8-day Pyrenees Trail (GR-11) Walking Holiday (Part 1)
Self-Guided Jaca to Torla-Ordesa mountain trek
- La Senda Pirenaica (GR-11), the most spectacular mountain trail of the Spanish Pyrenees
- Limited fixed starting dates, so always someone to connect with
- Ordesa Mational Park & Valles Occidentales Natural park
- Views of the highest peaks on the French side, like Pic du Midi d'Ossau and Vignemale
- Luggage transfers included during most of the days
- Overnight stays in both mountain huts and comfortable hotels
- Daily briefing and trouble shooting by experienced mountain guides
Start: Jaca Finish: Torla-Ordesa
Arrival in Jaca, the capital of the Pirineo Aragonés. Meet your fellow hikers during dinner and get an answer to any doubts you might have during the first briefing by the local mountain guides that will gaurdian angels throughout these tour.
After a short taxi transfer your Pyrenees adventure starts in Oza OR Aguastuertas with a technically easy but long hike up to the mountain hut Lizara ebautifully located in the valley Llanos de Lizara.
Challenge: 21 km, 6-7 hrs, 1200 m ascent, 720 m descent
Moderate: 17 km, 5-6 hrs, 1100 m ascent, 720 m descent
Todays walk along a new and more doable variant fo the GR-11 is very rewarding, offering spectacular views from the Aisa pass (at 2265 m) to the most famous peaks on the French side, particularly The Pic du Midi d'Ossau. Afrter arriving at Candanchu, option of travelling by car to the hotel in Canfranc.
Challenge: 19 km, 7-8 hrs, 1100 m ascent, 1020 m descent
Moderate: 16 km, 6-7 km, 1040 m ascent, 940 m descent
Walk through a surprisingly barren and volcanic area, with old chimneas standing out as frozen riders of some lost arc, to the more friendly valley of Tena, where you will sleep again in a nice family hotel in the villag of Sallent de Gállego.
Challenge: 21 km, 7-8 hrs, 920 m ascent, 940 descent
Moderate: 17 km, 5-6 hrs, 920 m ascent, 670 m descent
A realitvely short and pleasant hike along the river Aguaslimpias, surrounded by alpine meadows and dense forests. Opportunity to make a detour to the Arriel glacier lakes before heading to the Mountain hut Respomuso, high above the reservoir with the same name. Cars cannot reach this hut so yhe bulk of your luggage is transported to the next hotel in Panticosa.
Challenge: 11 km, 4-5 hrs, 850 m ascent, 170 m descent
The most truely alpine and jaw-dropping stage of the entire week takes you up to the Tebarrai pass (at 2782 m!!) while enjoying superb views over the surrounding peaks. After a long descent you'll reach the Balneario de Panticosa, another beautifully located mountain hotel with SPA.
Challenge: 14 km, 6-7 hrs, 710 m ascent, 1270 descent.
After an inicial ascent (sprad out over 6 km distance) the rest of the day is spend mainly downhill alongside the river Ara, one of the most wildest and beautiful rivers of the entire Pyrenees. After a drink in the Bujaruelo hut, we will celebrate the end of an inspiring week in a restaurant in Torla-Ordesa.
Challenge: 21 km, , 8-9 hrs, 900 m ascent, 1200 m descent
After breakfast you will be taken back to Jaca from where it is easy to travel home by either private or public unless you have booked the second part of the Senda Pirenaica between Torla-Ordesa and Pont de Suert
During this tour you will stay 2 nights in mountain huts and sleep in large bunkbeds, side by side. These beds have pillows and duvets or blankets but you need to take your own liner sheet with you (preferrably a light weight mummy type) and a towel.
Single rooms can be booekd at hotels ONLY (not mountain huts)
Centrally located and welcoming hotel in Jaca with good restaurant, close to all the shops (just in case you need to do some last minute shopping for clothing or food)
Comfortable mountain hut with 75 beds in different rooms, bar-restaurant and shared bathrooms with warm showers.
Located in a former cutoms frontier office, 5 kilometres away from Col de Somport, this comfortable hotel was completely restored in 2005, adding a Spa area and panoramic terrace. It name was borrowed from a nearby monastery that use to host pilgrims.
Basic family run hotel with 9 rooms ensuite and a bar-restaurant; conveniently located on the GR-11 in Parzán
Classic mountain hut with 74 beds in several dormitories, one of the first to be built in the Pirineo Aragonés with bathrooms. The location is superb, above the lake Respomuso and a perfect base camp for climbers of the highest peaks
The Balneario de Panticosa, consists of two totally different buildings; the Gran Hotel, built in 1896 in Belle Epoque style, and the modern Hotel Continental, built in wood and glass. Both hotels are connected with three different SPA areas and three different restaurants.
Hotel in the centre of Torla-Ordesa, named after one of the pioneer explorers of the Pyrenees, el Conde Russel. The hotel has comfortable rooms and a nice interior patio.
During high season, this tour can only be booked on the fixed starting dates mentioned in the calender.
The airports closest to Jaca are Zaragoza (in Spain) or Pau (n France), but they do not receive much international flights.
Barcelona and Madrid are the largest airports closeby. From there you can travel by high-speed train in 1,5 hrs to Zaragoza and continue by train to Jaca (another 3hrs and 15 min)
From Pau airport you can travel by train and bus via Bedous and Canfranc to Jaca once a day in aproximately 4,5 -5 hrs (arrival shortly before 20hrs in Jaca)
If you travel by train to Zaragoza from either Barcelona (high speed train; in 1,5 hrs) or Madrid (idem; 1.20hrs) you have to take care to arrive before 15.40 hrs when the last train of the day leaves Zaragoza for Jaca; arriving shortly after 19hrs.
You can also fly to Bilbao and then take a direct bus to Zaragoza (several services per day; that take aprox 4 hrs).
There is only one train connection per day between Bilbao- Zaragoza andt it arrives after 19 hrs in Zaragoza, so you will need an extra night there if you want to continue to Jaca by train.
From Pau in France, you can continue by either bus or train to Bedous; then have to change to a bus that takes you to Canfranc and then again chose between bus or train to reach Jaca. It takes about 4,5-5 hrs to cover this route.
If you travel by car, you can leave it parked in Jaca at any of the private and public car parks. At the end of the tour a private transfers from Torla to Jaca is included in the tour price
Included
- 5 nights' accommodation in double rooms with ensuite bathing facilities
- 2 nights at mountain huts in bunkbeds (including blankets, but NO sheets nor towels)
- 7 hikers breakfasts
- 7 dinners (fixed menus)
- Daily briefing by local mountain guides
- Transfers from and to the hikes between day 2 and 7 as specified in the program
- Transfer from Torla back to Jaca on day 8
- Luggage transfers on days 2,4,6 and 7
- Logistic support during the tour
- Basic information about the walks
- Access to the trip in GUIBO, a navigation App
- 24-hour telephone assistance
Not included
- Lunches: the guides will inform you where to buy lunch provisions during the tour
- Personal expenses such as drinks, telephone calls, etc
- SPA treatments in hotels with SPA's
Optional (can be booked as extra)
- Private transfers to Zaragoza or Pau train stations or nearby airports
- Extras night at the beginning or end of the tour (in Jaca or Torla)
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8-day Pyrenees Trail (GR-11) Walking Holiday (Part 1)
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