
Spanish Pyrenees
Exceptional holidays, beautifully local & certifiably responsible
Stellar Tella A hike to remember Chasing vultures No need to worry Wet weather option Vineyard in the hills Simple pleasures Picnic in a volcano crater
From Tella, Spanish Pyrenees
The road ran out at Tella. A few stone houses, a medieval church and the odd cat - el medio de la nada as they say in Spain. The middle of nowhere.
But it's just a 15-minute walk to the first of three Romanesque chapels, hidden away on the edge of a steep cliff in the shadow of a big outcrop. In the distance are the even bigger peaks of the Ordesa National Park. You need not always go to the far side of the world to see such incredible places.
From Ordesa National Park, Spanish Pyrenees
We slogged up the switchback path, the end demoralisingly out of sight. People twice our age passed us in all manner of lycra, walking poles in hand. We had no poles, just a bag of nuts and flasks of warm coffee and cold water. Was it worth it? Like you wouldn't believe.
Mountains look different from up high; truer proportions, more texture, more detail. Valleys stretch out longer, peaks roll off further and the air feels so invigoratingly fresh. I remember it all so vividly still, the day we took the difficult path and won the greatest view of our lives.
From Aínsa, Spanish Pyrenees
We went in search of vultures, preferably of the Bearded kind. We hadn't yet made it to the valley where they are often seen, when we saw two circling in the sky, pointed out by a friendly Frenchman on the side of the road.
Down in the valley, we saw only Griffon, not Bearded vultures. But it didn't matter. Not one dot. Watching a dozen majestic creatures swooping across a forested canyon to within metres of our heads is something I'll never, ever forget. Nature can be so wonderful when you sit back and watch.
From Pineta Valley, Spanish Pyrenees
Sergio led us merrily around on our first ever eBiking experience. He's possibly as softly spoken and laid back a man as you'll find in these parts.
He worries about his English. I meant to tell him not to. The way he helped trace out our route for the rest of the day, maps spread out over the bonnet of our hire car, proved beyond doubt that he has a strong grasp of our language. But the fact that he cares so much is so endearing.
From Aigüestortes, Catalonia
It takes a special landscape to retain its full charm in the rain. One early October morning, Aigüestortes pulled it off effortlessly.
Silvery waterfalls rushed furiously and autumnal reds and yellows spread through the mixed forests which colour blocked the mountainsides. Chaffinches hopped from lush pine to lush pine, grey clouds shrouded the pointy peaks in a mysterious cloak and a rainbow formed against the deep green surface of the lake.
From the Costa Brava, Catalonia
I think I inadvertently awoke Núrea from her afternoon nap at her organic vineyard, tucked away in the hills up a bumpy dirt track. Her pride at what she and her husband Diego Soto have achieved here shone through with no airs or graces. They simply fell in love with this place, respected the terrain enough not to contaminate it and are pleased to share it with anyone interested.
They are, like many I've met in Spain, deeply appreciative of their lot in life.
From Cadaqués, Catalonia
Though Dalí ended his days in Cadaqués, the town rarely feels overrun and as local families still own nearly everything, there are no high-rise hotels. Everything shuts down in winter for people to rest and recharge. A relaxed Mediterranean lifestyle dominates.
This moment celebrates the simple pleasure of fresh food and a drink, with feet resting in the sand after a walk along the coast through the beautiful Cap de Creus.
From La Garrotxa, Catalonia
We were always going to take the detour. Why wouldn't we walk an extra 2km to visit a mysterious Romanesque chapel in a volcano crater?
Through the beech trees our trail wound until emerging on a sunny clearing, like a high mountain pasture. Only this was nothing of the kind. In the Middle Ages, pilgrims trod these paths for religious ends. For us, our pilgrimage led us to a picnic spot which will take some beating.
Sweeping canyons and soaring vultures; wildflower meadows and pine forests lush from the roots up. If the high mountains are calling, there's no one who knows them better.

Spain's best hike?
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If you enjoy walking and this should hopefully have you looking out your window longing for some far off mountains.
That's because our Ordesa Valley hike was described by Pura co-founder Diego Martin as “probably my favourite day hike in the whole of Spain”. That’s quite the seal of approval for someone who says he “dreams in trails” and who has walked every inch of our Inn to Inn holidays across the Iberian Peninsula. Several of us have been there to make our own footprints and can corroborate his claim.
What makes the walk so special?
Maybe the fresh mountain air, which both relaxes and galvanises with every breath. Or the peaceful birdsong which accompanies each step through the thick forests. It certainly has a lot to do with the sheer drama of the high mountains and the raw power of nature, so precious in a world increasingly tamed by us humans. The manmade confines and resolute order of our everyday all fade away out here and for once it’s us who are the guests of nature, not the other way around. Our impact is reduced to a few primitive trails, some humble signposts and a few simple refuges. The mountains make life feel refreshingly simple again.

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So, where are we? The Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park butts up against the French border in the alpine heart of the Spanish Pyrenees. We’re 200 kilometres from the nearest big city (Zaragoza). Between here and there, the high mountains will slope down into thick forests and high pastures, before the great central plains level the terrain out.
65,000 years ago, a great icefall spilled down from the summit of Monte Perdido, an unstoppable force which drove and twisted its way between sheer limestone cliffs, creating the U-shaped Ordesa Valley through which we walk today. The ice is long gone. In its stead, great fir and pine forests spill down the valley walls. Open wildflower meadows and hushed beech forests - particularly striking in autumn - spread along the valley floor. The hurried waters of the Arazas River bump and tumble down a series of noisy cascades.
Look closely and you can make out compacted marine fossils, a legacy from the tropical sea which once submerged the entire region.

At the head of the valley, the Soaso Cirque forms a vast mountain amphitheatre, crowned by the high glaciated summit of Monte Perdido - one of Europe’s highest limestone peaks. In this cirque is the park’s most photographed feature; the Cola de Caballo (Horsetail Waterfall), which rushes from a karstic groundwater spring on Monte Perdido and fans its way out down the stepped rockface.
The waterfall can get fairly busy because there’s a flat path which winds its way from the car park, between the beech trees and out into the open meadows at the end of the valley. It makes the cirque and the waterfall quite accessible, but the path is a linear ‘there and back' and misses much of the drama which unfolds higher up, where you look down on the canyon and get a true sense of its scale. It would be a shame for you to miss this. So we take a slightly different approach, creating our own route to share it all with you...


You start at a viewpoint high on the edge of the canyon, and from there walk along the plateau, admiring the views down into the bottom of the valley and up towards the summits. You can stop for a coffee at the Goriz mountain hut before dropping down to meet the aforementioned Horsetail waterfall in the Soaso Cirque. From here you then follow the water as it rolls down the valley, waterfall to waterfall, and then pick up the trail through the beech forest all the way down to the village of Torla.
At 18.5 kilometres, we’ve designed the walk to showcase the national park’s glorious natural beauty. But it’s also long enough to challenge you and thus end the day with a feeling of achievement as you enjoy your well-earned dinner and glass of wine or beer. If you’re walking fit, you can certainly do it - we don’t create holidays for specialist mountaineers - and the next day can be a lighter one if you wish.
That’s a walk you can do as part of our self-guided Inn to Inn walking holiday in the high central Pyrenees. If you want to explore further afield in the Pyrenees, you can do a variation of the walk which follows the mountain skirt trail to the waterfall, as part of a self-drive trip which we will tailor to you.
Either way, let us know what takes your fancy - we’d love to share more details and have a chat about it.
Pyrenees Inn to Inn Walking Holiday
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£1,370 ppn/a
- 8 days
Pyrenees Inn to Inn Walking Holiday
When: Apr-Jul; Sep-Nov
Price: £1,370 per person
Duration: 8 days
Reconnect with the great outdoors in the Pyrenees, where stunning landscapes, remote hamlets and cosy hotels make for a varied week of world-class walking.
High Pyrenees: Hike & Drive Holiday
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£1,575 ppn/a
- 8 days
High Pyrenees: Hike & Drive Holiday
When: Apr-Oct
Price: £1,515 per person
Duration: 8 days
Handpicked hikes by day, gourmet food and boutique hotels by night. Guided days and our support helps unlock the full beauty of the mountains, at your pace.
Bilbao to Barcelona: Pyrenees Drive & Explore Holiday
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£3,775 ppn/a
- 18 days
Bilbao to Barcelona: Pyrenees Drive & Explore Holiday
When: Apr-Nov
Price: £3,775 per person
Duration: 18 days
From the Basque Country to Catalonia via the high Pyrenees, this road journey celebrates the beautiful variety of Spain's northern frontier.
Travel Positive with Pura Aventura
Exceptional holidays in exceptional places.
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Your holiday will be deeply rooted into its local surroundings, from the people you meet and the places you stay, to the food on your plate and the wine in your glass.



