Valle de Bujaruelo
At the Los Navarros bridge (about 3 km above Torla), a dirt track begins that enters the valley. During the first kilometers, the track crosses the Bujaruelo Gorge, with beautiful cliffs that are worth a stop.
3 km
You cross the river (which descends among abundant birch trees, willows, etc.). Just before crossing it, a well-marked path (GR11) starts on the right that ascends to San Nicolás in 1 hour, crossing beech and fir forests, and also beautiful meadows. On the other side of the river, the track ascends between pines, boxwoods and meadows, arriving in 1 km at a campsite and in 4 km at S. Nicolás.
7km
San Nicolás, end of the road access. Here there is a camping area with a bar and restaurant. The surroundings are very beautiful, with a beautiful bridge crossing the Ara River and a ruined Romanesque hermitage. A little higher up there are beautiful places: the Ara gently descends between meadows with boxwoods, rowan trees and also abundant yew trees that ascend the slopes on the right, even being called “the yew forest of Bujaruelo”. Starting from San Nicolás you can take multiple excursions:
Puerto de Bujaruelo (3 hours of ascent. 2 hours 15' of descent and 920 m of elevation gain). Crossing the bridge over the Ara River, the path - very well marked - ascends steeply through a mixed forest with abundant yew trees. Half an hour later, you leave the forests and ascend through meadows, then through rocks or fields, until you reach the border hill, with a beautiful view of the Tendeñera Massif and the French circus of Gavarnie, where a road ascends to the same hill.
Otal Valley. Ascent 1 h 30', descent 50', gradient 300 m. From San Nicolás you ascend along the valley track, which heads upstream (which is closed to road traffic). At 20' there is a fountain and a detour, we will take the track on the left. After the first flat section, the track ascends, allowing us to contemplate the Vignemale or Comachibosa massif to the N (3300 m). In 1 hour we will be at the entrance of this glacial valley with a very flat bottom, with a “U”-shaped profile, hanging over the main valley. It is completely covered by meadows (full of mountain flowers and grasshoppers in the summer), and is closed by a small cirque crowned by the Tendeñera peak.
Ara Valley to the Ordiso refuge. Route with a duration and gradient similar to the previous one. We will begin by following the previous route; At the source (20' from San Nicolás), we will take the track on the right, which crosses the Ara River and ascends its left bank between meadows and forests. You cross some beautiful waterfall and, in 1 h 30', you reach the Ordiso refuge, the end of the track. From here you can continue up the valley - surrounded by meadows and rocks - towards the base of the Vignemale (which can begin to be seen in the background).
Texts: Joaquín Guerrero.
Any reproduction is prohibited without written permission from the company for the purposes of article 32.1, second paragraph, of the Intellectual Property Law.
3 km
You cross the river (which descends among abundant birch trees, willows, etc.). Just before crossing it, a well-marked path (GR11) starts on the right that ascends to San Nicolás in 1 hour, crossing beech and fir forests, and also beautiful meadows. On the other side of the river, the track ascends between pines, boxwoods and meadows, arriving in 1 km at a campsite and in 4 km at S. Nicolás.
7km
San Nicolás, end of the road access. Here there is a camping area with a bar and restaurant. The surroundings are very beautiful, with a beautiful bridge crossing the Ara River and a ruined Romanesque hermitage. A little higher up there are beautiful places: the Ara gently descends between meadows with boxwoods, rowan trees and also abundant yew trees that ascend the slopes on the right, even being called “the yew forest of Bujaruelo”. Starting from San Nicolás you can take multiple excursions:
Puerto de Bujaruelo (3 hours of ascent. 2 hours 15' of descent and 920 m of elevation gain). Crossing the bridge over the Ara River, the path - very well marked - ascends steeply through a mixed forest with abundant yew trees. Half an hour later, you leave the forests and ascend through meadows, then through rocks or fields, until you reach the border hill, with a beautiful view of the Tendeñera Massif and the French circus of Gavarnie, where a road ascends to the same hill.
Otal Valley. Ascent 1 h 30', descent 50', gradient 300 m. From San Nicolás you ascend along the valley track, which heads upstream (which is closed to road traffic). At 20' there is a fountain and a detour, we will take the track on the left. After the first flat section, the track ascends, allowing us to contemplate the Vignemale or Comachibosa massif to the N (3300 m). In 1 hour we will be at the entrance of this glacial valley with a very flat bottom, with a “U”-shaped profile, hanging over the main valley. It is completely covered by meadows (full of mountain flowers and grasshoppers in the summer), and is closed by a small cirque crowned by the Tendeñera peak.
Ara Valley to the Ordiso refuge. Route with a duration and gradient similar to the previous one. We will begin by following the previous route; At the source (20' from San Nicolás), we will take the track on the right, which crosses the Ara River and ascends its left bank between meadows and forests. You cross some beautiful waterfall and, in 1 h 30', you reach the Ordiso refuge, the end of the track. From here you can continue up the valley - surrounded by meadows and rocks - towards the base of the Vignemale (which can begin to be seen in the background).
Texts: Joaquín Guerrero.
Any reproduction is prohibited without written permission from the company for the purposes of article 32.1, second paragraph, of the Intellectual Property Law.