The Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park originated in the valley of Ordesa in 1918.
This is the best known entrance to the Park. Access to the Pradera de Ordesa car park is restricted in high season (summer, Easter week, Pilar Bank Holiday), so there’s a bus service during these periods that leaves every 15 minutes from the visitor’s centre in Torla.
More information: www.ordesabus.com
For the rest of the year there is free vehicle access and a lot less visitors.
The most emblematic routes along the Ordesa valley are the Estrecho waterfalls walk, the “Gradas de Soaso” and “Cola de caballo”, and the “Senda de Cazadores”.
Beware! Although the “Cola de Caballo” walk is low level, it’s a long way (6 hours) and is not recommended to everyone.
The “Cañón de Añisclo” outing is a circular route (Escalona –Cañon de Añisclo Car park – Buerba – Escalona) for which you’ll need at least half a day (depending on whether you stop or not along the way and on which walk you choose to do). The road is one way up to the car park at the top of the Canyon, but it is very narrow which makes it inaccessible to coaches or buses and unadvisable to caravans or motor homes. You can also go up to Fanlo and then go down to Sarvisé beyond the car park depending on where you wish to go.
The most popular walks in the Cañon de Añisclo are the “ruta del agua” or the path upstream from the San Úrbez chapel as far up as you want to walk (end of the path : Fuen Blanca waterfall 5 hours from San Úrbez).
This is the remotest valley of all. The road to Escuaín is very beautiful but very long and narrow and traffic runs in both directions so caution is vital and it’s not recommended for large vehicles such as mobile homes (though access is not officially restricted). The road to Revilla is also narrow but much shorter.
The most popular walks along the Yaga valley are the “Proas de Socastiello” (with view points over the Escuaín), the source of the River Yaga or the “Miradores de Revilla” walk.
This is the most accessible valley of them all thanks to the good access right to the end of the valley for any vehicle. Here you’ll find the Pineta car park (paying in summer) and a bit further on, the Bielsa National Parador.
Among the Pineta valley’s most popular walks are the “Llanos de Lalarri”, the walk up to the Cinca waterfall or the circular walk that links them both : Montaspró.
Norms
The Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park has strict rules that help the conservation process within its valleys and make human impact as small as possible.
The following stand out as some of the most important of them:
- Dogs are allowed but must be on a leash
- The picking of mushrooms and flowers is forbidden
- Swimming is forbidden
- Camping is forbidden (overnight stays are allowed in specific places. Find out about them.)
Attention! In the Parc National des Pyrénées, in France, dogs are NOT ALLOWED, even on a leash!