Exploration of the Hell's Canyon in Catalonia

Exploration of the Hell's Canyon in Catalonia

Hell’s Canyon in Catalonia reminds us again why we fell in love with the great outdoors

"Eat a big breakfast," said Jordi - four words that told me that I would have a damn good morning. I am not a friend of big breakfast, but I have learned that when a super fitter mountain guide tells you that you should have one, you should have it.

I added plenty of pa amb Tomàquet to my plate, a simple but delicious Catalan dish of bread, tomatoes and olive oil. I ate toast and Nutella and cheese and cracker and muesli and yogurt and wash it down with two cups of tea. Then I ate more Pa Amba Tomàquet. Today I wouldn't go out anything.

I took all my courage and ventured out of the exhibition tent to discover the challenge that was in front of me. Invited to Catalonia as part of a “mystery trip”, Peter and I had no idea what we would do day after day.

Jordi, our guide from Outdoor Adventour, and Naomi, our companion from the Tourist Office, were quite concealed, but on the lawn there was a number of information: neoprene suits, climbing straps, ropes, carabiners and helmets. It didn't take long for us to understand: we wanted to do canyoning.

Hell’s Canyon in Catalonia, also known as Barranc de L’Infern, promised a challenging but exciting morning. It is even said that the Catalan Pyrenees are one of the world's best travel destinations for canyoning together with the Swiss, Austrian and French Alps, America's Canyonlands and Australia's Blue Mountains.

I was eager to try it seriously. Years ago I did a little canyoning in Vanuatus Millennium Cave, but it was not necessary to do a rope work - a fact would say that it was not a "real" canyoning at all.

canyoning seems to split experts like hardly any other sport. Some say that it is accessible to everyone with a guide, others say that it is dangerous, unless they are familiar with several other outdoor activities. Some say that they have to be very fit, others say that they are doing well if they can run a mile.

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Even the definition of canyoning changes depending on who you ask. We have heard that it is described as a mixture of some or all of the following: cave research, cliff jumping, climbing, roping, abseiling, abseiling, wild water swimming, walking, wading, hiking and sliding. The best way to imagine this is a natural course that meanders through tunnels, gorges and waterfalls.

After four days of via ferrata, hiking, rafting and camping in the Pyrenees, I was ready to tackle the Hell’s Canyon in Catalonia. We slipped into our wetsuits under a bright, hot sun and made our way to our entrance point.

The initially stuffy wetsuits are important, because it can get extremely cold with canyoning. The routes usually meander through dark caves made of ice -cold water and narrow slits abandoned by the sun. When we took our first tentative steps in the Hell’s Canyon in Catalonia, I was certainly grateful for mine.

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We soon reached our first challenge: a abseiling over a rock lead and down to a pool below. I had never roped before, but after I had made a climbing stance with Jordi, I fully trusted him. He likes to play a joke, but when it comes to security, he's just the thing for you.

Jordi attached me to a eight security device and gave me a short lesson on how to open and close my hand to keep the descent smoothly. I walked over the rocky lead and, although I was at the beginning, turned up pretty quickly. I roped down and made sure to keep my legs stretched to keep a healthy distance to the wall. I reached the pool and immersed in the invigorating cold water.

Soon afterwards we reached the edge of a dark gorge. Peter entered first and when he abseiled, his voice continued until I could no longer understand his words. Jordi attached me to the rope and sent me over the edge. I roped down 18m into a large, dark cave in the middle of a waterfall. I looked up at the shrinking circle of light in the sky and realized that I had the best time of my life.

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Atlas & Boots

canyoning is sometimes a challenge, but most of which is pure, physical fun. We waded, wandered, roped down and climbed through natural couloirs, bowls and breaks that were shaped by white water for thousands of years.

At one point we arrived at two rocks with a short water route between them. Jordi asked Naomi to go over the pool. She took a step and dipped into the water. Jordi laughed Schelmisch - a natural fool who is happy about the discounts of the job.

We squeezed through the rest of the Hell’s Canyon. Our last big challenge was a three -part section: first a piece of steep rock that we had to slide down in the toboggan style; Second, we stick to the opposite wall in the middle of rushing water; And third, we let our bodies flow out with the water through a narrow slot under a large boulder. It was pure, unadulterated fun and we appeared laughing and victorious on the river.

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It reminded me of why I love nature. It offers a number of moods and emotions. It is comforting when I'm stressed, encouraging when I'm sad and exciting when I am bored. It's fun, is challenging and always refreshing. Unnecessary to say that Hell’s Canyon in Catalonia was not very hellish at all.

Hell’s Canyon in Catalonia: The essentials

was: Canyoning Hell’s Canyon in Catalonia (also known as Barranc de L’Infern).

• length: 700 m (much of it and descending)
• Duration: About two hours, depending on your speed and group size
• difficulty: medium

Where: We stayed in a mountain camp that was set up exclusively for us. There were spacious bell tents for sleeping, a fair tent for eating and portable cuisine for our Koch Sergi.

When arriving at the camp, we were received by a spacious selection of local cheese, olives, bread and meat as well as beer and wine. The dinner was surprisingly complex: Sergi cooked a huge pan with a rich, buttery mountain rice with juicy vegetables (or meat, depending on your preference).

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Atlas & Boots

There is a toilet tent and electricity for lighting (but not for chargers). There is no flowing water, but there is sufficient and you also have the river nearby.

The best in the camp is the night sky. The region is known for its exceptionally dark sky and offers excellent star watching. Of course we stayed late into the night.

When: The best time to visit Hell’s Canyon in Catalonia is from May to the end of October.

like: We explored the Hell’s Canyon in Catalonia with Outdoor Adventour, a local company that is led by the charismatic CEO Pepo, with the support of a team of very experienced guides, including Jordi, Edu and Marc, who took care of us during our time in Catalonia.

Contact the team via the website, by email to info@outdooradventour.com or by phone at +34 973 409 / +34 654 093 295 to arrange activities and arrange transfers.

We flew to Barcelona-El Prat (BCN) Airport, which offers a good connection to the rest of Catalonia. Book flights at the best prices via Skyscanner.

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disclosure: We traveled to Catalonia with the support of the Catalan Tourist Board. All publications say that, but we really don't guarantee positive reporting. We say what we think - good and bad - so that you can make sound decisions with honest advice.

Mission statement: Atlas & Boots

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