Hiking in the Aigüestortes National Park, Catalonia

Hiking in the Aigüestortes National Park, Catalonia

We spent a day in the Aigüestortes National Park through a wild landscape with winding waters and high peaks in the Catalan Pyrenees

hidden in the northwestern corner of Catalonia, deep in the Catalan Pyrenees, is the best -kept secret of the region: Aigüestortes and the Lake Sant Maurici or Parc Nacional D’Aigüestortes I Estany de Sant Maurici in Catalan.

Aigüestortes is absurd. Mighty rugged peaks protrude far beyond evergreen forests and countless glittering lakes. It is a landscape that invites you to hike - and we did that.

with 141 km², Aigüestortes is relatively small for a national park. It extends over 20 km from east to west and only 9 km from north to south and is one of 14 national parks in Spain, but the only one in Catalonia.

Alt = “Aigüestortes National Park 12 ″> Atlas & Boots The Aigüestort National Park has over 200 lakes

With the national park status, comprehensive protection goes hand in hand. On arrival in the park, visitors are given a set of rules in five languages. Hunting, fishing, camping, fire, swimming, railing and all motorized vehicles are strictly prohibited within its borders.

It may sound unaffordable, but the purpose sanctifies the means. Aigüestortes is one of the most peaceful places we have ever seen.

It is easy to see where the park has its name from-which means roughly translated "Wound water and St. Maurice See". Everywhere in this wild Pyrenees landscape, water greets her eyes. A number of streams ripple down the mountain slopes, where they lead to waterfalls, which dine the over 200 lakes of the park.

The water is teeming with trout and offers plenty of habitat for the many frogs, toads and pyrenees molches that live in the damp areas. Bisamrats and Otter also frolic on the lake shore.

highly towering summit - four of which are over 3,000 m and another 10 over 2,800 m high - surround the glittering lakes. The most famous peaks are the Els Encantats (enchanted) battlements from Gran Encantat to 2,748 m (9.016 ft) and El Petit Encantat on 2,734 m (8,970 ft). They offer one of the best -known pictures in the region and are even used in the official logo of the park.

Wild goats and marmots live on the steep slopes, while cattle graze on the lush, hilly pastures with cowbells. The scenery is absolutely idyllic.

The park has two main inputs. One is located in the west, 10 km from the visitor center in the village of Boí. The second is located in Estany de Sant Maurici, 8 km from the visitor center in Espot. Since cars are not allowed in the park, 4WD taxis drive visitors between the two villages and the starting points of the hiking trails.

Alt = “Aigüestortes-Nationalpark 21 ″> Atlas & Boots The" enchanted "bends protrude via Estany de Sant Maurici

We started our hike at the western end of the park at the starting point of the Carretera d’Aigüestortes a l’Estany de Sant. We hiked on the way to the east to the Estany de Sant Maurici (Lake of Sant Maurici), a distance of about 10 km.

The route started quite quite, meandled along wooden jetties and crisscross through streams under a shady forest. This is the most popular area of ​​the park in which many visitors are satisfied with spending an hour or two on the paths before returning to the Vall de Boí. Of course we continued.

It took about an hour and a half to reach Estany Llong, a popular lake and picturesque picnic area. A constant row of walkers and families spreads along the lake shore to enjoy the fantastic view. There was a large coastline where you could walk around, and since swimming is forbidden, the area retains its peaceful atmosphere.

Here most day trippers will turn around and return to their starting point when the way increases. Our climb was gently at first, but soon became more demanding. The higher we came, the better the view. Finally, just when the upward march subsided, the path reached its climax at Portarró d’Spot: a high passport with impressive views in all directions.

alt = “The Hohe Pass at Portarró d’Ospot”> Atlas & Boots The High Pass at Portarró d’Spot

in the west you looked at the Estany Llong and in the east to the Estany de Sant Maurici with the twin peaks of Els Encantats, which stood the guard. The sun was strong with hardly any cloud in the sky blue sky and apart from a herd of careless cows, we had the pass all for ourselves. It was the definition of calm.

After a break for photos we continued and started relegation, taking a break to eat high over Estany de Sant Maurici. A welcome breeze was the perfect accessory for our charming picnic area. After lunch we took a few last shots before we started our descent to the Estany de Sant Maurici coast.

At the end of the trail we waited with a handful of tourists in line for the 4WD taxis to Espot, where it was suddenly over and we were back in civilization and there were no cows, but cars, shops and telephone reception.

hiking in the Aigüestortes National Park between its "winding waters" is a complete escape from the world. It is all that should be hiking. The park may be small, but it feels like a million miles from anywhere.

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hiking in the Aigüestort National Park: The most important

was: hiking in the Aigüestorte National Park in the Catalan Pyrenees.

• Distance: 10 km
• duration: 4-5 hours
• Height: 600m / 1.969ft (1,900m-2.500m)
• difficulty: medium

Where: We stayed in the Hotel Pesset in the mountain village of Sort, a 30-minute drive from Espot at the eastern end of the park.

The 4-star hotel is modern, comfortable and perfectly located for adventure in the Catalan Pyrenees. The swimming pool and the spa are nice extras that are certainly welcome after a hiking day in the Aigüestortes National Park.

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Hotel Pessets

The hotel has several restaurants, including a pool bar and an à la carte restaurant, but it is the nearby Café Pessets that steals the show. As the name suggests, the café is run by the same family and serves a delicious selection of authentic tapas dishes (do not miss the chicken croquettes and if you are vegetarian, ask about the beeted bed version). It was the best food we ate in Catalonia.

When: Hiking in the Aigüestort National Park can be made all year round, but the best weather is from May to the end of October. July and (especially) August are the busiest months, so September and October are more attractive. The skiing and winter mountaineering season lasts from November to March.

like: We went with outdoor Adventour, a local company that is led by the charismatic CEO Pepo, hiking in the Aigüestortes National Park, with the support of a team of very experienced guides, including Jordi, Edu and Marc, who took care of us during our time.

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.

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