Fodor's Expert Review Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park
Welcome to the wildest, most unspoiled corner of the Pyrenees. The three main valleys of this national park—Ordesa, Pineta, and Añisclo—are carved out by the Ara River and its tributaries, the Arazas. They culminate in the majestic massif of Monte Perdido, which stands at 11,000 feet on the Franco-Spanish border; it's the highest of the park's three main mountains. The remote yet worthwhile valley of Las Gargantas de Escuaín is famous for its dolmen and soaring rock walls. Throughout the park, you'll find lakes, waterfalls, high mountain meadows, and forests of pine, fir, larch, beech, and poplar. Protected wildlife includes trout, boar, chamois, lammergeier, and the sarrio mountain goat (Rupicapra pyrenaica).
Well-marked mountain trails lead to waterfalls, caves, and spectacular observation points. The standard tour, a full-day's hike (eight hours), runs from the parking area in the Pradera de Ordesa, 8 km (5 miles) northeast of Torla, up the Arazas River,... READ MORE
Welcome to the wildest, most unspoiled corner of the Pyrenees. The three main valleys of this national park—Ordesa, Pineta, and Añisclo—are carved out by the Ara River and its tributaries, the Arazas. They culminate in the majestic massif of Monte Perdido, which stands at 11,000 feet on the Franco-Spanish border; it's the highest of the park's three main mountains. The remote yet worthwhile valley of Las Gargantas de Escuaín is famous for its dolmen and soaring rock walls. Throughout the park, you'll find lakes, waterfalls, high mountain meadows, and forests of pine, fir, larch, beech, and poplar. Protected wildlife includes trout, boar, chamois, lammergeier, and the sarrio mountain goat (Rupicapra pyrenaica).
Well-marked mountain trails lead to waterfalls, caves, and spectacular observation points. The standard tour, a full-day's hike (eight hours), runs from the parking area in the Pradera de Ordesa, 8 km (5 miles) northeast of Torla, up the Arazas River, past the Gradas de Soaso (Soaso Risers, a natural stairway of waterfalls) to the Cola de Caballo (Horse's Tail), a fan of falling water at the head of the Cirque de Cotatuero, a dramatic natural amphitheater. There is one refuge, Refugio Góriz, north of the Cola de Caballo. A return walk on the south side of the valley, past the Cabaña de los Cazadores (Hunters' Hut), offers a breathtaking view followed by a two-hour descent back to the parking area.
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