Hiking in Aigüestortes National Park, Catalonia

Hiking in Aigüestortes National Park, Catalonia

We spent a day hiking in Aigüestortes National Park through a wild landscape of winding waters and towering peaks in the Catalan Pyrenees

Hidden in the northwestern corner of Catalonia, deep in the Catalan Pyrenees, lies the region's best-kept secret: Aigüestortes and Lake Sant Maurici National Park, or Parc Nacional d’Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici in Catalan.

Aigüestortes is absurdly pretty. Mighty, jagged peaks rise far above evergreen forests and countless sparkling lakes. It's a landscape that invites you to hike - and that's what we did.

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

alt=“Aigüestortes National Park 12″>Atlas & BootsAigüestortes National Park has over 200 lakes

National park status comes with comprehensive protection. Upon arrival at the park, visitors are given a set of rules in five languages. Hunting, fishing, camping, fire, swimming, off-road biking and all motorized vehicles are strictly prohibited within its boundaries.

It may sound prohibitive, but the end justifies the means. Aigüestortes is one of the most peaceful places we have ever seen.

It's easy to see where the park gets its name - which roughly translates to "winding waters and Lake St. Maurice." Everywhere in this wild Pyrenean landscape, water greets your gaze. A series of streams trickle down the mountainsides where they flow into waterfalls that feed the park's over 200 lakes.

The water is teeming with trout and provides plenty of habitat for the many frogs, toads and Great Pyrenees newts that live in the resulting wetlands. Muskrats and otters also roam the lakeshore.

Towering peaks – four of which are over 3,000m and another 10 over 2,800m – surround the sparkling lakes. The most famous peaks are the Els Encantats (enchanted) pinnacles of Gran Encantat at 2,748 m (9,016 ft) and El Petit Encantat at 2,734 m (8,970 ft). They provide one of the region's most recognizable images and are even used in the park's official logo.

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

The park has two main entrances. One is to the west, 10 km from the visitor center in the village of Boí. The second is 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 trailheads.

alt=“Aigüestortes National Park 21″>Atlas & BootsThe “enchanted” battlements tower over Estany de Sant Maurici

We began 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 east to the Estany de Sant Maurici (Lake of Sant Maurici), a distance of about 10 km.

The route started out fairly pleasantly, winding along boardwalks and criss-crossing streams beneath a shady forest. This is the most popular area of ​​the park, with many visitors content to spend an hour or two on the trails 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 spot. A constant line of walkers and families spread out along the lakeshore to enjoy the gorgeous views. There was a large shoreline to walk around and since swimming is prohibited the area retains its peaceful atmosphere.

This is roughly where most day-trippers will turn around and return to their starting point as the trail climbs. Our climb was gentle at first, but soon became more challenging. The higher we went, the better the view. Finally, just as the upward march was easing, the trail culminated at Portarró d’Espot: a high pass with impressive views in all directions.

alt=“The high pass at Portarró d’Espot”>Atlas & BootsThe high pass at Portarró d’Espot

To the west there was a view of the Estany Llong and to the east the Estany de Sant Maurici with the twin peaks of Els Encantats standing guard. The sun was strong with barely a cloud in the cerulean sky and apart from a herd of careless cows we had the pass all to ourselves. It was the definition of calm.

After a break for photos, we continued on and began our descent, pausing to have lunch high above Estany de Sant Maurici. A welcome breeze was the perfect accessory to our charming picnic spot. After lunch we took a few final shots before beginning our descent to the coast of Estany de Sant Maurici.

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

Hiking in Aigüestortes National Park among its “winding waters” is a complete escape from the world. It's everything hiking should be. The park may be small, but it feels like a million miles from anywhere.

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Hiking in Aigüestortes National Park: the most important thing

What: Hiking in Aigüestortes National Park in the Catalan Pyrenees.

• Entfernung: 10 km
• Dauer: 4-5 Stunden
• Höhe: 600m / 1.969ft (1.900m-2.500m)
• Schwierigkeit: Mittel

Where: We stayed at Hotel Pessets 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 adventures in the Catalan Pyrenees. The swimming pool and spa are nice touches that are certainly welcome after a day of hiking in Aigüestortes National Park.

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Hotel Pessets

The hotel has several restaurants, including a pool bar and an a la carte restaurant, but it's the nearby Café Pessets that steals the show. As the name suggests, the cafe is run by the same family and serves a delicious range of authentic tapas dishes (don't miss the chicken croquettes and if you're vegetarian, ask for the beetroot version). It was the best meal we ate in Catalonia.

When: Hiking in Aigüestortes National Park can be done 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 ski and winter mountaineering season lasts from November to March.

How: We went hiking in Aigüestortes National Park with Outdoor Adventour, a local company run by the charismatic CEO Pepo, with the support of a team of very experienced guides including Jordi, Edu and Marc, who took excellent care of us during our time in Catalonia.

Contact the team via the website, by email at info@outdooradventour.com or by phone on +34 973 043 409 / +34 654 093 295 to book activities and arrange transfers.

We flew into Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN), which has good connections to the rest of Catalonia. Book flights at the best prices through Skyscanner.

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Disclosure: We traveled to Catalonia with the support of the Catalan Tourist Board. All publications say this, but we really don't guarantee positive coverage. We say what we think – good and bad – so you can make informed decisions with honest advice.

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