San Juan de Plan and the Gistaín Valley

For a look at some of the most remote and unchanged villages in the Pyrenees, take the well-marked A2609 road heading east from Salinas, 25 km (15 mi) north of Aínsa. The Cinqueta River drains the Gistaín Valley, flowing by the tiny mountain villages popularly known as the five S's: Sin, Señes, Saravillo, Serveta, and Salinas. The town of San Juan de Plan presides at the head of the valley, where an ethnographic museum, a water-powered sawmill, and an early-music-and-dance ensemble are the pride of the region. The mid-February carnival is among the most distinctive and traditional celebrations in the Pyrenees.