaigua (2072 m) where you enter the Aran valley .
A little after we arrived to Vielha (Viella), the capital city of the
valley, and went directly to the Parador Nacional de Turismo de Viella ,
where we had booked a room for the following nights.
for a short walk by the surroundings of the "estany" (lake) of San
Maurici .
We went with our car till Espot, where we had to park it because you can't
drive inside the park. However in Espot there is a regular service of 4x4
"Taxis" that for a reasonable price take you by the trails inside
the park. In our case the Taxi left us near the Estany de Ratera (a small
lake a few hundred meters above the Estany de Sant Maurici) and we went by
foot till a close viewpoint
where you can enjoy an incredible panoramic of the lake and the
surrounding mountains. From there we walked down to the lake, by a narrow
track that passes by the waterfall of Ratera, and finally bordering the lake
leads to the Taxi's stop, where we took the next Taxi down to Espot.
,
famous for the many Romanesque churches, most of them well preserved. Apart
from the architectonic beauty of the small villages of this valley, its
natural environment is also exceptional, and if you like open landscapes I
can recommend you take the road that goes up to Ta?l and the sky resort of
Boi-Ta?l, from where you will enjoy beautiful views of the valley.,
and went to the close valley of La Vall Fosca
.
We had already been there some years before, so it just was a short visit in
order to enjoy again the natural views that this valley offers.
with a cousin of my wife, that by casualty was spending his holidays in Vall
de Boi, together with his wife and their daughter. We spent the day visiting
the town of Viella ,
doing some shopping and having lunch together.
.
In a few hours we drove by the road that follows the valley and got a first
(and very positive) impression of what this valley was. It's certainly in my
list for some future, longer visit. Continuing our way by the N 260 we got
to Ainsa and took the A 138 that leads to Bielsa by the banks of the Cinca
river ,
where we took a narrow road that goes along the Pineta valley
,
at which end the Parador Nacional de Turismo of Bielsa
is located. This is the most incredible place where a hotel can be, amongst
the mountains, at the foot of the Monte Perdido and in the middle of one of
the most beautiful corners of the Pyrenees, with no other buildings in
dozens of km around. Some years before I had made a quick visit to the
Pineta valley and I was very impressed, and now my dream of returning there
for a longer stay in the Parador Nacional had come true!,
so the day after we decided to go to Torla ,
the natural entry of the park, and made some excursion by car by the
surroundings (you can't drive inside the park). When you get to Torla there
is an incredible view of the town, up in a small hill, and the huge
mountains of Monte Perdido in the background. The village of Torla
itself is worth a visit, and the surroundings of the church are
specially interesting, offering breathtaking views of the mountains.,
by a ground trail, along the Bujaruelo valley. This is a nice excursion
either if you do it by car or by foot. From the trail you have
excellent views of the mountains and the many water streams going down the
slopes. Bujaruelo is actually nothing else than a mountain refugee beside a
beautiful and well preserved roman bridge, but the environment is a dream.
by foot, from Torla, along the ordesa valley, till the "Cola de
Caballo", a waterfall at the end of the valley from where one of the
routes to climb Monte Perdido begins. This is a quite easy walk that I can
certainly recommend you. The only drawback is the that you will meet hundreds
of persons along the track...it's not exactly what I would call a solitaire
walk...
.
This is a marvellous gorge carved by the Vellos river. There is a good
track that goes up following the river towards the heart of the National
Park, offering the spectacle of a virgin nature at its best. I have no words
to describe this place...you will have to discover it yourself....
In Barcelona we took the ferry back home and back to everyday
routine....but fortunately the Pyrenees are so close that I'm sure it was
not the last time we spend our holidays there....
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