Walking in Catalonia in the Val d Aran is an exciting new tour for 2012. We will be running two different levels of walks here (grades two and three), so there is something for everyone:

The first is for those who want to enjoy beautiful scenery on relatively easy paths walking for up to 5 hours in a day. We will stay in comfortable hotels with ensuite facilities and good food. This is a two feet tour.

The second option will be more adventurous. We will walk from place to place with our luggage following us by van, exploring some wild country in and out of the Aigues Tortes National park and the French/Spanish border. The walks will be up to 7 hours per day. We stay in small family run hotels and refuges with ensuite facilities wherever possible. Of course good food and wine are important ingredients wherever we go! This is a three feet tour.

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The Val d’Aran really is a stupendously beautiful area with a huge of choice of walks that are easily accessible. We walk on a variety of terrains ranging from dirt roads to ancient cobbled footpaths. Easy access to the highland plateaux mean we can walk over ridges, through  high wooded valleys, high passes, and upland meadows with an abundance of flowers and fauna from June through to the end of October.
Though the Val d’Aran area is one of the busiest sky resorts in Spain, only a relatively small area is touched during a brief winter period. The rest of the year it is frequented by Spanish weekenders from Barcelona, otherwise it is quiet and just waiting to be explored.

The Val D Aran is surrounded by high mountains with an abundance of running rivers and streams fed by high mountain lakes. It is from here also that the sources of two important rivers begin their journey down to the sea, the Ebro river runs down to the Mediterranean and the Garonna River runs into France down to the Atlantic. To the west of Vielha, the capital of Aran, the highest peaks of the Pyrenees poke their heads above the clouds, namely the Maladetta Mountains, with Aneto the father of the range at 3444m. This is often visible from where we walk

 

 

 


Price from 820 € per person (without flight) Single supplement €120

Walking grade two -- 6 5

 

This tour takes us to see the best of the Val d Aran and the eastern end of the Aiguestortes national park. It is a two centre holiday based in two villages; Arties (near Vielha) for 4 days and Espot (eastern Aiguestortes National park) for three days.

Guests are met at Toulouse airport. We drive southwards to the Pyrenees through the valley de la Garonne to reach the Val d Aran. Our hotel is found in a small picturesque village near Vielha called Arties. It is from here that we will explore the Val d Arans’ rich and spectacular mountains. We are spoilt for choice for which walks we will do, so we have chosen the best walks namely going on the Plateau de Beret to visit the sanctuary of Montgarri and its 13th century Romanesque chapel, the cobbled footpaths around the medieval village of Bausen, the high mountain lakes of Colomers and the valley of Gebers. The second half of the tour, we spend three days based in Espot in the region of Pallars Sobira, where we will explore the eastern side of the national park. We will walk round the Estani de San Maurici and in the Encantats mountains. On the last day of the tour we transfer back to Toulouse.


The itinerary

Day 1 - Group arrives at Toulouse. Guests are collected and driven to Arties in Spain. 3 hour journey. Overnight and dinner at the hotel.

Day 2 -  Circular walk from  Bahns de Tredos to the lake of Colomers and back to  Bahns de Tredos. 4 hours walking with 400m ascent. Overnight and dinner at Arties.

Day 3 - Circular walk in the Val de Varrados around pretty villages with spectacular views and Romanesque chapels. Villages include Begos, Arres de Sus, and Arro. 4 hours walking with 500m ascent. Overnight and dinner at Arties.

Day 4 - Exploring the Plateau of Beret including a visit to the hamlet of Montgari for lunch and visit to the church. 5 hours walking with 300m ascent. Overnight and dinner at Arties.

Day 5 - Exploring the Val de Gerber with it’s majestuous lakes. Visit the Estany Gerber and Estany Llang. return to car and transfer to Espot. Overnight and dinner at hotel in Espot village hotel.

Day 6 - Walk to Estany de Sant Maurici and up to Mirador de sant Maurici and Portaro D Espot, fantastic views and wildlife. 5 hours walking with 500 meters ascent. Overnight and dinner at Espot.

Day 7 - A circular walk around the wild and picturesque valley behind the village of Son. 4 to 5 hours walking with 400m ascent. Overnight and dinner at Espot.

Day 8 - Transfer back to Toulouse airport in the morning.


What is included in the price of the tour:
Pick up and drop off at a precise time from Toulouse Blagnac airport, accommodation in comfortable hotels with ensuite facilities with breakfast, lunch (either picnic or restaurant), dinner.
The services of a qualified mountain leader, transport to and from walks.

What is not included:
The airfare to & from Toulouse airport, personal insurance, drinks at meals, the lunch on the arrival and departure day, extra transfers or taxi rides are not included in the tour program, entrance to museums and archaeological sites, tips.

Book the walking tour


 


Price from 890€ per person (without flight) Single supplement €120


Walking grade three -- 6 55

This tour is only for experienced walkers who want to walk for up to 7 hours per day with 1000m ascent. This will be a challenging tour as we will walk in wild country far away from world in some of europes last real wilderness.

This tour is a journey on foot from the western end to the eastern end of the Aigues Tortes mountains. We start at the the Espitau de Vielha and walk for 3 days eastwards across the mountains staying in manned refuges on the way. We end the first part of the journey in Espot where we will have a rest day before walking on to Son and down to Valencia d'Aneu.
You do not have to carry heavy packs as the suitcases are carried in one of our vans.
We stay in small mountain refuges with all mod cons including good food and wine. On some nights we stay in comfortable family run hotels with ensuite facilities.



The itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival day. Guests are picked up at Toulouse and transfered to Vielha. Overnight in a small hotel.

Day 2 - Transfer to Bausen. Walk up to Tuc deth Plan de Holme and back to Bausen.
7 hours. Overnight Vielha.

Day 3 - Transfer to Espitau de Vielha. Walk to la Restanca refuge.6 hours with 840m ascent. Overnight Restanca refuge.

Day 4 - Walk from Restanca refuge to Colomers refuge. 4 to 5 hours walking with 550m ascent. Overnight Colomers Refuge.

Day 5 - Walk from Colomers to Espot via the port de Ratera. 7 hours with 600m ascent. Overnight Hotel Roya in Espot.

Day 6 - Walk from Espot to Son via the col de Foguermix. Overnight in Esterri d'Aneu.  

Day 7 - Transfer to Fornet and either walk back into France via the Port de Salau or Aula. 8 hours or a circular walk from Alos d'Isil up to towards Tuc de Moredo.

Day 8 - Departure day.





What is included in the price of the tour:
Pick up and drop off at a precise time from Toulouse Blagnac airport, accommodation in small family run hotels and refuges with breakfast, lunch (either picnic or restaurant), and dinner.
The services of a qualified mountain leader, transport to and from walks.

What is not included:
The airfare to & from Toulouse airport, personal insurance, drinks at meals, the lunch on the arrival and departure day, extra transfers and extra taxi rides are not included in the tour program, entrance to museums and archaeological sites, and tips.

Book the walking tour